Digital Survival - anti-virus

Protecting the health of your computer

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:33:09 +0000

If you use a computer you know how challenging it is to keep it running smoothly, avoiding crashes or loss of processing speed. Inevitably though, problems arise: systems develop bugs, software becomes corrupted – your computer may even come down with a virus! The following points will help you keep your computer and data in good condition and working smoothly:

Never cut off the power supply to your computer without shutting down the system first. If you shut your computer down properly every time, your software is less likely to become corrupted.
Install an anti-virus programme. Make sure it will automatically scan your files, and make sure it updates itself at least once a week. This is particularly important for Microsoft Windows users.
Back up your system at least once a week. It’s not a question of if you will have a system or hard-disk failure, but of when it will happen. If you aren’t prepared, then you are very likely to lose some or all of your valuable files.
Avoid software copies and pirated software.
If you have a broadband internet connection, update your software regularly, because developers are making improvements all the time. Most applications will alert you when updates become available on the internet and you can then choose to install them.
Remove software applications you no longer use. Uninstall and remove the programme files.
Don’t install too much software on your computer, as it can slow your system down and cause problems.
Don’t let your hard drive get more than 75% full or your computer will slow down.
Keep your desktop folder as clean and empty as possible. Desktop clutter contributes to slowing your computer down.
When in doubt, restart your computer. A simple restart can solve many problems. Always restart your computer before attempting any complicated trouble-shooting.
If you have more than one person using a computer regularly, consider setting up separate accounts for each user.

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FAQs: Computer viruses

katie — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:46:04 +0000

How do I know if my computer has been infected with a virus?

If your anti-virus programme is working properly and its virus definitions are fully up to date, you will get a warning window, informing you of the existence of the virus and prompting you to take action. However, if you aren't so lucky, here is a list of things that should cause you to suspect that you have been infected:

Applications crash while using them
Programmes will not load what you start them
Your computer seems much slower than usual
You see the 'blue screen of death' when you are try to perform tasks
You can only start your computer in 'safe mode'
Accessing or downloading anything on the internet seems to take a really long time
Random pop-up ads suddenly appear on your desktop, even what you are not at your computer or surfing the internet
You receive complaints that you are sending infected e-mails (although this can sometimes be a result of spoofing).

What should I do if a virus infects a device such as an external drive?

Your anti-virus programme should be able to scan and clean the external device.

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Computer viruses

katie — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:37:41 +0000

If you use a computer, the sad fact is that you need to know about computer viruses. There are many different ways to classify viruses, each with its own set of colourfully named categories. Worms, macroviruses, trojans and backdoors are some of the more well-known examples. Many of these viruses spread over the internet using email, malicious webpages or other means to infect unprotected computers. Others spread through removable media, particularly devices like USB memory sticks and external hard drives that allow users to write information as well as reading it. Viruses can destroy, damage or infect the information on your computer, including data on external drives. They can also take control of your computer and use it to attack other computers.
To protect yourself from these threats, you need to install an anti-virus application, and run it regularly. There are both proprietary and FOSS versions of these. If you buy a computer, it will probably not have anti-virus programmes pre-installed, so you need to decide which to use. Whichever you choose, ensure that it scans your computer for viruses as well as spyware. Some programmes combine the two functions, while others are separate. A good combination is the two open source applications: Avast anti-virus and Spybot anti-spyware.
You can find out more about these and download them free of charge in the Hands-on Guides in the Security in-a-box toolkit.

Avast: http://security.tacticaltech.org/avast_main
Spybot: http://security.tacticaltech.org/spybot_main

Internet café security note: If you're working in internet cafés you are not going to know if the computer you're working on is infected or not. That's why Avast virus cleaner has a portable application which you can run straight from your USB flash disk. You can download it from the Avast website here: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html

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