This website shows you various system utilities that you can use to make your PC perform “like new” again.
Importance of Using a (Good) Virus Checker
What is a computer virus anyway?
The paranoia and, at the same time, negative popularity of the computer virus makes my job extremely easier when trying to explain this phenomenon. Basically, if you’ve used a computer in the past, say, 2 decades and have not heard of a computer virus or what it does, you’ve probably used that computer under your own private, isolated rock.
Let me just define the concept of a virus really quick, for any under-the-rock-people reading this…the virus is a general name given to different types of malevolent programs written by someone to gain personal information from other computer users, to destroy data, to slow down their machines or simply annoy. By definition, a virus has a “life of its own”, spreading from one PC to the next through a number of methods.
Like stated above, viruses have different degrees of threat attached to them. While one virus could simply change your desktop to a smiling face each time you reboot without causing any other serious damage, another one could format your hard drive, corrupt data files, block your access to several programs or steal any personal information stored on your PC. In any case (and particularly that of the latter examples) they’re unwanted “guests” on your computer and you need to protect yourself against them.
Fortunately for us, there are a lot of great anti-virus programs available, which, when used correctly, can spare you a lot of trouble.
Why get an anti virus program and how to use it efficiently?
It’s important to know that you can only spread a virus on your computer if you execute the program it’s imbedded in. Viruses can’t simply land on your PC, unless you fire them up yourself. That’s why it’s VERY important to get an anti-virus program to check every downloaded executable file or attachment you get (please note that a virus can’t be spread by text files, picture files or any other file type other than an executable, nor can they spread by simply opening an e-mail).
Most of the new and improved virus checkers do this on their own and scan every file copied on your hard drive. If they find something suspicious they will report it. If you do get such a report, don’t panic, the virus has not spread yet, since you haven’t executed the program. You could say it’s in a latent state at the moment.
You should however try to disinfect the file with the help of your anti virus program, or at least quarantine it (this is a process that most anti virus programs use, virtually blocking any action that the virus might take).
Updating your anti virus software
Like I said, there are several quality anti virus programs out there, such as Norton Antivirus, Bit Defender, McAffee, Kaspersky, AVG and so forth. However, none of them is worth anything if you don’t update it on a regular basis.
Since viruses are constantly written (and written in such ways as to avoid the detection techniques used by these anti virus programs), it will be impossible for any of these programs to protect your PC from stuff they don’t “understand” yet. That’s why most of them use a large database of virus definitions which is being constantly updated as soon as new viruses are discovered. Some programs automatically patch themselves with these new database updates, while others need to be manually patched, but regardless of the way they do, this is a process that shouldn’t be neglected.