Tech Tips Issue #3-Virus and Anti-virus information and protection procedures

Tech Tips Issue #3
Virus and Anti-virus information and protection procedures
First let me stress a point don't open any email attachments you are not sure of. This is the easiest way to avoid your computer being infected by a virus. Email attachments are currently the most common method of computer virus being spread. Email attachments that are infected commonly have the one of the following file extensions.
.exe .com .bat .pif .vbs .scr .pe .bin .dat .reg
Attached files with these extensions should not be opened as they could infect you with a virus. When in question of it's content don't open an attachment. To help aid in virus prevention you should have a good anti-virus program and update it regularly. I strongly suggest the latest version of Norton AntiVirus. Although McAffee Antivirus has good protection I have found that Norton AntiVirus is much easier for most people to use and update. Remember just having a good anti-virus program will not do any good if you don't update the definition files regularly. New viruses are found regularly, your anti-virus cannot do its job if it doesn't know what to look for. Quite often when a computer has been infected we have found that the definition files are quite old or there is no virus protection at all. Both Norton and McAffee release updates as new viruses are discovered. I suggest updating your definition files weekly. If I've lost you with all of this lets look at it this way. Imagine that you are a guard at a bank and you are there to stop known bank robbers from coming in and robbing the place. If you have no idea what they look like then how can you do your job? But if I give you a book of mug shots of all of the known criminals then and you can compare all of them to everyone coming in you can do your job. However if we don't add pictures of new bank robbers to the book then you don't know to stop them when they come in. This mug book is very much like the definition files. So how do you update your virus definitions? If you have McAffee you need to visit their website and learn how (I don't use it to be quite honest) or get the latest version of Norton. . Norton it is quite simple to update you can get online open Norton AntiVirus and click on the live update button and follow the onscreen instructions or you can go to www.symantec.com, click on Download Virus Definitions. The next page will have another link that reads Download Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater Only) click on it. On the next page select your product and language and click on the download updates button. On the net page select the first download and save it to your hard drive it will be named xxxxi32.exe the x's are the date that the update was created. After downloading the file find where you saved it and double click on it. If you have Norton AntiVirus 2002 it can be configured to automatically check for and install new updates. What should you do if you get a virus? First if you know where it came from let that person know they are most likely unaware they are infected. Most viruses send themselves out without any knowledge or trace of doing so due to this you should stay off of the Internet until you have the virus removed. How do I remove a virus? If you are not familiar with virus removal I suggest going to a qualified professional instead of trying to do it yourself and doing more damage than good since the removal procedure varies from virus to virus and the length and severity of infection. In some (very few if caught early) cases reloading is the only option. If this happens the technician will need all of the disks that you originally got with your computer. There are lots of virus hoaxes spread through email as well if you receive a email telling you about a new virus go to the security response link on the symantec web site and look for it under hoaxes and jokes first. Some of these hoaxes tell you to look for and delete important system files that can cause you to need a reload. If you have a virus that you need removed don't hesitate to call us at Swetland Supply Company (618) 283-2123 we are very experienced in virus removal and keep up on the most recent virus threats and removal procedures. If you are interested in learning more about viruses and virus removal I suggest you visit www.symantec.com to learn more Paul Daume
Computer Repair Technician
Swetland Supply Co.
Vandalia IL