avoiding virus infections

Install anti-virus software from a well-known, 

reputable company,UPDATE it regularly, and USE it regularly.
 

1. New viruses come out every single day; an a-v program

 that hasn't been updated for several months will 

not provide much protection against current
viruses.

2. In addition to scanning for viruses on a regular basis,

 install an 'on access' scanner (included in most good

 a-v software packages)

 and configure it to start automatically each time you 

boot your system. This will protect your system by

 checking for viruses each time your computer 

 accesses an executable file.

3. Virus scan any new programs or other

 files that may contain executable code before you run or open them, no matter where they come from.  There
have been cases of commercially distributed floppy disks and CD-ROMs spreading virus infections. 

4.  Anti-virus programs aren't very good at detecting Trojan horse
programs, so be extremely careful about opening binary files and Word/Excel
documents from unknown or 'dubious' sources.  This includes posts in binary
newsgroups, downloads from web/ftp sites that aren't well-known or don't
have a good reputation, and executable files unexpectedly received as
attachments to E-mail or during an on-line chat session.

5.  If your E-mail or news software has the ability to automatically execute
JavaScript, Word macros, or other executable code contained in or attached
to a message, I strongly recommend that you disable this feature.

6.  Be _extremely_ careful about accepting programs or other files during
on-line chat sessions: this seems to be one of the more common means that
people wind up with virus or Trojan horse problems.  And if any other family
members (especially younger ones) use the computer, make sure they know not
to accept any files while using chat.

7.  Do regular backups. Some viruses and Trojan horse programs will erase or
corrupt files on your hard drive, and a recent backup may be the only way to
recover your data.

Ideally, you should back up your entire system on a regular basis.  If this
isn't practical, at least backup files that you can't afford to lose or that
would be difficult to replace: documents, bookmark files, address books,
important E-mail, etc.