I had to fix hundreds of computers in recent years and most of them could have been easily avoided by using antivirus software and ensuring that everything was updated. It is not difficult to simply learn to be a part of your routine.
Best software antiviru
Viruses are small executable programs that are running on your computer, typically without that you know and can cause a huge amount of damage for so little that you will even notice. The best way to protect yourself is to not step on the internet, or better still do not have a computer. If this is not a viable option for you then you will need a virus scanner. Most people are going to offer Norton or McAfee, but I found these to be missed. In many cases, I found that AVG anti-virus will detect actually more virus is Norton. AVG is completely free and can be found by conducting a search through Google. Make sure that you update your definitions of viruses on a regular basis, at least once a week, I suggest that every morning. This will ensure you have the latest list of virus update so that you are protected and also if you have one of these viruses you can clean up and delete it.
Send a Virus without even know
Then beware of attachments. If you do not know the person who sent the e-mail, do not open it. Most of the new virus spreads by extract your address e-mail to other computers and send you an email with the virus in an attachment.
Downloads Sites
Some web sites demand that you download an ActiveX DLL or Java Applet, or some other piece of software to use a certain function on their web site. You must be careful when deciding whether to download or not. There are a few rules to follow to ensure you that I download something that I should. If you are on a site for adults do not download anything unless you absolutely must. Make sure that the site or company has a good reputation. This can be done by conducting a Google search.
P2P download
If you download from a program of peer-to-peer such as Kazaa, Bearshare, WinMX, or any other P2P program you are at your own risk. Most of the computers that I saw this software it may end up being many of the viruses and spyware. Now, this is not due to software P2P itself but is due to the files that you download through it. If you have a P2P program, please make sure that your virus definitions are up-to-date at all times.
Rely not on the automatic update
On of the worst things you can do is to rely on the automatic update that come with the antivirus you have. This will normally be not send you a notification to update until a few days after an update that you can get there. Any antivirus software that I have seen to manually download available updates.
When should I scan my computer
I left my computer running 24/7 and if do you the same thing I would suggest scheduling once somewhere around 2 am in the morning. This allows the analysis to run when no one is to make and will catch that anything could be obtained by automatic analysis for one reason or another. If you turn off your computer at night, I suggest a straight scan when you enable for the first time this day here.
Conclusion
You probably get even a virus from time to time, but it should be much less common and is normally something minor that you will get. Also if you need to get a virus it will normally be captured within 24 hours, which will reduce the amount of destruction it can cause to your computer and others.
I am an all around big Geek with too much time on my hands. My main services are the web design/development and repair of PC. I made these for 5 years and consider myself very well to what I do, but more importnantly, I like it. Design webcyte