Does your Antivirus Software give you all the protection that you need?

Probably not!

Many computer owners often assume that because virus protection has been installed on their computer that it is always doing its job.   If that were true, why are so many viruses causing damage and disaster to computer systems?

Those people that create viruses are constantly finding new ways and new methods to creatively cause computer damage. 

Even if you have antivirus software, it is s a good idea to use the following guidelines:

Update your virus definitions on a regular basis.  Regular updates give your antivirus software the latest vaccines to fight off new viruses and viruses that have mutated. 

Always manually check all files that are brought into your computer system from any source.  These include files that are:

• Attached to email messages
• Downloaded from the internet
• On floppy disks, zip disks or CD-ROMS being  passed around to share information

Antivirus software is supposed to check the files before they can cause damage to your system, but this may not always happen.  Its better to learn to recognize:

• when a file is coming into your system,
• what name the file is using when it is saved
• where (what folder) the file is saved  

Your antivirus software will let you manually scan a file or folder to check for viruses.  Remember the when, what and where of these files and you can use your antivirus software to scan them for potential problems.  Check your software and learn how to manually virus scan an individual file or folder.

Don't assume that the file has been checked unless you know 100% that it has been checked.  If you are not sure, check it yourself.  It only takes a few minutes and could save you the headache and frustration of a serious virus infection.

DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!

Always, and I emphasize always, check all files on floppy disks, CD ROM's and Zip disks before opening or using the file in your computer.  Just because your disk checked out fine on your home computer does not mean it will check out fine on the office or a friend's computer.   You can never be too cautious.

Important note for users of Windows ME and Windows XP Professional:

Did you know that the system restore files can contain viruses that are undetectable by most antivirus software?  Please read the information below from Symantec Antivirus Research Center

One of the new features of Windows Me and Windows XP is System Restore. This feature, which is enabled by default, is used by Windows to restore files on your computer in case they become damaged. Windows Me keeps the restore information in the _RESTORE folder. Windows XP stores this information in the System volume information folder. These folders are updated when the computer restarts.

If the computer is infected with a virus, then it is possible that the virus could be backed up in the _RESTORE or System volume information folder. By default, Windows prevents System Restore from being modified by outside programs. Because of this, any repair attempts made by Norton AntiVirus will fail.

For additional information refer to:

                   Symantec Antivirus Research Center Document ID:2000092513515106

and

Symantec Antivirus Research Center Document ID:2001012915055706