Computersight -

It is very difficult to prevent infection of computers caused by viruses. We need to follow some steps in order to be protected from viruses. The chances of getting infected become vast when connected to any kind of network. Thousands and thousands of new virus definitions are developed everyday, so we need to be updated too.

Here are some steps which we need to follow in order to avoid infection:

1. The first thing to do is to make a clean boot CD. If the original operating system CD is bootable, then that will do.
2. Use one of the top antiviruses available. Install it on your computer and daily update it using the internet.
3. If the antivirus has an option to make a bootable CD, then spend some your precious time to make one. It will be really very helpful.
4. Always keep your important documents and folders backed up on a CD or something, so that you can have an alternate source in case of any problem.
5. In case of mails, do not open attachments if the sender is not trustable. Be absolutely sure about the sender and if the source is your trusted source only then open it. Opening attachments in spam is a big ‘NO’.
6. Now, if you do use an email client on your computer like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird or Outlook Express etc., then do one thing: Disable the message preview pane. This will help you to filter the messages which you open by the subject line or the sender’s name.
7.  The most important thing is that whether the antivirus automatically scans the CDs/DVDs or not. We generally exchange many valuable things through CDs/DVDs/pen drives. Just be sure that the antivirus starts an automatic scan of the newly inserted storage device. Otherwise do the scan manually.

These are some ways by which one can avoid viruses but cannot be 100% sure of being virus free. If you do not follow these steps then your computer will surely be infected by viruses.