Before we even begin this discussion, please
- BACK UP YOUR DATA often
- Have an anti-virus program running
at all times
- Keep the anti-virus program
up-to-date
How can I protect my PC from theft?
Remember that there are 2 kinds of PC theft.
1. One is theft of your computer itself.
So keep your office locked when away. If you have a
laptop and are in a hotel, use a lock-down device like a cable
lock.
2. The other kind is theft of your
data. Perhaps you store ALL your passwords on your computer.
What would happen if someone found that file? So, you
can add password protection to files (Cloak 7.0 http://www.insight-concepts.com/products/cloak/).
Remember that the Windows password can easily be bypassed,
so don’t think adding a password to your logon screen
will protect you.
How can I protect my PC from computer viruses?
1. Back up your hard disk and diskettes.
The most important files to back up are the ones you have
created yourself, e.g., word processing, spreadsheet and database
files. It is less important to back up applications because
the original installation diskettes serve as a backup. Scan
the hard disk and diskettes for viruses before you back them
up.
2. Use anti-virus software to scan
the hard disk and diskettes. Anti-virus software can often
find and remove viruses.
3. Update your anti-virus software
often. Many anti-virus software makers allow for ‘automatic’
updates. New viruses are discovered continually. Anti-virus
software needs to be updated to add the ability to search
for and remove new viruses.
4. Make sure there is no diskette
in drive A before turning on or rebooting the PC. It is a
good practice to always remove diskettes when they are
not in use.
5. Write protect your diskettes. A
3.5 inch diskette can be write-protected by switching a tab
in the top right corner to the open position. A write-protected
diskette cannot become infected. If it is already infected,
however, it can still infect your hard disk or executable
files.
Name of Software
Produced by
Web address
Norton Anti-Virus Symantec http://www.sarc.com/region/uk/avcenter/
McAfee Virus Scan Network
Associates http://www.mcafee.com/
Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit
Dr. Solomon’s Software http://www.drsolomon.com
Site of the Day (For MAC users): http://www.macfixit.com
and http://www.macOSXhints.com/
Have a question or problem? Write me at BaliPCAdvisor@GMail.com.
I’ll try and answer as soon as I can.
