If you dont have virus scan software for your computer, you should drop everything that you are doing and go out to get some. You can not hope to keep your computer safe without it. There are some free versions out there too, but make sure you are getting something that keeps your machine safe. Once you have some new software, or if you are looking at what is going on with what you currently have, think about a few setup things that can make it work better without interrupting your work.
Some forms of virus scan software will not allow you to do anything on your own, as they run without input from you. However, most types have at least some things that you can change. What you can find is that the software for virus scan that you have can run so often and with so much memory that your machine slows down and you can not do anything. Pages will not load when you are online, and programs freeze. If that is happening to you, try to make a few changes before you go out for different virus scan software.
You have to control when your software runs. Some can run in the background all of the time, but that can bog down your machine. You have to be sure it is running when it is needed the most and otherwise, not using up a lot of your resources. It should always check attachments and anything that is going to be saved to your computer from the Internet. Your virus scan software should be accompanied by a good firewall that does not let anything in or out without your permission. If you have that, your scan does not have to work so hard and so much.
You should have at least one time a week when your virus scan software will run a total and complete scan of your entire machine. This should include everything - even places where viruses are not know to be. You can have it set up so that it runs Sunday night after midnight and will be done in the morning - just make sure you leave it on overnight on that night. That way, you have not had to stay away from your computer when you need it the most and everything will be taken care of at least once a week. If it is working well, your computer virus scan software wont find anything anyway.
Along with your virus scan software, you should have that above mentioned firewall as well as a good spyware scanner. This can take any spyware and malware that you find on your computer and remove or quarantine it so that it does not work any longer. Most spyware is for advertising purposes, but there is some out there that takes more information than just where you go online. That means all of it is potentially dangerous. Spyware remover is a great addition, and can be run once a week along with your computer virus scan software.
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