We all know about the viruses that destroy the computer but there are ways to keep it safe and it costs nothing! I have been experimenting with trying to get the right technique and then a new program came out which had everything on it that I had found was the best technique so let's have a look what it was like:
- A firewall (blocks dangerous applications that could harm your computer)
- A pop-up blocker (blocks advertisements that pop up when you click on a website. This means that any hidden viruses are blocked and you don't have a load of annoying adverts flying at you)
- Email filter
- An Anti-virus
So my last thing was an anti-virus. I am using the free edition of AVG Antivirus and it is great! They recently brought out the new edition called AVG Antivirus 8.0 (can get free by searching in a search engine and clicking on the Grisoft version [free.grisoft.com]) so you download it and then you follow the instructions to set it up. Once you have done all that you will now have AVG 8.0 Free Edition. With this you can start checking your computer for any viruses that you don't have. With this edition you are also checking your computer for spy-ware. When your computer finds any viruses or spy-ware it automatically sends it to the virus vault which you can check through and delete the files with the help from the program.
Also included with this product is a link scanner which when you search anything on a search engine it will automatically check the website to see if there are any viruses on it and if it goes green with a tick then it is to continue. The great thing about this program is that Grisoft are continuously updating and fighting the new viruses which come out every day so to make sure your AVG keeps up to date whenever you connect online you will be notified that an update is ready, so take a few minutes updating it and viola your system is ready to fight the latest viruses and the current and old ones if they choose to arrive. When you download any files you will always be at risk that the file has a virus in it so with AVG you can decide to scan it for viruses and if there is it will notify it. AVG is available for Windows and MAC computers and laptops.
So my third thing was to have an Email Filter. Now then AVG automatically scans all your emails when you receive them to combat viruses but that doesn't stop all the unwanted “junk” that comes your way so I have found a great little product called MailWasher. What it does is collect all your emails into the program then it waits for you to open the program and you then check through your emails and bouncing any spam that you don't want. Once you have figured out the spam from the genuine you can then set the program up so that it remembers the spam so that when you next receive it you get a little box saying “Blacklisted” and then you have others saying “Possible”. You now just bounce these emails and filter through your proper emails to read. Bouncing the emails basically means to send the same email back to the place where it was sent from so that this deters them to send any more to you. Mailwasher is free but if you want you can donate to it, search it in any search engine to download.
I also use a firewall which is run by Agnitum Outpost Firewall. This is the firewall which you decide what you want to block from being able to run without permission and what can run without permission from you.
