Virus, Virus Everywhere

It seems these days that viruses are everywhere, and infecting more people than normal. I run a computer repair shop in Atlanta Georgia, and in the past month I've seen more infections from Virus than I've seen in twenty years in the business.

Many of our clients were already using virus protection software, however some of the new strains of computer viruses are completely bypassing their software and installing themselves. Why not follow the following practical hints on exactly how to avoid getting your computer infected in the first place?

First off, be very, very careful with your emails. If you send me a file, and I wasn't expecting that file, or didn't ask for it. I won't be opening. it.

Secondly, the websites that you visit can be problematic as well. When you're doing google searches, be careful what website you actually are visiting, as many of these sites may have bad code on the webpage whose only purpose is to infect your computer system.

Third, you might want to consider using a different web browser. Many users have been making the transition from Microsoft Internet Explorer, and moving to Mozilla Firefox. It's a great program that gets awesome reviews. It's fast, secure and very, very customizable. You can do things with Firefox that Internet Explorer users only dream about. But, even better than that is that many viruses are specifically built to work only with Internet Explorer so that Firefox blocks the Virus.

Fourth, avoid illegal download websites. Many sites that promote downloading illegal copies of software are much more likely to have virus infections. It's a favorite of hackers to provide "free" copies of software so that they can inject their own custom code into your computer.

I personally have gone years without using a virus protection software program. I'm very paranoid about where I go, what I look at and what I click on. And I've only rarely been infected, and the last time was over five years ago.

By taking a practical paranoid protection of your computer, you'll be able to avoid most computer virus infections. Good luck, and stay virus free.