Computer viruses can truly wreak havoc on your operating system; slowing down your computer and even causing it to crash altogether.
Not only that but cyber criminals can use this malicious software to steal your personal information. You can become the next victim of identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and the USA.
Computer viruses are indeed a very real threat to you Internet security and privacy.
If your computer is infected with a computer virus you are certainly not alone. According to the EU Statistics Office, nearly one-third of PC’s in Europe were infected with viruses in 2010.
I’ve had personal experience with being infected with a virus as well. It began with my computer beginning to act strangely; slowing down to a crawl, anti-virus software turning itself off, computer rebooting constantly, and freezing to that black screen that many of us are all to familiar with. After reinstalling my anti-virus software and running a “full system scan” I discovered that my computer was infected with a virus. Finally, I reinstalled my antivirus software, discovering that my computer had been infected with a nasty virus. Ultimately, I ended up having to reformat my hard drive and reinstall my operating system.
Fortunatley, there are some steps that you can take to prevent and detect computer viruses. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, that when it comes to Internet security and privacy an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure.
- Install anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date: This is your first line of defense, in preventing and detecting computer viruses and other malicious software. It is good to know that there is reputable, free anti-virus software and free anti-virus software trials available for download on the Internet. Remember that anti-virus software is only as good as your last update. It is also a good idea to get into the habit of running a “full system scan” on a regular basis.
- Keep your operating system up-to-date: Have your operating system set to update automatically, to help protect your computer from the latest Internet security and privacy threats.
- Install anti-spyware software on your computer: Anti-virus software protects your computer against most, but far from all spyware. You need anti-spyware software installed on your computer to prevent and detect spyware. There is reputable and free anti-spyware software available for download on the Internet, such as Spybot Search & Destroy. All they ask is for a donation. Be sure to download reputable anti-spyware software though.
- Have your computer protected with a firewall: There is reputable and free firewall software available for download on the Internet, such as ZoneAlarm. Windows XP, Vista, and 7 all include a free firewall. If you don’t have any other firewall installed, ensure it is activated.
- Never open an email attachment from a sender you don’t know: It could be infected with a computer virus or other malicious software. Be extra cautious in opening email attachments even if you do know the sender; especially if you are not expecting the attachment. It is entirely possible that a cyber criminal has access to their email account or is spoofing their email address. I had a friend whose email account was compromised. The hacker sent emails to all his recipients, with attachments infected with a computer virus
- Try not to visit sites containing file sharing, warez, shareware, freeware, pornography, and the like. They are notorious for containing computer viruses or other malware.
Hi Admin,
Along the same lines,, I am getting following error (a problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer) & I am using windows xp
All the Best
There’s a mistake in your article: “According to the EU Statistics Office, nearly one-third of PC’s in Europe were infected with viruses in 2010.”
It wasn’t nearly one-third of PCs in the whole of Europe, but nearly one-third of the *27 European Union* countries that were infected. These countries account for only a part of Europe.
The title of Eurostat’s report makes this clear: “Nearly one third of internet users in the EU27 caught a computer virus”
Thank you so much for pointing this out. I just researched this and you are correct. It is nearly 1/3 of users in the European Union who caught a virus; not the whole of Europe. I will make the correction in my article. Thanks again for taking the time to let me know about this.
No worries! Thanks for the article.