Free Anti-Virus Software Will Actually Find Infections, But You Have To Use It



Posted: Tuesday, May 13, 2008

by
http://www.john-french.net

What ever anti-virus program you have on your computer, [and if you don't have one then I hope that you are running Linux or a Macintosh]. Then ensuring that you actually scan your computer for virus infections on a regular basis is an absolute must.

Recently I have changed allegiance from AVG Anti-Virus to Avast. My reasons are that the detection rate, definition file updating and scanning functions of Avast are a better match for me and my Windows XP computer. You may prefer a different anti-virus program and what program you do have needs to be updated regularly. Virus files are released on a daily basis.

I must admit that recently I have been rather slack and have ignored the scheduled scan for my computer for over one month. I should have run the anti-virus scan when I wasn't using the computer, but I couldn't seem find a time when I'm not using the computer, except when I'm asleep. I don't leave the computer on when I'm asleep, I do try and save energy where I can.

When I do run an anti-virus scan whilst I'm using the computer, the computer is invariably slowed down as Avast scans each file on my computer [which is quite a few files, nearly 500GB of hard disk space]. So I kept putting it off the scan recently. That was not a wise decision.

I actually let Avast run a full scan, whilst making dinner, which is a perfect time to run a virus infection scan. So trusty Avast, uninterrupted from my impatience found 3 viruses. They may have been the behemoths of all viruses, they may have been viruses that might not have done much damage. I don't remember the name of the viruses, as they all got dealt with as viruses should, kicked into computer oblivion.

So, the valuable lesson I learnt was, make sure you schedule your anti-virus program to scan at least once per month, and let it do its job. Now with Avast I have a few options that come in handy.

The first option is to run a boot scan. This means that Avast will scan my hard drives before the computer is booted up entirely and is able to scan my computer without interruptions from me and from any running processes. This is the scan I run the most now.

The other option I have is to schedule a scan for a time when I am not using the computer. Running a scan like this would be best run in safe mode. When your computer is in safe mode, very few processes are running that could interfere with the anti virus scan, and this helps the scan the computer faster and with better results.

So as straightforward as it sounds, actually running your up to date anti-virus program will reap results. Just plan your scan. Simple, but ultimately effective.

John French has over 15 years experience of building and repairing computers. He has extensive knowledge of keeping computers healthy and free from spyware and malware.

Want to discover more tips and secrets that can speed up and protect your computer for free? Then check out his online blog at http://www.john-french.net

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