What to do About Computer Viruses (continued)

Next, consider installing anti-virus software. Some of the big names you may recognize are Norton Anti-Virus and McAffee. They are just a few of the many anti-virus programs on the market. You should also consider a firewall, which is part of or an easy add-on to most antivirus programs. Firewalls are hardware devices (if you have a network with a router, a basic firewall is probably part of the router) and more commonly, software programs. A firewall's purpose is to keep your viruses, worms and Trojan horses from attacking your computer and from letting spyware files already in your computer establish an Internet connection with a site that can do damage to your computer or record your on-line activities. This is done through a series of filters that identify and block the bad files. If the firewall is part of a hardware component, like a router, it usually can't be changed or updated. Software firewalls can be constantly updated as new viruses are discovered.

The anti-virus software works behind the firewall. It scans your computer for viruses and, more importantly, fixes problems caused by the virus. They place the virus in a quarantine folder so it can't do any more damage. The programs also heal any legitimate files infected by the virus by stripping the bad code away from the good file. They do this in two ways. First, they compare files in your computer to the anti-virus dictionary that is part of the program and downloaded to your computer. They also look for suspicious behavior from any program that is running on your computer. For example, is a program, suddenly, trying to make an on-line connection. Anti-virus programs also provide automatic updates so the latest threats can be added to your computer. That is why most programs are sold on a subscription basis.

One problem with anti-virus programs is that they tend to use a lot of computer memory. Believe it or not, programs like Norton and McAffee actually have up to 15 programs running in the background (you don't know they are running on your computer, but they are) while you are working on your computer. If you don't have enough memory, these programs can slow your computer down just like real viruses. That's why you need to make sure you have enough memory in your computer before you install anti-virus software. While most programs recommend 128 KB (kilobytes) of RAM (random access memory) installed on your computer, we recommend you install at least 256 (kilobytes) of RAM (random access memory). Memory isn't that expensive and is easy to install. It's better than staring at a "slower than molasses" computer. Jamison Web Works recommends AVG Anti-Virus System as the best anti-virus program we have used. We run AVG Anti-Virus System from Grisoft, Ltd. on our computer and are totally satisfied for the following reasons:
1. AVG only runs 3 programs in the background which means your computer will simply run faster. We run high memory usage programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash on our computers and quickly found there was no difference in performance after AVG was installed.
2. Their customer service department reacts quickly to identify and update the directory when new viruses are discovered. To test their response, we ran a computer on-line, without a firewall for three months. During that period, two viruses, that were not found in the AVG directory attacked our computer. Within hours updates adding these viruses to the directory were added to the automatic downloads and the viruses were purged from our test computer.
If you are in the market for a great anti-virus program, we strongly recommend the AVG Anti-Virus System with Firewall. You can purchase the program or get a free 30 day trial at www.grisoft.com. Jamison Web Works does not recommend computer and Internet related items that we have not personally tried and found to be both effective and user friendly.