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How to Get Rid of a Virus

If you have recently contracted a computer virus, it's crucial for you to consider your surfing behavior and history in order to avoid doing it again. In the past few days or weeks, have you:

1. Opened an e-mail attachment from someone you didn't know?

2. Surfed websites with dubious content, and used Internet Explorer in doing so?

3. Used file sharing software to download files without any idea of the source of each?

4. Disabled your Firewall?

If so, you need to know:

1. Many times viruses are sent through attachments of spam e-mails that play on our sense of curiosity.

2. Firefox is more secure than IE. You can download it at www.mozilla.com.

3. If this is the case, there are sometimes 'rating' systems for these sources that can steer you away from malicious files. This is helpful, but not foolproof.

4. Check that it's on in your Control Panel under Security Center.

There are 2 ways that you normally get rid of a virus. The most popular is to find top-notch anti-virus software. You may already have anti-virus software installed and contracted a virus anyway. In that case, you need to consider that you may have bought a disreputable brand or downloaded out of date software. In both cases, you are still leaving yourself more vulnerable than you could be.

The other method is to wipe your computer and re-install windows. This is very time consuming, as you will need to save everything of value on your hard drive to disc, and then go through the whole process of re-installing not only windows, but every other program on your PC. Detailing this process is beyond the scope of this article, so if that has become a necessity for you then you will need to search elsewhere for precise information on how to do that. Going to Google and typing in "wiping my computer" will give some useful information.

If the situation hasn't become that desperate, but you have not purchased good antivirus software yet, I would encourage you to take a look at one of the most reputable at MicroAntivirus.com.

Leigh Harper has successfully killed all of his viruses.