No matter how hard you try to be careful, you are obliged to contract a computer virus. It happens to almost everyone at some point in time. If you are going into cyberspace without any protection at all, though, you are sure to be infected. Here are some steps you can take to minimize the risks.

Buy and use an external hard drive. Backup all your important files and documents for the outside. If you must reformat the hard drive, this will ensure you have access to all your important information.

Install antivirus and schedule it to run daily. You also want to configure it to scan e-mail for malicious attachments. AVG Free is a good anti virus program, and as the name suggests, is free to download and use.

Every time you download something, make sure you scan before opening it. This is a fast way to spread a virus. Take the extra 10 seconds to scan and protect your computer.

Download Spyware protection. Super Anti Spyware Free is a great protector spyware and is free. The threat of spyware is that it can send information from your computer to a hacker. So, when you access your bank account or your credit card account, the information you are typing can be forwarded to the hackers! Protection from spyware and a firewall are crucial for protection against spyware.

Make sure you have a spam filter installed if you use a desktop e-mail. Use an online service such as Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail web based email accounts. Sure to set your spam settings in the Account Settings.

Be careful when opening attachments. Always scan the attachment, and never, never open an attachment with the extension EXE. This is more than likely a virus and once you open there to stop him.

If you do become infected with a virus, disconnect from the Internet and start running your antivirus program. Sometimes you have to surf forums to seek help. In these cases, use a different computer and take notes. If you are unable to remove the virus, so it may be necessary to contact a computer tech that can solve the problem for you.

Worse case would reformat the hard drive, which is basically starting from scratch with a fresh install of Windows. We hope that you backed up all the important information.

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