You’ve probably been using an anti-virus program on your pc or laptop for some time now, thinking you’ve got full protection from those nasty worms and other viral monsters that can sneak in through the most unlikely of sources and knock you out of commission.

Does your homepage switch to another page without your command?  Are you hearing voices over you speakers or is your computer all of a sudden running slow, displaying pop-ups you don’t allow or sending you error messages about your “C” drive?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, it’s a good bet your computer has been infected with some form of virus, spyware or some other nasty security threat.

Not all viruses are the same.  Some can be easily removed without any further action needed.  Others can require you to spend a good chunk of change performing a data recovery expedition.

Here are the top-5 recommended suggestions for protecting yourself against computer viruses:

1.    Install a solid anti-virus software program, such as AVG, Norton Anti virus, or McAffee Anti Virus.  These and other companies often offer free versions.  They are typically easy to install and will provide the necessary bones for a good anti-viral protection program.  Be sure to run regular updates weekly in order to optimize your anti-virus program’s effectiveness.

2. Install a quality Firewall which will serve as a gatekeeper to protect your computer data from being threatened by network traffic.

3. Install an anti-spyware program to protect your computer from harmful spyware infections, which can re-direct and or permanently damage the functionality of your computer’s operating system.

4.  Scan all e-mail attachments and be particularly aware of e-mail zip attachments with .exe or .pif as file extensions, even if they appear to be coming from someone you know, including your own system administrator.

5. Make regular backups of all data on your operating system, such as a “read only” file, or a flash drive or portable memory drive.  This will make a complete file recovery operation a little easier on you and your wallet.

6. If you are a regular visitor on any number of the social networking sites out there, such as Face Book or My Space, be careful who you accept files from, especially photos, and carefully check the ads that pop up before you click on them.

7.  If you have been infected but your computer manufacturer’s warranty on service has run out, check on line for resources to companies who provide file forensics and expert onsite assistance with setting up security and data storage in your area, get the best quote possible, and have some one come to your home or office to help.

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