Business Computing Tips
By Karen Fainges


Due to a recent scare myself, maybe a few words on viruses. Computer
viruses come in a variety of forms. Basically, they are programs
designed capture parts of the hard drive and use it without the
owners knowledge or permission. Some are harmless and flash annoying
messages, but many are quite damaging, rewriting large amounts of the
information on your drive and making it unusable. A major concern, is
that now a virus can be passed on without the person being aware they
even have it.


Many viruses will access your address book in your e-mail account.
They will send themselves out to everyone you know. The only real way
to prevent that is to make sure you have virus protection and to make
sure it's up to date. That means getting coverage for new viruses at
least every fortnight. Most virus protectors will help you to do
this. It is especially important just before any major holiday. Many
viruses will "sleep" on your drive and activate on the day of the
holiday. Ask at your local computer shop or check out computer
magazines for ones they recommend. Many will have free trial products
to use on your system. Most programs can also be downloaded from
online. On example is, www.mcafee.com


"It has to be practical, it has to be cheap, and it has to work."