Anyone could tell you that you need to get a quality antivirus program installed onto your computer at your home or business site. After all, such a program can go a long way towards protecting your computer.
It can be a fine program to have but you must use some sensible tips to protect yourself and to use your antivirus programs to the fullest.
1. Don’t assume that a free option is useful
Not everyone wants to pay for antivirus programs but it is a rule of thumb that you should follow anyway. Many free antivirus programs are not going to provide you with all the protective features that you deserve like regular updates, real-time scanning or even anti-spam and anti-phishing protection.
What’s more is that some free programs will just throw a bunch of advertisements your way telling you to buy random products. Paying money upfront for a professional antivirus program will not seem all that bad when you consider the alternative.
2. Schedule scans at the right times
Many programs will automatically scan your computer and quarantine viruses as needed. However, the best programs of this type will allow you to set up times for when you need to get your scans taken care of. This can be great as you can schedule scans for times when you are not likely to be using your computer.
It is a useful feature when you consider how a scan can cause your computer to slow down as it looks through every bit of data on your hard drive.
3. Avoid using multiple security programs at the same time
You should only stick with just one security program at a time. If you stick with two or more security programs then you will get conflicting scans going while also using up more memory than what you can afford.
In addition, you might find that one program could potentially block another in some of the worst cases. Besides, the antivirus process should not be any more complicated than necessary.
4. Review any quarantined files as they come about
If a scanner finds file that need to be quarantined then you need to take a careful look at each one. This does not mean that you should open those files. It means that you have to take a look at whether you are familiar with the file names, the spots that you saved them on to and so forth.
Sometimes an antivirus program may accidentally take in files that are completely healthy. You will have the final say as to whether or not these files are safe to use.
5. Always include every file for an antivirus scan
An antivirus program will give you the option to skip certain files and folders during the scanning process. While this might allow the scanning process to run faster, this is not an option to go with as there’s always going to be that risk of anything getting in the way of your files.
6. Always allow updates to come on in real time
Any updates that you do get to your program must be applied in real time. Sometimes this will require the computer to prompt you to restart it but it will be worthwhile. Make sure your program applies all updates as needed even if they cause the computer to slow down for a brief bit of time. It is all about ensuring that your computer is protected at all times.
Your antivirus software can make a difference when getting your computer to stay active. Be sure to watch for what you are doing with your software so you’ll have something that you know is easy to use and will protect your computer from harm.
Article by Vishal
Vishal Gaikar is a professional blogger from Pune, India. If you like this post, you can follow him on Twitter.
