It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. One nasty malware program or virus could wipe out your entire operating system. Along with your operating system, your photos, music, files and programs will go up in smoke as well.
In most cases, unless you take precautions before something happens, you won’t be able to recover these files. When it comes to personal computer data, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Here are a few essentials to be aware of:
Anti-Virus Software
Use professional software from Norton or McAfee. Not all shareware anti-virus programs are updated as quickly as the “big guns” and they often lack the real time monitoring tools you need for secure web browsing.
It is always good to have at least one additional program like Malwarebytes installed. Malwarebytes has free and full versions and comes highly recommended by many anti-virus experts. Schedule regular scans and updates with all your anti-virus software. [Read more…]