1.      Get a good virus protection program.  (My favorites are Norton AntiVirus and McAfee VirusScan.) Making this purchase is the easiest part of this exercise. You can purchase the program at almost any computer or electronics store.  Many bookstores and department stores also carry software today.  You can also download an antivirus program directly from the Internet, so you don’t even have to leave home.

2.      Install the software; set it to run in the background and keep it on (except when installing new software). When you install your antivirus program, you will have various options to choose. Set the program to automatically scan all files.  If your program is already installed, just start the program and find the area where you can check to make sure the program is set to scan automatically.

3.      Update the antivirus software on a regular basis. Unfortunately, many people stop after the first two steps.  If you have installed a virus protection program and set it to run in the background constantly checking for viruses, you may feel that you deserve a certain amount of comfort. You may even think you are completely covered and that no viruses can hurt your computer.  However, you must be aware that the third step is an essential one. 

Updates Are Necessary

You must update your virus protection program on a regular basis to keep it current. Most virus protection programs consist of two main parts: heuristic scanning, which searches for virus-type behavior; and a virus pattern database, sometimes called virus signature files or virus definitions that identify specific, known viruses. The database is the part that needs to be regularly updated.  More than 250 new viruses are detected each month.  Companies that manufacture antivirus software incorporate detection processes for new viruses almost as quickly as they are detected. Symantec and McAfee, two of the largest antivirus manufacturers, had the cure for Melissa posted on their Web sites within hours after its detection. However, the antivirus software on your computer will not detect or eliminate new viruses or variants until you download the new antivirus update.

Paying for Updates

How you update your antivirus software depends on the type and version of the software that you own. Start your antivirus program. In Windows, click on the Start button, choose Programs, and look for the antivirus program. The two most common programs that come pre-installed on new computers are Norton Antivirus and McAfee VirusScan. They are listed in the Program menu under Norton and McAfee, respectively.

If your antivirus program came with your new computer, chances are it came with free updates for a certain period of time, usually about six months. When that time expires, you will have to pay a slight fee for access to the updates. Also, if you purchase a new antivirus program, it generally comes with one year of free updates. After that time, you have to contact the manufacturer of the antivirus software to purchase another year of updates.

Automatic Updates

Many of the newer versions of antivirus programs have an automatic update feature. To use this feature, just connect to the Internet, start the antivirus program, and click on the Update button. The Update process is completely automated.  Some programs allow you to choose to update automatically without having to even click a button. These programs will automatically update when you connect to the Internet.

Even if your program is set to automatically update, you should always check to make sure that the update is actually occurring. At least once a week, you should open your antivirus program and check to make sure that a very recent date is listed for the time of the last update. Also, when virus activity is extremely high, you may want to manually update in addition to the automatic update. For more information, see the news story on the Klez virus.

Manually Downloading

If you do not have an automatic update feature or if that feature doesn’t work properly (it has been know to happen!), you will have to go to the manufacturer’s Web site to manually download the virus updates. Norton Antivirus users will go to www.symantec.com. McAfee VirusScan users can surf over to www.mcafee.com. Find the latest update for the operating system that you are using and download it to your computer.  If you have the choice of opening or saving the file, choose Open and the file will automatically install. If you have chosen to Save the file, you will have to complete the installation by finding the file and double-clicking on it.

Trouble Downloading Updates

An important item to note is that virus update files can be very large. If your memory cache is set too low, you will get through only a part of the download.  Your browser will come up with some cryptic message like “Server Reset,” and the download will stop. Most people then retry the download, and the same thing happens again. Three or four frustrating hours later, the download still has not completed. 

There is an easy fix for this.  If you are using Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu click on Internet Options. Then on the General tab, click on Settings. Move the slider to the right to create a larger cache.  If you are using Netscape Navigator, Go to Edit, then Preferences.  Choose Advanced, then Cache.  Increase the size of the memory cache.  When I downloaded a recent update, the size of the file was 2513 KB. I increased the memory cache size to 3000KB, and the download worked fine.

If these instructions don’t work with the particular version of browser that you have, go to the Help menu and search for the word Cache to find out how to increase the size of the cache.

Scan for Viruses

If you haven’t been updating your virus protection regularly, after you update your virus protection program, you will want to scan your hard disk to make sure that you haven’t picked up any new viruses since your last update.  Remember that many viruses are date triggered.  They can exist in your computer system long before they do any damage.

Keeping your computer virus-free will require a slight monetary investment, a slight time investment, and a large amount of watchfulness. Consider the investment that you make as an insurance expense. In today’s world, it is insurance that you don’t want to be without.