taking care of your pc

protecting your pc from power surges

Power surges, for example voltage spikes, power outages or blackouts, may cause software problems.

Symptoms of voltage spikes include a flickering video display, unexpected PC startups, and the PC not responding to your commands. A voltage spike can occasionally corrupt or destroy files. Because of this, you should:

•Consistently make backup copies of your data files.

And

•Prevent damage from voltage spikes by installing a PC surge suppressor between the electrical outlet and the PC power cable.

using virus protection programs

Compaq provides a virus-scanning software program to help protect your PC (select models only).

A PC virus can destroy information on the hard disk drive. You can get a virus from infected files that you open from:

•An e-mail message or attachment.

•A file downloaded from the Internet.

•A diskette (floppy disk).

•A CD or DVD disc.

Some viruses affect your PC immediately, while others may activate only if you open a certain file or do not delete the file before a certain date. New types of viruses are invented all the time.

The virus-scanning software program on your PC has pre-set options that make your PC safe. After you enable the virus-scanning program, it checks your PC files for viruses.

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