McAfee 5 manual Virus Detection and Prevention Tips, TIPs

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Virus Detection and Prevention Tips

Although far from harmless, most viruses that infect your personal computer or laptop will not destroy data, play pranks, or render your computer unusable. Even the comparatively rare viruses that do carry a destructive payload usually produce their nasty effects in response to a trigger event. In most cases, unless you actually see evidence of a payload that has activated, you will have time to deal with the infection properly. The very presence of these small snippets of unwanted computer code can, however, interfere with your computer's normal operation, consume system resources and have other undesirable effects, so you should take them seriously and be sure to remove them when you encounter them.

A second idea to keep in mind is that odd computer behavior, unexplained system crashes, or other unpredictable events might have causes other than virus infections. If you believe you have a virus on your computer because of occurrences such as these, scanning for viruses might not produce the results you expect, but it will help eliminate one potential cause of your computer problems.

TIPs

nDo not open any files attached to an e-mail message from an unknown, suspicious, or untrustworthy source. Do not open any files attached to an e-mail message unless you know what it is, even though it appears the e-mail message came from someone you know. Some viruses replicate themselves and spread through email. Better be safe than sorry and confirm that they really sent it.

nWatch for attachments with double file extensions. File naming convention use a "file name" followed by a 3-letter file extension separated by a "dot." For example, Readme.txt - here 'txt' is the file extension. It you receive and e-mail message and there is an attachment that displays two file extensions (for example Readme.txt.exe) do not open the message. ·Do not open any files attached to an e-mail message if the subject line is questionable or unexpected. If necessary, save the file to removable storage disk and run your VirusScan software to scan for viruses.

nDelete chain e-mail and junk e-mail messages. Do not forward or reply to any to them. These types of e-mail messages are considered spam, which is unsolicited, intrusive mail that clogs up the network.

nDo not download any files from strangers. Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet. Ensure that the source is a legitimate and reputable one. Verify that an anti-virus program checks the files on the download site. If you are uncertain, do not download the file at all or download the file to a floppy or removable device and run your VirusScan program.

114 McAfee Internet Security 5.0