There are hundreds of thousands of viruses that can infect your computer by email, viewing the wrong web site, or several other possibilities. On top of that, there are many other bits of malware and adware that worm their way onto your system.
Some ISPs these days offer to filter email and help control that risk, but it is up to the user to keep the computer protected, not the ISP, whose whole responsibility is to provide internet service.
Some of the more nefarious viruses try to push themselves off as antivirus programs, telling you that your computer is infected (which it is) and that they will clean it up for a fee (they won't). When you pay money to these (fake) services, all they clean out is your bank - the virus remains.
Not all viruses are so obvious, though. Nowadays, there are a lot of viruses that just work in the background. Some capture your data and send it off to the virus's author. Some cause problems in your files. Some can even wipe out your hard drive, and all of these can heppen without any priior notice.
What can you do? First, be sure you have a good antivirus installed. We recommend avast! free antivirus. We have been using it for several years and have had no problems with virus infections. Many of our home and corporate customers are also using avast! and are quite happy with it. It is also imperative to keep your antivirus updated.
If you are already infected, your computer needs to be cleaned up first. While it may be possible for you to do this yourself, it will be much simpler to allow an expert to handle it, as we have tools that allow us to clean up the system without infecting anything else.
Once your system is clean, and your antivirus is installed and working, you can protect against malware by installing Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. While the program is totally free if you choose to scan manually, it is well worth the $24 one-time fee to have it run in the background like your antivirus and keep you protected.
If you need your computer checked for viruses, or cleaned off, call us at 256-575-0041 to set up an appointment.
