Update your Anti-Virus NOW !!

By Merle Nicholson, Tampa PC Users Group, Member at Large
merlenic@tampabay.rr.com

Man, there’s some nasty stuff going around now. And you can prevent viruses from coming into your PC by:

  1. Own a good Anti-Virus program.
  2. Make sure it’s running !!
  3. Get the virus signatures UP-TO-DATE!
  4. Disable Windows Scripting Host.
  5. Reject incoming Outlook messages with "FW:" in the subject line.
  6. Reject any file attachments with .vbs
  7. Go to http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.netscape.com and get any Internet security updates.

There’s no excuse for not having anti-virus software running on your machine at all times if you have a Pentium class machine. Office Depot puts Norton Anti-Virus on sale regularly for $15. I bought a couple of copies at $9.95!

Make sure it’s properly installed. If you’re not sure, call one of the club members. This is very important. Further, make sure it’s scanning all files. Many times it will scan only at startup and scan only executables (program files). Go into the settings and make sure you’re doing the maximum possible.

If you have an anti-virus package that’s not more than a couple of years old, you can get free updates. If you can’t get free updates, then you need a new program for sure. The companies are now putting out new signature files several times a month, instead of once a month as before because of the proliferation of new viruses. They’re on the Internet, and they’re free.

Open the anti-virus software you have and do a help | about and see if you can’t find the web address. The most popular ones are McAfee, Symantec (Norton), Dr. Solomon and Trend Micro(PC-cillin) at:

http://www.mcafee.com, http://www.symantec.com, http://www.drsolomon.com, and http://www.antivirus.com

The latest email virii come to you as a file with a .vbs extension. VBS stands for Visual Basic Script. Users of Windows 95 and 98 should turn off the Windows Scripting Host. Click on Start (the button on lower left of your Windows desktop). Click on Settings. Choose Control Panel. Click on Add/Remove. Choose the Windows Setup tab. Click on Accessories to obtain details. Uncheck Windows Scripting Host if it is checked. It may not be in the list at all for Windows 95 if it’s an older copy. Click on OK to save any changes.

Last, be conscientious. Set a schedule to get anti-virus updates at least monthly. Don’t forget you’re a member of a community of other users who can help. See the members help inside the back cover of this issue. u