Some straightforward talk on virus prevention

Computer virus threats often sound alarming, but some common sense and a dose of protection will help you ward off even the most malicious Internet illnesses. Protect yourself now.

Here are some easy-to-follow rules to reduce your chances of suffering the consequences of a virus:

• Always use up-to-date anti-virus software on your system.
• Keep your anti-virus program updated to stay ahead of any new viruses.
• E-mail itself cannot infect your computer, but if you open an infected executable attachment from e-mail, it can infect your computer. Therefore, you should turn off any features that automatically open e-mail attachments or launch programs you download.
• Create an emergency boot disk for your computer and write-protect it in case you catch a virus that affects that your computer's start-up ability.
• Set your computer to boot directly from the C:\ drive and bypass the A:\ drive (see the tip Boot up without the floppy drive to save time to learn how.)