New computers perform really well and alright at first use. As long as you safely browse trusted websites and use removable media from trusted sources, you shouldn't have any worries in getting any virus infections. Though lately, new viruses appear to be legitimate even though they are not. It may not be harmful to click on links until you notice heavy payload that makes you wish for an antivirus for protection.
Not every individual who uses computer allows antivirus software installation due to the belief that it can slow down their system during an antivirus scan. It simply means that you must know the importance of antivirus software for you to maximize its benefits.
When antivirus software is successfully installed, it automatically runs upon startup. These software should really run a scan even in the background to check the system for possible malicious activities. This is commonly referred to as "Real-time Protection" and serves as a first layer of security in virus prevention.
While the "Real-time protection" is activated and it detects a virus in the system, it will either clean or quarantine it depending on the detection type. Some virus scanners display a pop-up notification asking the user what action to take. Most antivirus software display a pop up window to notify the user about required action Notification windows indicate that your antivirus software provides proper level of system security.
The main virus scanner window can be brought by clicking on the icon found on the system tray or loading it via Start menu. From there, manual scans can be performed which could be necessary when multiple drives need to be scanned for viruses including any removable disks. Once the scan is complete, a detailed report about the infected files and types of viruses is shown to provide more information. Just like "Real-time protection", it is the user’s decision if the infected file will be deleted or not.
Some scanners have different kinds of scanning options with the "Quick Scan" being the most common and frequently used by novice computer users because of the speed and convenience. Although the way it works varies amongst virus scanners, most quick scans scan certain locations in the disk where common viruses are and automatically take the recommended action to deal with the virus to avoid user interaction.
Virus scanners cleansed the viruses but there are times that they are just moved into another location specifically for “Quarantine” files. Infected files stay on the quarantine folder which is a safe place for viruses and they are inaccessible until you bring it out of this quarantined area. This allows you to bring clean files that were mistakenly flagged as viruses (also known as "False Positives").
Good performing antivirus software in the market protects your computer by scanning it regularly as scheduled through the quick scan configuration. These aforementioned scanning features help in preventing the viruses and Trojans from invading the computer system as long as the virus definition are up-to-date through online updates.
Originally posted 2009-10-15 16:07:55. Republished by Old Post Promoter
