Many of our clients were already using virus protection software, however some of the new strains of computer viruses are completely bypassing their software and installing themselves. Why not follow the following practical hints on exactly how to avoid getting your computer infected in the first place?

First off, email is the biggest culprit with virus infections. If you get an email from someone you know, and it has a file in it, you should verify with them what the file is before you click on it. Be careful of very tricky emails, many of them are very compelling in making your open up your emails.

Secondly, the websites that you visit can be problematic as well. When you're doing google searches, be careful what website you actually are visiting, as many of these sites may have bad code on the webpage whose only purpose is to infect your computer system.

Third, it might be time to choose another web browser over Microsoft Internet Explorer. You might want to consider an alternative choice like Opera or my personal favorite Mozilla Firefox. I have found Firefox to be much more stable, and much more secure over Internet Explorer. One of the main reasons why it makes sense to use Firefox or Opera is because many viruses will not work on Firefox which is just an added level of protection for you.

Fourth, be careful what you download. Many sites that allow you to download illegal copies of software could infect you with viruses. Obviously if they are promoting the illegal downloading of software, they are much more likely to cause you problems with nasty viruses.

As far as virus protection software, I haven't used a virus program in years. I find them to be a problem with the speed of my computer. By keeping good backups of data, and being very proactive of what I'm doing with my computer I've enjoyed a virus free existence over the last five years.

By taking a practical paranoid protection of your computer, you'll be able to avoid most computer virus infections. Good luck, and stay virus free.