XP Maximized: Protect Your PC - Dos and Don'ts - Part 1
DO run weekly antivirus and anti-spyware scans,this cannot be emphasized enough.
DON'T forget the firewall. A firewall will protect even an unpatched system in the event a new, undocumented worm attacks.
DO set your antivirus software to scan every new download and every e-mail attachment.
DON'T assume your virus and spyware definitions are up to date. Check them frequently to make sure everything is in order.
DO run several anti-spyware apps regularly. No single anti-spyware app we tested detected all the spyware on our test system.
DON'T freak out if your firewall warns you your computer is being probed. Every computer on the Internet is regularly scanned by malicious programs.
DO ensure your firewall is working properly and your virus definitions are up to date before you connect your laptop to a foreign network. Public Wi-Fi networks are the Thai brothels of the PC world.
DON'T hide file extensions in Windows. Tricky viruses hide their real extensions behind an innocuous extension. For example, the file dirtyvirus.jpg.exe will look like dirtyvirus.jpg in many e-mail programs. Show file extensions by going to the Folder Options control panel, clicking the View tab, and ensuring that "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked.
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