viruses how to avoid them

[cris r]

Being a complete novice with computer viruses how do I avoid getting them, How safe is Facebook for instance I have just down loaded AVG is this enough Thanks

[Mobius1]

Downloading and installing a program like AVG is a good first step, but it's sadly not a case of "fire and forget". Here are a few tips to bear in mind:

1) Make sure you keep AVG updated. Run a FULL system scan say, once a week.

2) Supplement it with a program like Malwarebytes from http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php Another free program. Run a quick scan with this after you've run your weekly AVG scan. Again, make sure this is kept up-to-date.

3) Keep your Windows up-to-date by running WIndows Update from your "Control Panel".

4) If you use Internet Explorer, consider switching to an alternative free browser. Most other well-known browsers are lesser targets for attack and more secure as a result. Google fro browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera and decide which one you think you might like best. They're all completely free, so consider trying each one out for a while as it might help you decide.

5) Lastly there's common sense. Possibly the most important of all. Don't download stuff if you don't know exactly what it is. Don't open emails from people unless you know them and where they came from. If you're using a website and it doesn't look like you remember it, be cautious. Don't give out personal information online unless, especially bank details and the like unless you know exactly what you're doing. Sounds offensively simple, but the number of people who fall for old tricks is staggering!

[cris r]

Many thanks for that I do follow most of those rules and I will certainly take on board the rest.
One more question can you get viruses from down loads on Facebook Games ect. thanks x

[Huderon]

This page http://tinyurl.com/kqol3f has an explanation of how some malware and the like can get onto your computer. It's not comprehensive, but it does give you a good idea of how these things happen.

You can get viruses and all kinds of malware from visiting websites (including sponsored links on Google), from music files, videos and programs that you download from anywhere or anyone you don't know and trust. You can even get them from trusted sources (you wouldn't believe how long it took me to clear the PC's here of something my daughter brought home from school on her USB stick, and that was with anti-virus software running on them).

If you are really worried about having to deal with nasties, and you have several user accounts on your computer, it might be worth taking a look at Windows SteadyState (web page is at http://tinyurl.com/ytknan ) which is free for home users.

[TTG]

There are a lot of applications you can download in Facebook. These can slow it down. I do not install any.