Play it safe

Payton H. Wilmott, Gleaner Writer

We all hear the strong advertising campaign promoting safe sex and condom use. This week, I'll start my own campaign against viruses - Internet viruses.

My catchphrase is "protect yourself before you wreck your system". So let's educate youths and put an end to the vicious viruses that are out there, waiting to attack your PC.

Ignorance is bliss

Not knowing the dangers of what viruses your PC is exposed to, every time you connect to the Internet, is no excuse for sleeping well

at night. Most persons are of the impression that viruses are files or programs that will render your computer useless. That is correct to a certain extent, but there's more - much more.

There are computer viruses out there that can sit on your computer, without your knowledge, and send personal information or data to anywhere in the world, via the Internet. Right now, someone out there could have the password to your email - or even worse, your credit-card information. Don't believe me? How many persons out there get emails from friends that don't make any sense, only to find out that they are not the ones sending you these emails?

OK, I'm worried now

Having the knowledge of what can infect your computer is a very scary thought, and now you want the best antivirus defence money can buy. Well, choosing the right antivirus is not the easiest thing to do, and this decision has to be done carefully.

Every year I try to compile the top-five antivirus protections available for PCs. Please note that this list was done through my own trial and error. This is the list I came up with this year.

My top 5

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010

ESET Smart Security 4

Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010

BitDefender Anti-Virus 2010

Grisoft AVG 7.5 Professional

How do I choose?

An effective antivirus program has the ability to protect you from all sorts of pesky attackers, while not slowing down your PC to a halt. All antiviruses on my top-five list meet these two requirements.

However, I was really shocked to find that Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010 made my list. I usually have problems with Symantec Norton Anti-Virus slowing down any PC on which I've installed it. Until now. The 2010 model is much improved from previous versions, and the new contender for the top spot on my next top-five list.

Final thoughts

Not using protection is wrong! Do you know that computers can catch AIDS (Artificial Intelligence Deficiency Syndrome) too? Just imagine, you push your unprotected slender flash drive in every USB hole, only to find your PC automatically shutting down and you are losing all your files because it had a virus.

The products mentioned in this article were provided courtesy of Royale Computers and Accessories; telephone 906-1067, 906-1068 or 754-5048.