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IndyLink virus, spyware, firewall and backup tips for Windows

Viruses

Every IndyLink account includes spam and virus filtering service for your email from Postini at no additional charge. But we encourage you to do as much as you can to block viruses and spyware from infecting your computer in any way.

To prevent infections, you may want to use AVG Free Edition, a program from Grisoft.com for non-commercial users. Note: If you have another antivirus package, it may not be compatible with this - see the links for other antivirus manufacturers here for information about those packages. We do recommend AVG over other programs, however, especially if you have an anti-virus program and still have been infected - this suggests your existing program may have a problem. AVG will clean up the infection, and hopefully offer better protection against future viruses.

Trend Micro's House Call is a free general-purpose online virus scanner that can assist in the identification and removal of viruses. Be sure to double-click the virus name (if one is found and not marked as Cleaned) for further directions on how to clean out the infection.

Other options for virus scanning and protection include Kaspersky.com, Panda Software's ActiveScan, and Symantec's Security Check.

If you know you have an infection, you can try the Trend Micro System Cleaner Package. Be sure to read this first, and download the latest pattern file for use with it.

>For a frequently-updated, detailed listing of viruses to watch out for, visit Trend Micro's Virus Information Center or Symantec's Security Response.

The free protection program Surfin' Guard (suitable for machines with at least 64 MB of RAM and 300 MHz processors only) does not require frequent updates, and will protect against malware (viruses, worms, etc.) that have not yet even been written, and it will work WITH other antivirus protection systems to provide added protection.

Spyware

Most anti-virus software will not protect you from spyware. If scanning/cleaning your system for viruses does not alleviate your trouble, you may have a spyware problem. Two popular free anti-spyware programs are Ad-Aware and Spybot.

Firewalls

Zone Alarm
Zone Alarm from Zone Labs is a free personal firewall for non-commercial use on Windows. This  will help block hacking attempts into your computer while you are online.
Get Zone Alarm

What is a firewall?

>From Webopaedia (http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/) A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.

How do they work?
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm

Where can I learn more?
http://www.firewall.com/goto/2492

Safer Computing, Backups and More . . .
Want to know more? Click here for more tips on how to prevent viruses.