Viruses are continuing to spread from computer to computer through various means. Back then it used to spread through diskettes and more recently through flash drives, digital media cards, Internet websites, and malicious software. With all versions of Windows lacking a decent program that effectively defends the entire system from these modern threats, computer users must rely on 3rd party anti-virus software that can run in the background and find any viruses in order to stop them from activating and causing any damage.
This kind of protection, however, comes with a price and most of the good virus scanners require a subscription fee so you can get real-time protection from the latest viruses through automatic updates. If you aren’t ready to install a virus scanner because of cost-related reasons, follow these techniques on how to protect your computer from viruses until you finally get a fully-featured anti-virus solution.
Disable the Autoplay Function on Removable Drives
When other computers are infected with viruses, the infection secretly spreads to any removable disks like flash disks and external drives that are currently connected to the system. This gives the chance for the virus to spread to other computers if executed. Viruses inside removable drives usually execute themselves by taking advantage of Windows’ Autoplay feature. The Autoplay feature is supposed to be for CDs and DVDs, but it can also be possible to use it on flash disks by instructing the computer to run the virus as soon as it’s plugged in.
Depending on your settings, this might not always occur, but the virus can still be executed just by double clicking the drive’s icon, which normally activates the Autoplay program. Fortunately, this can be disabled so you can “skip” the virus by applying a small registry tweak that disables Autoplay only for removable drives.
Activate your Firewall
Windows XP and greater versions have their own built-in firewall that restricts certain data from going in and out of the system. Many of the viruses rely on the Internet to spread or send critical data to the attacker. A firewall can disable this functionality and it may even prevent suspicious programs from entering your system. This isn’t always reliable depending on the virus, but it does add a decent layer of security without affecting your productivity.
Update your Windows and Other Applications
Microsoft and possibly other developers of your other favorite applications occasionally release updates to patch security holes and fix vulnerabilities that viruses and trojans take advantage of. By keeping your system and other applications updated at all times, you have better defense against the older forms of viruses that may still be spreading around. Enable “Automatic Updates” in your “Microsoft Update” and let it do the job in updating your computer.
After you have done these three layers of protection, concentrate on getting a virus scanner as soon as possible or use a freeware solution for the meantime. The more layers of protection you have, the better you can prevent viruses from infecting your system.