Thursday, February 5, 2009

How can I protect my computer from a virus?

As the saying goes “the best defense is a good offense,” install and update an anti-virus program
IMMEDIATELY. We recommend using AVG Anti-Virus from Grisoft but there are other anti-virus
programs used so contact your district’s technology department if you do not have such a program
installed on your classroom computer. You can download a FREE version of AVG by going to the
URL: www.grisoft.com. Grisoft does not provide technical support for users of the free version.
Before downloading any software, close all running/open programs. If downloading from the Grisoft web site, follow the
instructions as given on the site:
• Grisoft emails the Registration Number for each program therefore you must have an email account to install AVG.
• Once you select the download button, the AVG License Agreement is displayed. Read through the agreement and
the click “Yes, I Agree” button.
• Next the Registration page opens. Fill in the Questionnaire Form and then click the “Continue” button at the
bottom of the page.
• You will be prompted to choose the path where the program is going to be stored. The default window option is to
“Save this program to disk”, click “OK”.
• The “Save As” window will open. In the “Save In” box click the down arrow and select the desktop (if this is not
the default on your computer). Click the “Save” button. Download will begin.
• Once download is completed AVG will have sent you an email with the program’s registration number. Check
your email after downloading the program. Open the email sent from Grisoft, highlight and copy the
Registration Number from the email message. You must insert this number during setup.
• Once you have obtained the registration number click on the “Open” button at the bottom of the download
window, OR locate the icon on your desktop and double-click it, the AVG-6.0 Anti-Virus
System Setup window opens. Click on the “Setup” button and follow the instructions from
the Setup screen, pasting the Registration Number (that you copied from the email) in the
appropriate dialog box.
• Once installed, delete the .exe icon from your desktop. Right click on the icon and select “delete” from the menu.
It will tell you that you will be unable to run the program if you delete that file, ignore this and click “Yes” or
“Continue.” You already have the program installed therefore you no longer need this file.
Follow the steps below to configure the program after installation is complete:
First Phase of Setup
1) Once the program is installed you MUST configure your virus
protection.
2) Double click on the shortcut icon on the desktop to open the
program and choose the Control Center. In the “Resident
Shield” tab window, check all three boxes in the “Check
Viruses” box. Also, check “Confirmation” and “Ask what to
do next” options. Click the “Apply” button.
3) Click on the “Email Scanner” tab and check all boxes. Click the “Apply” button.
4) Click on the “Update Manager” tab. This is crucial to the configuration
because this is where you will set AVG to download updates to the
program. If you do not update the program on a regular basis it is
pointless to have it installed.
a. Click the box next to “Allow scheduled update”. Set “Update to
start at:” The program cannot update when the computer is off so
set it to update at a time when you first turn your computer on, enter
the time (use the up/down arrows to the right of the box to select a
time).
b. The next option is “Update if the database is older than:”. We advise updating every 5 days. The
system must be restarted after update is completed.
c. The next option is “If not successful than repeat in:” set this at 1 to 5
days.
d. Click the “Apply” button.
5) Click on the “Scheduler” tab. Click to check the box “Enable scheduled
tests.” Click the “Apply” button. Click the “OK” button. The window will
close.
6) If you need to know what version of AVG you installed and/or the serial
number, click on the “Information tab.” This also is where you will find the
date of the last virus update performed.
Second Phase of Setup
It is imperative that you run an AVG “Complete Test” on your system because it will intercept viruses entering through
email but it will NOT intercept a virus obtained through browsing a web site until it runs the “Complete Test.”
7) Right click on the AVG icon in the system tray on the task bar, select and click Run
AVG Anti-Virus or double click on the AVG shortcut icon on the desktop.
8) Click on the “Scheduler” button. Set the time that you want AVG to
automatically run the complete test. Click in the box to check
“Enable scheduled tests” and then click the “OK” button.
􀂾 Enter a time when the computer will not be in use (when at
lunch, recess or on duty). The computer MUST be ON for
AVG, or any other virus protection program, to scan for viruses!
Final Step of Installation:
9) Click on the “Virus Database” button. The AVG Center window will open (see #4).
10) Click on the “Update Now!” button.
11) Once completed retrieving updates, a window opens displaying all of the new update files, you must restart
your computer in order to install and update the AVG Anti-Virus program. (Make sure that you do not have
any open files before you restart your computer, if so you must save all work and exit the programs first.)
12) Uninstall, properly, any other virus protection program if going to use AVG.
Below is a list of common methods of virus infection and steps to take to avoid them. While the
numbers of viruses continues to grow in leaps and bounds, a few smart moves to protect the system can
help keep the problems at bay.
• Garbage In, Garbage Out: This is one of those old computer clichés that is so true in the
computer world and elsewhere. The only way to get a virus infection is by allowing infected
software into the PC or through email and Internet sites. Viruses cannot spontaneously generate
on a PC.
• More Connections Means More Risk: The more ways you interface your PC to others, the
more chances there are of a virus making its way onto your system. A standalone PC with a
stable software base has much less chance of becoming infected by a virus than a PC shared by
multiple users that is connected to a large network.
• Piracy Has Its Price: While infections from store-bought software happen, they are extremely
rare. On the other hand, software that is shared from PC to PC, or worse is obtained from illegal
sources, has a much higher chance of being infected.
• Use Backups: If you have the ability and the discipline to maintain multiple backups of your
system over a period of time, this is a useful "last ditch" defense against virus infection. It doesn't
really prevent viruses from striking your system, but it can save you in the event that you are
unlucky and suffer data loss due to viruses. (Note that you need to have a reasonably long

Region 4 Teaching, Learning Technology Center, Revised: 10/2003
Rima Duhon
retention period in your backup cycle for this to work. If you just backup your entire disk onto
the same backup tape once every week, then you only have one week at most to catch any given
virus before you end up copying it onto the backup tape as well.)
• Control Access to Your PC: You should be careful about who uses your system. Generally
speaking, a PC in an open area used by dozens of people, such as in the classroom, will develop
viruses far more often than one on an individual's desk. The reasons are obvious.

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