An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent.

You can continue to improve your computer’s security and decrease the possibility of infection by using a firewall, keeping your system up-to-date, maintaining a current antivirus software subscription, and following a few best practices.

Tip: Because no security method is guaranteed, it’s important to back up critical files on a regular basis before you encounter a virus or other problems.

Steps to help avoid viruses:

1. Use an Internet firewall.
Note: Windows Vista and Windows XP with SP2 has a firewall already built-in and turned on by default.

2. Visit Microsoft Update to verify your settings and check for updates.
Note: If you’ve installed the most recent version of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Update will also update your Office programs.

3. Subscribe to antivirus software and keep it current.

4. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don’t know.

5. Avoid opening an e-mail attachment from someone you know, unless you know exactly what the attachment is. The sender may be unaware that it contains a virus.

Here’s a video animation of a computer virus attack: