As important as it is to ensure that you have an updated anti virus software package installed on your computer, it isn’t going to do you much good if you don’t use it on a regular basis. Depending on the speed of your machine, a complete virus scan can take anywhere between half an hour and three hours, but it is time well spent. There are several different ways in which you can scan your computer for viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and adware, so let’s take a look at just a few of the main options available to you.
The manual scan – Every major anti virus program has the ability to perform a number of manual scans. You can perform a full system scan, which will scan every file on your computer and your registry for problems, or you can set up a quick scan, which will only scan the most vulnerable parts of your system and the ones that are most often attacked by Internet worms and trojans. You can also do per-file scans that only scan one file that you specifically ask to be looked at. These types of scans work great if you’ve downloaded a song or an email attachment that you want looked at. To scan your computer for virus, Trojans, spyware and adware using a manual scan, simply open the control panel for your virus protection software, usually located on the taskbar, and choose Scan Now and then choose which kind of scan you would like.
Since more and more virus protection programs are realizing just how important regular scans are, you can actually set up your virus protection software to run in the middle of the night or during times when you aren’t using your computer. You can schedule scans as frequently as you like, even once per day, and you’ll never have to run a manual scan again, although you may have to keep your computer on for good. To scan your computer for viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and adware using a scheduled scan, simply use the scan time scheduler that comes with most virus protection programs.
Along with having one main virus program that you can rely on, many people also download and install subsequent virus protection, adware protection and malware protection programs. Thankfully, most of these programs are free of charge and run significantly faster than most traditional anti virus software. When using these smaller programs, you can choose to run either a manual scan once a week or so, or you can set up the scheduling feature to automatically run when you aren’t using your computer. It is a good idea to have at least one other security program on your machine in addition to your anti virus program. Check websites like Download.com for unbiased reviews of the top free adware and spyware programs.
Finally, there are many free online virus scanning websites you can use, although very few of them will actually clean your computer of the malware you find. One of the top sites is Kaspersky. Simply visit their website and click the link for a free, web-based scan of your computer. If you want to scan your computer for viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and adware, there are many top options available to you, no matter how tight your schedule might be.
|
> Antivirus Software 
