Antivirus Tip: Schedule regular virus checks using your anti-virus software, and alternate the days that you run various software.

Antivirus Tip: A good rule to have is to always scan anything you download before you open it. Set your anti-virus software to do this automatically.

Antivirus Tip: It is wise to back up your important files and have them on a separate memory storage device, just in case of a virus or malware.

Antivirus Tip: A computer virus replicates itself by changing the code in other programs to copy itself across a computer system.

Antivirus Tip: There are several different types of viruses and they all behave differently, including how they spread: virus, trojan and worm.

Antivirus Tip: Restarting your PC in safe mode disables some of the functions that viruses use to replicate, allowing your anti-virus more resources to work.

Antivirus Tip: Create a secondary e-mail account to ensure that you have a backup should a virus prevent you from changing your password via e-mail.

Antivirus Tip: Always check to see the total amount of resources your protection programs are using. Switch programs for optimal efficiency.

Antivirus Tip: Normal viruses may start as annoying pop-ups, but trojans that prevent you from restarting your PC are admin-level and require experts to remove.

Antivirus Tip: Not all files picked up by your anti-virus are malicious. Some are just background system processes. Adjust your AV settings to overlook these.