Computers have become one of the staples in the day-to-day life. As such it can become really frustrating when they stop working. While failing components might be frustrating, problems with hardware are often easy if expensive to replace. Perhaps more frustrating though is when your computer becomes infected with malware or a virus. Unlike failing components, infections allow you to use your computer to a limited capacity but make any operations virtually impossible. Luckily, there are several things you can do to help put your computer less at risk by practicing safe computer usage. Below are a list of tips to keep your computer free of infection while using the internet.

Avoid Clicking Suspicious Links Or Attachments

Often one of the most quoted pieces of advice on the net, it is still surprisingly ignored by many. It is best practice to scan any emails with a link or attachment for viruses with a quality anti-malware application. This advice even goes so far as for even the emails of close friends or relatives as there are many viruses out there that can hijack email accounts to forward harmful viruses to others on their address list. This often takes care of making sure attachments are safe, but still leaves the links left within unchecked. Instead users are recommended to always navigate sites via their browser instead of the email itself.

Surf Safely

Shady websites are often rife with malware and other intrusive programs that can infect your computer or, even worse, steal your personal information. These problems are particularly common with sites offering downloads. Fortunately, there are multitudes of free browser plug-ins you can use that can help direct you away from infectious or phishing sites (sites that seek to steal your personal information, usually with a goal to steal your money). These plugins will rate sites based on their trustworthiness as well as often redirecting you from links that lead to harmful pages.  

Purchase Anti-Virus/Malware Software

For those out there who are most concerned with the health of their computer there is always dedicated protective software which you can install on your computer. These programs run in depth scans, alert you to problems, and best of all keep up-to-date databases on all known malicious programs. With a little customization, a high quality software can make your computer nigh impregnable in the event that it does manage to become infected.

Hopefully, with some of the advice above you can mitigate the risk to your system therefore saving you money on costly computer repairs that could put your computer out of commission for days on end. However, should something happen there are tons of helpful specialists, such as those at Smart Choice Computer Solutions, who will get your computer and your life back on track.

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