Protection From Viruses:

	No, that is not how you remove a virus from your system. I know you feel like doing it but take it easy. Follow the steps below to have a virus free computer. (Just starting this page, more asap...)

1. The first step in protecting yourself from viruses is to have a virus detection programs installed. Here is a list of programs you can download and install. Personally we use Avast.

Avast! Antivirus Software - avast! antivirus software is based on the ALWIL Software Virus, Worm and Trojan horse scanning technology since 1988. This product is free for home non-commercial use after registration! If you are not a home user or you use your computer for profit, you should buy the commercial version here. - Download Link - Registration Link - VPS History - Support Forum

AVG Anti-Virus FREE Edition - The well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Anti-Virus FREE is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Anti-Virus FREE is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).

AntiVir Personal Edition - offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation. In order to make possible an easy operation, the AntiVir Personal Edition is developed to the essential points. Detects and removes more than 80,000 viruses. Protection against trojaner, worms, backdoors, jokes and other harmful programs. Internet-Update Wizard for easy updating. Support is free of charge via AntiVir Bulletin Board

McAfee Antivirus - trial download.

Norton Antivirus - trial download.

Online Virus Scan Services

If you do not have a virus scanner installed on your PC, you can use a free online virus scanner

Panda ActiveScan - Panda Software's online antivirus, that works directly over the Internet. With a simple click from your browser you can scan all your files and e-mail for viruses. Panda ActiveScan detects and eliminates more than 64.000 viruses, including trojans, worms, etc. It is updated at least once a day to ensure that includes the information necessary for detecting even the latest viruses. With this tool, Panda Software offers you the ideal complement to the antivirus installed in your computer. Through your Internet connection you have access to a powerful antivirus, that is constantly up-to-date and simple to use.

PC PitStop - Free virus scanner NOTE: installs itself as an ActiveX control inside your Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.

Trend Micro's Free Online Virus Scanner - Free online virus scanner service.

Stand Alone Virus Cleaners

Avast! Virus Cleaner - avast! Virus Cleaner is available free for every user. This tool will help you remove selected worm infections from your computer. If, despite all the security measures you take, your computer gets infected by a virus or worm, it is necessary to disinfect your system somehow. While for some viruses the only 100% realiable method of disinfection is restoring your system from backups, for many common infections this is not really necessary and the virus/worm can be removed quite easily. -Download Link-

McAfee AVERT Stinger - Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system.

2. The second step to virus protection is to update your virus defintion files often. I do it everytime I log onto the internet. Downloading and installing the virus program is just the first step in the battle against viruses. Virus software company's put out a update reference files, some do it monthly, and some other like Avast (the Program we use) do it often some times a couple times a week. These files have all the new viruses listed in them, making your computer safer. Downloading the update file is a must. If you do not, you are just giving yourself a false sense of security. There are hundreds of new viruses every month, and without the update file your computer is defenseless! Please remember to backup your data files often also, or you will be sorry.

Specific Virus - Removal Tools

Klez Emergency Repair Package (KERP) for those users already infected with the Klez virus. Link to instructions and download link.

Klez, Nachi, SoBig-F, MSBlast, Bugbear, Swen - Collection of removal tool from Zeroknowledge's site.

September 3, 2004