0 items in cart - Total: £0 - View cart

Guidaroo provides step-by-step digital guides, written by experts. We use plain English, no jargon and lots of helpful illustrations.

Guidaroo Guides • Tell me more • Suggest a guide

Stop viruses and spyware

There are many varied threats to guard against for today’s computer user, but with the right software and a little common sense you can minimise the risk posed by viruses, spyware and other unwelcome dangers.

This Guidaroo explains everything you need to know about keeping your PC safe in a thorough and straightforward manner – we’ve included guides to getting antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall software in place, as well as some more general tips to bear in mind whenever you’re surfing the Web or checking email.

There’s also advice on backing up the files on your system, so should the worst happen, you’ll be able to get back all of your important documents and media without too much trouble. With this Guidaroo to hand, you can get online and use your PC safe in the knowledge that your hardware is fully protected.

One of the best ways in which you can protect against viruses and malware is by making sure that Windows and your security applications are kept updated and patched against the newest threats. It’s not difficult to make sure that operating system updates and newly released virus definition files are downloaded on a regular basis, as most of this functionality is built in to the software in question.

We’ve covered this process in another of our step-by-step guides, and even if you normally find PC security a bewildering topic, you’ll have no trouble following the instructions and articles we’ve pulled together. Where applicable, you will also find pointers to other resources on the Web that you may find useful. Make the most of these tips and tutorials and start enjoying a safer, more reliable PC experience.

Inside...

• The Windows Action Centre — All of your security settings, alerts and software in one place.
• Configuring the Windows 7 firewall — Control what comes in and goes out of your Windows system.
• Running Microsoft Security Essentials — Try out the free antivirus and anti-spyware tool from Microsoft.
• Installing an antivirus program — Keep your system protected against viruses and other threats.
• Remove spyware with Ad-Aware — Safely delete spyware that has taken root on your computer.
• Using the Windows XP Security Centre — How to control your system security when running Windows XP.
• Configuring the XP firewall — Windows XP comes with a built-in application for guarding your PC.
• Accessing System Restore — Thwart malware by returning your system to an earlier point in time.
• Maintaining a healthy system — Advice and tips for keeping your computer system out of trouble.

Sample pages