It's Great to Have a New Computer,
But Don't Forget Internet Security
by Steve Woo

It's after the holidays and many of us might have gotten a new computer for Christmas. But beyond how fast it is or whether it will download music, there's another critical aspect that many neglect: whether you have anti-virus and computer security programs.

Viruses

Think you're immune from viruses? Consider the virus that devastated the life of Hollywood star Margot Kidder, famous for her role as Lois Lane in the 1970s and '80s Superman movies.

That wicked piece of computer code crashed her PC, which held her beloved autobiography, a document she spent years writing. Thinking her precious manuscript was destroyed, she plunged into a psychotic stupor, and randomly roamed the streets of Hollywood.

Thankfully, her friends brought in a computer expert who removed the virus, and brought her book back intact. The restoration of her PC led, in part, in her eventual psychiatric recovery.

While most computer virus cases are far from so dramatic, it goes to show that no computer user, from a college student to a Hollywood starlet, is exempt from a computer-caused calamity.

As Kidder's story goes to show, it's essential to have anti-virus and other security programs installed. The latter include firewalls to keep online hackers out and anti-spyware programs to keep your personal information from getting stolen.

Security

While not as exciting as a 3-D videogame, security programs are ultimately more important. After all, what good is a fancy computer if it doesn't work?

The effect of viruses can be as mild as making your computer act strange, such as opening and closing the door to your DVD drive, to more serious problems like keeping your computer from starting up, to destroying your data and wrecking your hard drive. Viruses can vaporize all your precious data, including all the MP3s you spent months downloading and your schoolwork.

As for the latter, professors aren't any more likely to be understanding of computers "eating" your homework as they were when you told them your German shepherd did the same.

You can get viruses from a variety of places--from file-sharing networks, where everything from songs to software gets traded, to malicious Web sites, where viruses download themselves automatically.

Signs of infection include an unusually slow computer; an Internet home page that's constantly changing; persistent pop-up ads; increased spam e-mails that often, unnervingly, address you by name; and perhaps the worst consequences--I.D. theft and stolen credit-card numbers.

The price of buying anti-virus or security software is paltry compared to taking your computer to a technician, who will often charge a retainer just to look at your machine. Respected programs such as Norton Antivirus 2007 can be bought for as little as $29 online. Other programs, such as AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, do not cost a cent.

Norton Antivirus and McAfee VirusScan Plus come with a year's worth of free downloadable updates. After that, you have to re-subscribe to continue receiving updates, but it's worth it. An attractive alternative is visiting an electronics store that offers discounts to upgrade to the latest version of an anti-virus or security program, as long as you offer proof-of-purchase for the old version.

Don't forget to get a good firewall program such as Norton Internet Security 2007; McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007; or Zone Alarm made by Zone Labs, which comes in a free or souped-up paid version. Each, except the free version of Zone Alarm, comes with anti-virus software built in. Norton's program can be found for as little as $35 online.

Good anti-spyware programs include Webroot Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor or Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition, which also comes in a free, and more robust, paid version. Webroot costs about $30 online and in stores.

If you own a Macintosh, you're far less vulnerable to viruses and spyware, though nobody's completely exempt from the dangers. Consult your local Mac expert for tips specific to those computer systems.

Few of us want to spend money on something that seems as "boring" as an antivirus program. But unless you want to end up smacking the side of your dead PC, or randomly walking the streets of Athens because of a computer calamity, you might want to fork over a few dollars now, rather than suffer a computer catastrophe later.

Athens NEWS, http://www.athensnews.com/ Byline Steve Woo, Athens NEWS Contributor