PC Software Adviser

 THE DOs AND DON'Ts WHEN YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED

Even if you have been extra cautious all along, sometimes you just got your control loosen up. And just within the single second, you got your PC end up with a spiteful virus going to boss everything. You’d then be so worry and upset. But listen to this one: there’s still hope. It all depends on what you do next (which sometimes means not doing something). We've come up with a handy checklist of things you should do (and not do) if you suddenly find that your computer is infected with a virus.

DO: Disconnect from your home network

Disconnect from your wired or Wi-Fi home network (LAN or WAN), if you have one, to prevent the virus from spreading to other PCs in your house. Turn off the network discovery function, as well as file and printer sharing (found in the Network and Sharing Center in Vista, and in System Preferences: Sharing on a Mac).

DO: Lock Internet traffic with your firewall

If you're using a third-party firewall program, you can stop all Internet traffic in its path. Even if you don't have a dedicated firewall program, you can simply turn off your network connections by right clicking on the network icon in the Windows system tray and choosing "disable." Make sure you've installed the latest updates before locking your system down completely.

DO: Update your Operating System (OS) and antivirus software

Run updates on your Windows or OS X for it may plug up any security holes that allow the virus to spread and cause chaos on your PC. This may leave the virus effectively neutered, but don't stop there. Obviously, you also need to update you antivirus software and run a full system scan to root out and clean out the offending software. This is the only way to confirm for sure that you have a virus, and the easiest way to remove it from your system.

DO: Reinstall your Operating System

This is a worst-case scenario, however, since it could mean losing some files. Avoid ever getting to this point by backing up your stuff regularly and making sure your anti-virus program is up-to-date and running its regular weekly scan.

DON'T: E-mail attachments to anyone
This is an easy way for you to spread your virus to someone else. Don't send any e-mail attachments (pictures, videos, documents) to anyone until you've identified, located, and cleaned out the infection.

DON'T: Plug in a USB drive or copy files

Don’t copy files and don't back them up until you're sure the virus is gone. Some viruses can automatically copy themselves to a USB drive. The next time the infected drive is plugged into a computer, the virus will auto run, allowing it to spread to the new machine or even reinfect your machine when you plug that drive back in.

DON'T: Shop online or enter credit card or banking information online.

Hold off online shopping or entering your credit card information until you're sure your PC is safe. You don’t want to be more victimized by giving chance for the viruses and other malware to steal your credit card information and other personal data for the purposes of fraud and identity theft.

DON'T: Log into any personal accounts such as e-mail

Avoid logging into any sites, especially e-mail or other accounts that contain personal and potentially sensitive data because those passwords and other login information are also vulnerable to theft by a virus and its sort.

So, basically it’s about preventing those evil virus and malware to spread, safely removing the infection and making completely sure that your PC is safe before you do anything. And please always remember, it is better being persistent first than being sorry later. Always avoid getting your system infected.