With the rising popularity of always-on, high speed connections, computers are at risk in an online world that seems filled with predators in a way that would have been incomprehensible to computer users even 10 years ago. While many hazards can be avoided simply by refusing to reply to online scams or phishing expeditions, computer viruses, like their biological cousins, come unannounced and uninvited, with simple lack of action being enough to contract the disease. They have grown more malicious over time, many having the capability to cripple the computer by corrupting or overwriting the hard drive. Some can even damage the physical drive media. Viruses fall in the 25% of data loss not caused by human error or equipment malfunction, so they are less likely to cripple your computer than these other causes. Still, they are a serious problem, and it's your data and your business on the line. You defend against a hard drive crash by a rigorous data backup program; you can't afford not to take the steps necessary to prevent a virus attack.

Fortunately, there are a number of simple, commonsense measures that can be easily applied to greatly reduce the possibility of data corruption and hardware failures due to viruses. SalvageData is equipped to recover data lost due to viruses along with any other cause of data loss, but in most cases you can avoid the need for data recovery by the following steps.

Installing a good anti-virus software program is your first line of defense. Be sure to choose a program that provides automatic updates so that when new viruses are unleashed, new updates are installed on your system to counteract them. If you have to depend on your memory to check on the latest viruses and retrieve updates, you are very likely to be a virus victim. Also make sure your anti-virus program scans incoming and outgoing emails, since many viruses can enter or exit your machine by that method. Of course you should never open unexpected attachments since they can easily unleash a virus in your system. Be sure to set up your program to run a regular virus scan on your complete system as well.

Since virtually all viruses are targeted toward the popular Windows Operating System, it is critical that you promptly install all system updates as they become available. Once system vulnerabilities are announced, some virus creator somewhere is certain to create a virus to exploit the weakness, and system owners who have not installed the available updates will be the victims.

Finally, don't forget that a good data backup practice is good insurance against the effects of data loss from a virus as well as from a hard drive crash or other equipment failure. If all your anti-virus measures are somehow inadequate, your backup data can be used to restore your system to full operating status. If you have questions about any of these steps, contact SalvageData for additional help in avoiding a data loss crisis.