Have you ever felt the pain of losing very important data from your laptop? Data could be important client information, company sales and even personal data such as pictures. Imagine losing the only copy of your clients emailing list, it is really frustrating. The Internet is a vast place to get lots of stuff and without guard you can also incorporate viruses and malicious programs without your knowledge.
A single virus can actually wipe out large amounts of data if not prevented from further accessing your files. These viruses enter into your laptop when you are innocently browsing through the net and attach themselves secretly to any malicious file you download. It could be an email, pdf, a song, a checklist or any kind of download. Once the virus gets into your computer system, it begins replicating itself and consumes data slowly by slowly.
Before you notice, much of your important data has been deleted or corrupted by this viruses making them unusable and can distort normal functioning of the laptop itself. What are the signs of a virus infected Laptop?
- Slower than usual performance on simple tasks
- Annoying pop-ups
- Loss of files without a trace
- Error Messages
- Being Redirected every time you are trying to browse
- Sudden lack of Storage Space
- Changes to your settings without your approval
- Display of foreign icons on your desktop
- Presence of many shortcut files
You therefore need to be aware and understand such signs and act quickly to restore the health and performance of your laptop. It is crucial for business. An anti-virus software is all you need to restore your machine. There are several anti virus software from different companies but you must be specific to know which one fits your machine best. You might fail to check the specs and once you install you create more issues for yourself.
All anti virus companies will market their products as the number one choice or being the best of the best. Based on this fact, what then should you look for before installing any anti virus software?
Low System Space Load
Your choice software should not take up much space and performance from your laptop. If it does, your laptop will tend to be much slower and loading simple tasks more than usual.
A Complete Package Software
This simply means you would prefer an all-inclusive software which protects from most malicious activity not only virus attack. Other malicious activity could be phishing, cybercrime, ads and more. You are also free to check the reputation of different software and also customer reviews before purchasing any.
High Detection Rate
The best software would be one that detects and acts on the malicious program instantly without delay. Any delay will be giving the virus or third party activity a chance to infect your computer system.
Software that allows a pre-run
Sometimes you are unsure if the software you have is the best for your operating system. An anti virus program that allows a pre run will be able to allow you to test its functionality before purchasing its full features. It is purely a test sample program. If it serves your needs perfectly, you can then purchase its full features. Also paid software is better than free to download software since they have online support and their companies have carefully invested in creating good anti virus features for you.
Allows Multi Device Installation
You might be having several devices that need malware protection. Checking for multi device functionality can come in handy especially if it is on a single price.
Having an anti virus will work for your benefit but you should know malware protection is not always 100%. Every software has its pros and cons and you have to weigh them before you make a decision. Based on your needs, different software will work differently for you. Using the 5 criteria you are sure to pick the best for you.