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If it has been a while since you got your laptop, you may notice it slowing
down or throwing up a number of errors, even while performing day to day
functions such as browsing the net or playing some media. I have seen lots of
people who have put these down to the fact that their laptops are getting on in
years! In other cases, users with more experience in computers prefer a fresh
format to get rid of all these errors. While a hard drive format does solve the
problems in the short term, it erases lots of your data and all of your personal
settings. Furthermore, it does not do anything to prevent all problems from
resurfacing on your laptops in the near future. Hence if you wish to keep your
data and privacy secure, prevention is the better approach and a whole array of
security tools is available to cater to your needs.
First things first, the antivirus. Most users believe it to be the ultimate
solution to problems on their laptops. Install one and remain tension free
forever! The reality however is far from it. Antivirus software is absolutely
essential for laptops, but they are not the one stop solution. All major
antivirus products reside on the primary memory of your computer, monitoring
incoming data or network traffic, opening of files, changes to the registry and
the like. It can also scan you entire hard drive for resident Viruses. While all
good antivirus (like Symantec, McAfee, AVG) work to an extent, even with regular
updating, they are not guaranteed to be 100% successful.
Second tool, the firewall. The Firewall is a true preventive agent,
especially when it comes to laptops. In this day and age of wireless networks,
an unprotected notebook can be brutally infected in a matter of seconds. A
firewall stands as the only line of defense between Laptops and the big bad
networking world out there. It scans all network traffic and filters it using a
standard set of rules defined for it. To adapt to special cases, you can also
specify new filtering rules for the firewall. Using a strong firewall like Zone
Alarm or Comodo is the best preventive measure for laptops.
Third protection, the antispam and antispyware. Spam can be broadly
classified as bulk, unsolicited email which floods your inbox and clogs up
network traffic. Spyware includes software that installs itself without the
user’s knowledge or permission and collects confidential information about his
computer and/or computing habits which may then be distributed to other people.
While real-time antispam and antispyware (like Ad-Aware, Spybot) on your laptops
will try and detect spam when you receive mail and spyware during installation,
they can also scan your hard drive for existing infections.
Lastly, Security Suites offer all-in-one protection, incorporating
antivirus, firewall, antispam and anti spyware. Since conflicting security
products from different manufacturers have a tendency to crash or behave
erroneously, a whole bouquet of products from the same manufacturer assures
seamless integration of all security software. Symantec, McAfee, AVG, Zone Labs
and many others offer powerful security suites.
Since you use your laptops on the go and mostly for business, data and
information security on them becomes even more important. With wireless networks
everywhere and viruses being liberally transmitted via flash drives and
Bluetooth, without the presence of the critical software security tools; laptops
are as good as doomed. Installation and proper updating of security tools helps
prevent you from waking up one morning with a stuttering laptop and lost data.
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