How To Prepare Your PC For Virus Protection When Upgrading To Windows 8

How To Prepare Your PC For Virus Protection When Upgrading To Windows 8

Your personal computer is one of the biggest investments that you can make for your home. When you first buy a computer you are often asked if you would like to include antivirus software on your system. Some people usually want it included so they are not infected the minute they get on the internet. But now, PC users are faced with another choice of whether or not to upgrade their system to Windows 8 or to stay with what they are using. If you decide to upgrade your system, there are some things that you will need to do in order to get ready for the change.

Step 1 – Check to See if You Already have Virus Protection

There is a very good chance that your computer already has anti-virus software loaded on it already. If you are using Windows 8 as your operating system (OS), you will then want to disable your current virus software to prepare for the installation of Windows Defender, a third party anti-virus program. The protection strength for Windows Defender has been compared to the current protection offered by Microsoft Security Essentials had similar capabilities and offerings for users.

Step 2 – Compare with Other Software Packages

If you have decided to upgrade the software that came with your computer, you will also want to check to see if your current antivirus software can protect your machine from being infected by a virus or can detect phishing sites and attempts to hack into your OS and corrupt your vital files and personal information. If the answer is no, then you might want to start researching and comparing anti-virus packages. Many protection packages offer similar services at different rates. Do your research and find the software that is right for your OS. If you don’t choose to stick with Windows Defender, there are many options available, both free (Avast, Panda Cloud, Avira) and paid anti-virus software packages (Norton and Bitdefender). Look into all options but remember, in the end, you get what you pay for and a free option may look enticing but could mean taking chances with your most expensive and essential tool.

Step 3 – Extra Protection For You and Your Family

Whether you opt to upgrade or purchase an entirely different anti-virus program, you might want to look into safeguarding other aspects of your life as well. An anti-virus software, probably won’t protect you from a hacker breaking into your online bank account, or your email. Many computer users have fallen victim to phishing sites as well as identity theft and credit fraud as a result of the criminal activities of hackers. To avoid falling victim to identity theft or any other form of fraud it might be a good idea to sign up for protection with by lifelock.com, a security company that will monitor your finances, personal information and credit score to be sure that it isn’t being used to commit crimes.

Step 4 – Preparing Your System for the Future

After you have signed up with a security company of your choice, you’ll want to start thinking about your computer as more than just a stagnant machine, but as a financial investment. If you plan to stick with Windows Defender, rest assured that looking forward into the near future, Windows 8 plans to offer it’s users a number of features that are designed to protect their system from harm.

• Secure and Trusted Boot programming that will keep items such as rootkits and other types of programming from being installed on your system.
• A SmartScreen option that will prevent non-trusted sites from being loaded on the screen.
• The ability to reinstall itself with just a few clicks of the mouse.

With all of the available innovations that are simplifying our daily lives through technology, it is understandable why more people can feel vulnerable to the risk of credit fraud and identity theft and realize the need to increase their computer’s protection from viral harm. You will want to upgrade your system to the latest security features on a regular basis and whenever prompted by your system to upgrade protection. Also, be sure to renew your security protection in all other aspects of your life with LifeLock. Many of their packages offer automatic renewal, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to renew their service. To learn more about how to receive protection from identity theft and fraud, check out Identity Theft Labs and read more about how others have benefited from this type of of protection.