Viruses spread when infected floppy disks are transported from one computer to another. It is always better to prevent virus attacks than cure infected disks. Here are a few precautions you should observe to prevent virus attacks.
- Make sure that the system is always booted from the hard disk or a virus-free, write-protected system diskette.
- Take frequent backups of all your files; in case of a virus attack, you can always replace your data.
- Buy software from authorized selling agents; unauthorized software, besides being illegal, has a higher chance of having a virus.
- Use write-protect tabs on floppy disks that do not need data to be written onto them.
- Avoid updating the date of your system to match a date on which viruses tend to attack, like Friday the 13th.
- Do not lend your program disks, as they may come back infected; if you have to give them, make a copy and check for viruses or format the disk when it is returned.
- Do not let anyone use your system; if this is not possible, do not allow others to use their own diskettes.
- Never run unknown programs before making sure that they have no virus.
- Do not copy game-programs from other users who work on different computer systems. Since games are the most frequently distributed type of software, they are frequently infected with viruses.