Computer repair and file backup in Sherwood

Getting infected with a virus or malware can be worse than a bad hair day. Many people view this as an inconvenience. I can't get online, check my email, chat with friends and all of these annoying pop ups telling me to activate my antivirus protection. I thought I already had Antivirus Protection? It is and should be treated as much more than just a simple inconvenience. The truth is any legitimate antivirus or resident scanner program can be compromised just like any other file on your computer. Frequently the only option is to reinstall your operating system often meaning a loss of data. Your best protection against loss of data is to do frequent backups. Having an external hard drive is one method for storing information such as your photos, music documents and of course a backup of your email address book. You could also make a CD or DVD back up file or store your information on a flash drive you use only for this purpose and having more than one backup option is a good idea as none of these are fail safe and of course they are just files so they can also be infected. The real downside to getting infected is the very real possibility that your personal information like credit cards, SS Number and email contacts may have been collected and you are now the victim of electronic Identity theft. If your computer is misbehaving with actions that seem strange to you, generally in the form of pop ups and being redirected to websites that you have not requested you should unplug your internet connection or shut down your wireless connection and ask someone with computer knowledge to help you troubleshoot the cause. The longer you stay connected to the internet the more severe the problem will become. If you think that you have become a victim of identity theft, either from the computer, a lost or stolen purse or wallet here is some information from the Federal Trade Commission that may help you begin the healing process. Another valuable resource is http://www.creditscore.net/, click on Identity Theft tab. The page list several resource links that you may find helpful. Prevention is your best protection, take time to do updates and backups of all your important files.