mputing" once meant only running a virus checker on your files before you gave your floppy disk to your co-worker. Today it means so much more. It means monitoring your computer system, to proactively catch any problems that may be brewing. Today, safe computing means using software that can detect other software and hardware that may be having problems.Tips for Preventing Computer Disasters1.Always close applications that are not in use. 2.Don't leave your computer turned on in "sleep mode" when you leave the office. Turn it off. 3.Use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to give you time to save your work and turn the computer off safely when you lose power. 4.Run a disk utility program every week and act on its warnings. 5.Back up data daily; use more than one source if data loss would mean you'd have to close your business. Back up devices do fail so be sure to check the integrity of the data every couple of weeks. And make sure you TEST the restore function of your backup software periodically. 6.Run a virus program in the background at all times. 7.Upgrade your virus application every 30-60 days. New viruses are created every day. Practice Safe Computing Commercial Software, Shareware, Friends, and Internet Downloads beware of Bonus software or free gifts Unknown or questionable sources Scan everything ! Email attachments beware of Unexpected attachments Email from unknown senders Promises that are too good to be true Senders who tells you to ignore virus warnings Subject lines or file names that are risqu or otherwise enticing Macros no matter the source. Use POP3 email client (e.g., Eudora, Pegasus, Zmail) Fewer features mean fewer opportunities for virus programmers Use MS Works, Star Office, or Word Perfect in lieu of MS Word. Less popular programs have fewer viruses. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 97 (and 2000) have built-in macro virus protection:. Write protect the global template normal.dot. Only Word document...
