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Protecting Your Computer This page describes what you can do to help keep your computer in good working order. Keeping your operating system up-to-date
Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 4), Windows XP and Windows Vista have a built-in Automatic Update feature. This is the easiest way to get the latest updates and patches for Windows. You can configure Automatic Update to notify you when updates are available, download the updates automatically and notify you when they are ready to be installed, or automatically download and install the updates at a specified time. You can also download and install the updates manually at Microsoft's Windows Update website. Guarding your computer on the Internet In order to protect your computer on the Internet, you should use a firewall, which is software (or hardware) that filters network traffic and can block malicious traffic, such as worms, from accessing your computer. Windows XP includes a basic, built-in firewall and Windows Vista includes an improved version of this firewall. There are also several freely available personal firewall programs on the Internet, including Comodo Firewall Pro and Zone Labs ZoneAlarm, for example. Protecting against viruses
The Symantec® AntiVirus (SAV) software is free to all faculty, staff and all students enrolled in degree-granting programs of the University for both on- and off-campus computers.
Symantec® AntiVirus is available for download at: http://www.antivirus.utoronto.ca. Versions are available for various different versions of Windows and Mac OS. You will require your UTORid to download the software. Once downloaded and installed make sure that you update your virus definitions on a regular basis - at least weekly if not more often. Installation guides for the various different versions are available on the documentation site. Detecting and removing adware/spyware Adware/spyware refers to software that is used to track your Internet surfing and computer use. This software may be used to send you targeted ads (through popups and other methods), or for more malicious purposes. As adware/spyware programs are usually configured to run constantly in the background, they may slow down your computer. There are several freely available adware/spyware removal programs on the Internet, including Spybot - Search & Destroy and Lavasoft Ad-Aware® 2007 Free. |
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