You’ve got the antivirus set up. It has plenty of features including the ability to perform scheduled scans – hopefully it’s an advanced one – to provide your system with complete, complex protection. Now, how often should you run antivirus software?
When Should You Schedule the Scans?
This is very much up to the way you use the internet, however, the most important rule to follow is to have it scan your device at least weekly. In some cases, though, this might not be sufficient, since if you surf the internet a lot and come across websites with many popups, then in just one week you could very well download a virus.
In these instances, it’s recommended to run a scan each day just to ensure your PC is safe and in top form. Since most antivirus software has an option to schedule the scans, these could be set to take place at night or for whenever you are not working on your computer so that it doesn’t interfere with your work.
Full or Quick Scan?
A lot of antivirus software offers the choice between a full – meaning a complete scan to ensure that your device is not infected – or a quick scan, which is a faster scan on only the most crucial parts of your system.
When it comes to which of these you should choose, it depends on the amount of time you have: the full scan will take longer but is more thorough, while the quick scan is faster and advisable in those instances where you just don’t have the time to perform a full analysis. However, the quick scan will check the operating system files, the documents and downloads folders, and the software files, which is where viruses are typically located most of the time.
Key Features an Antivirus Should Have
Among the most important features that antivirus should feature, you should look for:
• A strong firewall: after the antivirus has scanned and eliminated any threats from your computer, it is important to remain safe. Choose an antivirus program that includes a strong firewall so that it can easily block threats before they even reach the storage drive.
• Safe browsing technology: there are more and more antivirus suites including this feature since this is the main way for viruses to penetrate your computer. Some of them can filter out malicious Google results or issue a warning whenever you access a malicious site.
• Malware identification and removal: the most crucial aspect of antivirus is its signature detection. Look for one that identifies, removes, and is automatically updated against the latest malware threats. This way you will have a true winner by your side.
Best Antivirus Software of 2024
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