How Often Should I Scan my PC for Viruses? | Free Antivirus Download for Windows 7
If you want to maintain your computer, you need to scan it for viruses and malware. Doing so will detect malicious files and remove them. However, you need to do this in a timely manner, or else you will put your computer at risk of crashing or worse, being destroyed forever, by virus infections. This is why you need free antivirus download for Windows 7.
The Right Timing to Run Antivirus for a Scan
Scan After You Have Installed Your Antivirus Software
After purchasing and installing your antivirus program into your computer, make sure to execute a scan right away. If your security suite can automatically scan specific files or directories and prompt you at set intervals to perform complete scans, you may also enable this feature.
Scan Weekly
It is a rule of thumb to scan your computer once a week with your antivirus software. This will help you find viruses that you might have run into with your online browsing. The sooner you can find the virus, the better protected your computer will be.
After scanning your computer, make sure to remove the viruses. An excellent free antivirus download for Windows 7 software will give you instructions on how to get rid of the viruses and malware that you find.
Scan Regularly
Some cases may warrant more than a weekly scan. If you use the Internet daily and download files regularly, it’s best to scan your computer for viruses more than once a week.
The timing should be based on how frequently you use the Internet because the sites you visit may be filled with malicious files. You can be more cautious and run a scan two to three times a week. If you really want peace of mind about the security of your computer, you can run it daily.
Scan When Your Computer Runs Slow
If you notice your computer suddenly slowing down, showing error messages, or not operating as effectively as it used to, it could be that a virus is bogging it down. These are signs that you could have unknowingly downloaded and installed a malicious file and now, it’s using up your computer’s resources. You should run the free antivirus download for Windows 7.
Viruses can ruin the way your computer usually works. They can even remove or replace data, relocate files, and cause your computer to crash. They can interrupt your work or leisurely browsing, which is why viruses should be removed right away. If left unattended, they can destroy your computer for good, which can be quite costly for you. It’s expensive to get your computer fixed or buy a replacement.
Run a Full Scan
Your free antivirus download for Windows 7 software may let you choose between running an essential scan or a full one. These two options differ in terms of the thoroughness in which they conduct a scan. If you want a more thorough detection of viruses and malicious files, you should go for the full scan. This will require more time to finish, during which you cannot use your computer. However, performing a full antivirus scan can give you peace of mind after knowing that you have done everything to detect the malicious files and had them removed.
Quick Scan
You may choose an essential scan if you don’t have much time. This involves spotting viruses in the most important parts of the computer, such as your operating system files, documents, downloads, and program files. These are the areas where viruses often try to conceal themselves.
Takeaways
The best frequency at which you should run your free antivirus download for Windows 7 is once a week full scan. Schedule it during your idle time away from the computer. If you’re still worried, you can run an essential scan more than once a week, especially if you use the Internet daily.
With Comodo as your free antivirus software, you can count on a 100% verdict all the time, as it uses its VirusScope behavior analyzer and runs files in auto-containment against a list of known files, both good and bad. If the VirusScope is unable to come up with a verdict, the files get passed on to human researchers for further analysis. Comodo also boasts several features aside from antivirus scanning which includes anti-malware scanning, anti-rootkit scanning, anti-spyware scanning, and memory firewall. As further assurance to its users, it provides virus-free warranty, secure online shopping and banking, and unlimited live expert virus removal to ensure that your computers are clean.
