Antivirus Installation Help

Do yourself a favor, though. Read and follow the checklist below before you begin installing your antivirus software. If you’re like me and you want to begin building the ready to-assemble furniture or child’s bicycle before reading the instructions, be prepared to have minutes — or hours — of regret later. I’m not kidding. The regret I speak of could be as minor as some lost time, or as great as losing files you cannot afford to be without. This is especially true if you make your living with your computer — whether you peddle prescription drugs online, sell things on eBay, or write books.

Here’s what to do before installing your antivirus software:

* Back up your files: I don’t mean copy them to another directory on the same hard drive — that would be like making copies of important documents and putting them in the same drawer. Convenient — until you have a fire. Instead, copy everything to another computer, or to a CD-ROM that you have verified is readable on another computer.

* Reboot your system: ’Tis better to have a clean-running system that’s not teetering on the edge of a crash because too many days have passed since the last reboot. (That’s especially a problem on older Windows systems such as Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME.)

* Stop all of your other programs: This includes all of the clutter in your systray, half of which you probably don’t need or use anyway.

* Read all the way through the antivirus program installation and/or upgrade instructions: Wouldn’t you just hate yourself if Step 46 said to do something that’s really hard to do without a specific preparation that’s only mentioned in Step 46? (I’m not much of a cook, and many times I’ve regretted not reading the recipe all the way through before starting, only to find that I lacked some important ingredient or didn’t have enough time to prepare.)

* Take notes: Write down some of the essential things along the way — you may wish you had those little tidbits of data later. A few examples include the name of the directory where you installed the software, and the installation options that you chose.

* Take your time: If you hurry, you’re more likely to skip an important step or make a mistake. It’s more important to install your antivirus software correctly than quickly. You have to live with the results, probably for a long time. Quality doesn’t take shortcuts, and neither should you.

* Consider getting help: If installing software feels as intimidating as rebuilding an automobile engine or programming a VCR, then consider having a PC expert help you out, or at least watch over your shoulder and tactfully refrain from snickering to him- or herself.