by Teri Robnett
(As published in the October 2003 issue of the NCCR Newsletter)

Don't wait to protect your computer until after you've been hit by a virus or had your hard drive crash. Here are 2 simple ways to attack computer problems before they attack you.

1. Make sure your Anti-Virus Protection is up-to-date. Just like the flu, new versions of viruses are cropping up all the time. That free version that came with your computer 2 years ago won't be effective against any new bugs out there unless you've updated it. Check to be sure your virus definitions are updated every time you go online.

2. Back up! Back up! Back up! The only thing worse than the hassle of trying to recover lost data when your computer crashes are the headaches of not being able to recover the data at all. It's well worth the investment in time and equipment to be sure your data is regularly backed up. The process can be as simple as copying all your new or updated documents over to a CD once a week.

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