Tip 8 in an occasional series. Keep visiting regularly for more Windows Security Tips.

There may come a time when you spot some software on your computer, on a CD, floppy disk, thumb drive or even on the internet, that you’ve never seen before. You don’t know how it got there; you can’t imagine how it could have got there. DON’T OPEN IT. Leave it where it is until you’re absolutely 100% sure what the software is. Run your Anti-virus software on the program, then run another, just for luck. There are a number of online utilities that will check your computer - or even specific files - for viruses, and it is most definitely worth trying a few of these before going any further with the suspicious program.

On the other side of the coin, it can often be problematic if you start deleting files unless you truly are sure that it they contain viruses: many system files can be mistaken for virii to the inexperienced eye (and even to some experienced ones!).