If you suspect that your PC has been infected with a virus or are experiencing other related problems your departmental technical support is the most appropriate help you will find to resolve the problem. Before that happens, here are a few preventive guidelines to make sure that your personal computer remains in the safe zone:

- Remember to maintain your software with the latest security updates. For example, if you use Windows you can setup automatic updates.

-It's vital to have an anti-virus program installed and that you keep its virus definitions up to date.

-Add anti-spyware software. If you use Windows XP, Microsoft.com provides free downloadable anti-spyware software.

-Ultimately you will choose which browser and email program you want to use but we recommend Firefox for web browsing and Thunderbird for email, both downloadable from http://www.mozilla.com/

-Always use a firewall

-Be careful with what you download from your email or from the Internet in general.