Every brand new computer purchased at a retail outlet today already has a trial version of antivirus software installed. This software is generally very good at what it was designed for. Antivirus software was designed to isolate viruses that become installed on your hard drive. The problem with this software is that most antivirus programs only assist at disabling viruses.

While antivirus software has stopped some of the most vicious viruses that the computer world has ever seen, it is absolutely useless against spyware, adware and many worms. Spyware, adware, and worms disable thousands of computers each day worldwide in many different ways. Spyware and adware are not directly harmful to your computer. They simply cause advertising prompts to appear on your computer frequently. This will slow your computer down tremendously and begin to cause the computer to crash periodically.

Worms are significantly different from viruses, spyware, or adware. Worms are transmitted through e-mail programs. Worms are programs that duplicate themselves and forward themselves from your e-mail account to all of your contacts that are listed in your address book. These worms may also change programming within your computer and cause major problems in the system. Some of the major worms that have been released into the computer world have been stopped with antivirus software, as they are more similar to viruses than spyware or adware.

The major problem with antivirus software is that viruses and worms can only affect your computer if they are downloaded to your hard drive. Spyware and adware are installed inadvertently and without the knowledge of the computer user. Because of this, antivirus software is primarily beneficial for computer users who are not very savvy. Experienced computer users will never download a file unless they are 100% confident that the file is safe. This means that the antivirus software installed on a computer technician’s computer, will rarely see any action. Why even install the software if it is not going to be used on a regular basis? The best answer to this question is simple; install the software in case you allow someone else to use your computer.

Another very important problem that appears with antivirus software is related to updates. New viruses are released into the world each day that cannot be stopped by antivirus software. Antivirus software inspects programs on your computer based on specific text strings inside the actual coding of the program. Without updated information, the antivirus software will not detect new viruses. Most computer users do not focus on regular updates of their antivirus software and this causes the software to be obsolete. Without accurate updates and proper use, there is no reason to have antivirus software installed on a computer. By keeping your antivirus software current and turned on at all times, you will be utilizing the software to the best of its ability.