Appendix II The Golden Rules

Following these rules will not guarantee that you never get a virus, but they will go a long way to ensuring that you have a virus free machine.

1. NEVER boot from a non system disk.
2. ALWAYS check ALL software BEFORE it is installed or used on the system.
3. Purchase GOOD antiviral software and USE it.
4. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP - take regular backups.
5. BEWARE of con merchants masquerading as virus experts.
6. WRITE PROTECT all floppy disks.
7. For MAXIMUM security use DOS based antiviral software.
8. BOOT from a CLEAN WRITE PROTECTED system disk prior to virus checking.
9. Perform virus checks from WRITE PROTECTED floppies.
10. Do NOT leave floppies sitting in the drives.

Reproduced with permission from Virus: A Computer Malaise - Keith Parkins (Books on Disk : 1995) (c) Keith Parkins 1995.