By installing anti-virus software, you can prevent your computer from getting viruses and other malware. Do you already have it installed?

Check to see if you have anti-virus software installed on your Windows computer

The best way to tell if you have anti-virus software installed is to use the Security Center feature on your Microsoft operating system. When you select this option, you’ll be presented with a status for:

1. Anti-virus software
   
2. Firewall protection
   

You can do this by following these steps:

1. Users using the classic start menu: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Security Center
   
2. Users using start menu: Start > Control Panel > Security Center
   

To determine whether your Windows operating system is up-to-date:

1. Go to Start > All Programs > Windows Update. This will direct you to a Microsoft website where you’ll be able to select Custom Install, or Express Install.
   
2. Select an installation method. We recommend you select Express Install.
   

You’ll be notified in your system tray (bottom right of window) if there are new updates available to you.

If the steps mentioned above fail, this may be an indication that a bot has compromised your computer as it usually blocks access to the Microsoft Update servers. A professional technician should be contacted to remove the bot. We recommend McAfee Virus Removal Service. McAfee provides this service for an additional fee.

To determine whether your Mac operating system is up-to-date:

1. From the Apple menu:
   
   1. Mac OS X v10.3 or later, choose Software Update.
      
   2. Mac OS X v10.2.8 or earlier, choose System Preferences. From the View menu, choose Software Update.
      
2. In the Software Update window, select the items you want to install, then click Install.
   
3. Enter an administrator account name and password.
   
4. After the update is complete, restart the computer if one is required.
   

You can repeat these steps to see if more updates are available, and you may need to repeat these steps several times to complete the operating system update.