Windows 8: Security and Data protection features when online
If you are anything like just about every other personal computer user in the world, you are surely sick of dealing with viruses. We spend more time worrying about getting infected, removing viruses, fixing our computers, re-installing the operating system and wondering what the problem is now, only to find out, we are dealing with another strange virus that has destroyed our computer once again. Windows 8 is making some pretty heavy promises in regard to how we will be protected from virus and malware threat, and even bigger promises on how our data will be protected. Here is a look at some of the features we can expect to secure our computers from this on going and extremely costly threat.
- Virus Vault: Virus vault is a new feature with Windows 8 that takes care of infected files at various levels. Virus Vault will restrict an infected file, and stop it from infecting other files. The files will be ‘shielded’ and therefore, they will not be able to continue to cause damage. At the same time, those files can be replaced with a new file for your operating system. This last feature is very important. Currently, sometimes we can remove a file when it is infected, but it can cause our operating system to not function properly or even crash because it was so important. Furthermore, there are some files we cannot remove because they are essential to the operating system. In this case, we often have to re-install the whole operating system.
- Smart File: Windows Internet Explorer has actually been using this technology for some time. Smart File features of Windows Internet Explorer, is actually like an ongoing database of suspicious files and websites that constantly talks with Windows Explorer on your computer. If you confront a file or webpage when you are browsing that has been detected to be a problem by any other user in the world, Smart File knows this, and will advise against going near that file or website. You can imagine how many users are online all the time around the world, and so this is a very sophisticated and intelligent way to deal with ongoing and regularly refreshed with new threats. This technology has been limited to Internet Explorer, but with the new Windows 8 download, it will be a complete part of the operating system. In essence, this means all the operating systems will be talking to each other through this technology and advising each other of any files that are an issue. Hopefully, this will deepen our security and prevent more virus-related problems.
- Reset: Has your system ever crashed or your system been infected by a virus that caused enough damage to need replacement? There is not a user of Windows on the planet who has not had to re-install their operating system at one time or another. The worst thing about reinstalling your system is you lose everything and lose all your data. The new Windows 8 has a system reset feature, which will take your system back to the original settings without having to completely reinstall the whole system, and there is a feature to put it back to the way it was. Hopefully gone are the days of losing all our data and spending several days of reinstalling all our applications.
Apparently, there are some other security features that are still under wraps in relation to protecting us against viruses. We all know it must be the anti-virus companies that make so much money from us, which are the ones who continue to fund the development of new viruses.
Category Article Security, Windows8
