In fact, it probably hurts more than it helps as it gives you a false sense of security.
Just HAVING an anti-virus program installed on your computer is not always enough. Many Anti-virus programs will let you schedule virus scanning to run automatically but you will have to actually set it up to do so. Others may not offer this option and you will have to remember to run the scan periodically.
I highly recommend most users scan their computers for both Spyware and Viruses at least once a month. These are usually taken care of by two separate programs. You will also have to update the definitions file at least as often as you run the programs. This can usually be handled by the program automatically but often you will have to set the options within the program itself to do so.
If your anti-virus and spyware software is out of date and never run…. it does you NO good.
