How can you reduce the risk of getting a virus?

Virusesvirus: ultramicroscopic non-cellular organism that replicates itself inside the cells of living hosts can be prevented by taking sensible precautions, including:

• Keeping your operating systemoperating system: an interface between hardware, eg a computer, and the user up to date.
• Using up to date anti-virus [anti-virus: anti-virus software scans all forms of storage devices for viruses and, if found, attempts to remove them ] softwaresoftware: A general term used to describe an application or a program..
• Not opening an emailemail: electronic mail - a message written or typed on a computer and sent electronically rather than by post attachment [attachment: a file that's 'attached' to an email is called an attachment ] unless you are expecting it and know the source (many email serversserver: a computer that provides services to users, eg access to shared files, web hosting, file storage scan emails with anti-virus software on the user's behalf).
• Not allowing other users to use their own memory stickmemory stick: a thumb-sized portable storage device used primarily for transferring files between computers on your system.
• Only downloadingdownload: the transfer of a file or files from one computer connected to the Internet to another files from reputable web sites.
• Avoiding software from unreliable sources.

Anti-virus software can inspect computer files and email attachments for viruses and remove or quarantine any which are found.

It is good practice to backup [backup: to copy data onto a separate storage device in case the original device should fail, be damaged or the data stored on it get corrupted ] your data [data: information without context, eg a list of students with numbers beside their names is data, when it's made clear that those numbers represent their placing in a 100 metre race, the data becomes information ] regularly. If a virus does damage your data, you can restorerestore: to return something to its previous state the damaged files from backup.