Computer Viruses
We all hear about computer viruses and how they can damage your computer. They
are becoming very much a part of the things you should know about when having a
computer.
To beat these viruses completely, the only absolute way is to isolate your
computer. But by doing so, really defeats the purpose of most computer systems.
Computer software is designed to communicate with other computers in one fashion
or another.
Take for example, using floppy disks from home and work, or from friends. These
floppy disks represent a communication from one computer to another. Viruses can
be placed on one computer and designed such that every time the floppy drive is
used, the virus will be placed on the floppy.
This happens without the person even knowing it has occurred. The same strategy
can be used with recordable CDs, e-mails and downloaded programs. This has been
a problem propagated to even more harmful problems.
What can you do about it? Well there are several software programs available
that are designed to look for these viruses. Virus detection software is
available for purchase as well as for free from the Internet.
Using the virus detection software is sort of like a preventative maintenance
program. These programs depending on the complexity, will scan your computer
system for viruses. This can be as simple as running a virus scanning
occasionally, to a continuously running virus protection system.
There are people out there who have a talent for creating these things. To amuse
themselves they create these viruses to beat current virus detection programs.
This means that these virus protection systems will need to be up-graded usually
via the Internet. These up-grades are necessary to catch all of the newer
viruses being made. What happens if I get a virus you ask?
Well if you catch it in time, simply deleting it will work for a lot of them. So
if you get an email from someone you do not know, and it has an attachment, be
careful prior to opening it. If you missed catching it and it has infected your
computer, isolate the computer from other computers and try to delete it if
possible.
As well you might look on the Internet and find a virus fix for the virus. With
Windows XP, it is possible to delete the virus and reset your computer to a
prior time , when it was virus free. If all else fails, call a professional who
might be able to repair any damage done.
One sure problem that occurs when you have a virus, you usually lose files.
These files might be important to you and your business. Always remember to back
up your important files.
By backing up your files, you may have the inconvenience of having to restore
all of your files due to a virus, but at least you still have them to restore
your computer.
