July 2008

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Viruses have a "self-replicating" feature which means that they can be passed from one computer to another - sometimes via floppy disks but more commonly now via the Internet. You can protect your computer against viruses by installing and using Virus Checking software which can detect the presence of and remove viruses.

Computer viruses are actually less common that you might think, given the media coverage that they receive. If your computer exhibits a problem it is very easy to jump to the conclusion that it has a virus but frequently this is not the case. Most problems are caused by bugs or incompatibilities in software, poor system configuration, or hardware breakdown.

Some simple rules can minimize the risk of virus attack on your computer -

Install and use professional Virus Checking Software. Ensure that you configure this software to protect your e-mail system.

Keep your Virus Checker up to date. This usually means paying and annual licence fee and downloading the latest virus software from a website on a regular basis. This is very important. New viruses appear all the time - out of data virus checking software is worse then useless because it makes you think you are protected when you are not.

Be very suspicious of unsolicited e-mail. If you don't recognize the sender's address or are at all suspicious of the e-mail content then do not open the e-mail - delete it without reading.

Be very suspicious of e-mails which have attachments which the e-mail actually suggests you should open (e.g. "Open the attachment to have a laugh..."). Also be wary of e-mails which use CAPITAL LETTERS to describe everything.

Always run "Virus Checking" software on any floppy disks received from outside.

If you suspect that your computer has become infected by a virus proceed as follows -

Don't panic !

Verify that the problem is caused by a virus and not some other software problem. If the problem only affects one program then it is more likely to be a problem with that program rather than a virus

Do not send any e-mail, create any floppy disks or CD-ROMs until the problem is solved, or any virus my be transferred to another system or the diskette/CD to re-infect your computer again later,

Run your virus checking software and scan your system for viruses

Any good virus checking software will have full instructions on how to detect and remove viruses from your system. For more information on viruses and how to deal with then contact http://www.symantec.com