Basically everyone that owns a PC has at least heard of viruses, but not everyone knows what they really are and how they can attacks your computer. A virus is a small program that can duplicate itself and it invades systems by e-mail attachments, shared files or a Floppy disk. Viruses are created for various reasons, and they can prove to be a dangerous joke or some massive destruction.

As a result, a virus?s effects can vary from activity attacks till total system stop. The virus Wazzu for example attaches itself to word documents and inserts the word ?wazzu? somewhere inside the Word document after rearranging entire rows and placing all letters type randomly.

Other viruses can be more serious, threatening to destroy all data or to delete the hard drive. Such a virus is spread by e-mail mostly. An example would be Worm.ExploreZip, a virus that takes over the Pc and automatically responds to all e-mail messages. It can also send attachments that can delete various types of files.

Viruses don?t and can?t invade a computer without being activated somehow by the user. So you must take a few precautions such as not opening attachments from unfamiliar sources and of course, using some anti-virus software.

Virus types

Getting familiarized with known viruses it will help you prevent an infection.

Virus ? a program that attaches itself to .exe files. Each type the program its launched, the virus spreads and attaches to other programs as well. In case these viruses get into share type folders, they can target all computers from the network. Also you are exposed to this virus type when downloading software over the Internet.

Macro- are viruses contained by Marcos for programs such as Office, Word, Excel etc. They are the most common virus types and link themselves to files generated by these programs becoming very hard to detect.

Boot sector viruses ? are viruses that attack only a certain type of files from hard and floppy disks that launch when you boot your PC. This is the type of viruses that you can get through a floppy disk.

Quick Note: Taking the Nonsense out of looking for the right spyware remover

If you really want to take the work out of looking for that right Spyware Protection from a Spybot go to the Internet and get a Free Spybot Download or a Spybot Search and Destroy

to prevent your vital information from being ripped from your computer.

Trojans ? are not viruses by definition, because they don?t spread. Nevertheless they have the same destroying potential if they are not detected. They usually get to you from an e-mail with a vague title or a fun promise. Once released, the Trojan will let loose a series of attackers that can destroy the hard disk.

It is amazing how many people; both casual Internet “surfers” and online marketers choose to ignore computer internet security. Perhaps it is simply due to ignorance as to how widespread and dangerous computer viruses are or that they are simply “too cheap” to invest in quality internet security products. Then again it could be a matter of their naive belief that “it will never happen to me”. Whatever the reason, with some computer industry reports claiming nearly 5,000 “new” computer viruses being discovered each year, whether you are a casual Internet surfer or a serious online marketer, you cannot afford not to take computer virus threats very seriously!

Just imagine logging into your computer one fine day to check your bank account or PayPal account only to find all your funds are gone! Your hard earned money, either from your traditional job or online business (perhaps both) have been stolen. Yes, there are viruses out there that are capable of gathering sensitive data (passwords, credit card information, etc.) from your computer without your knowledge and sending it back to the criminals that wrote the virus programs. Good-bye savings! So it is well worth your while to invest in the best internet security software that you can afford.

So what is a computer virus anyway? In simple terms, a computer virus is a program that has the ability to spread throughout your computer and/or network by attaching itself to your program files or host files. Once the computer virus has copied itself throughout your computer system, depending on the type of virus, it starts to interfere with the normal operation of your computer and /or network in a variety of ways which we will discuss in a later article.

Unfortunately computer viruses come in many different forms, so there is no one common cure that will prevent and destroy all the many viruses out there. Some of the more common viruses are:

Boot sector viruses that focus on infecting the boot sector of a hard drive as well as the “master boot record”. Simply starting or “booting” your computer is enough to activate this nasty critter if your computer is infected. File infector viruses like to go after your application programs by attaching themselves to the code of the host file. This allows them to spread from one computer to another over a network once the host application is utilized by the computer user (you). Macro viruses are actually tiny programs on their own which can infiltrate an application program and then begin to replace normal programming code to cause unexplained and potentially destructive behavior, which may result in data loss and more.

Other virus types that are becoming more common and that you need to be aware of include:

stealth viruses which have the ability to hide from all but the best internet security programs, time bomb viruses that are written specifically to become active on a certain date or time specified by their creator, polymorphic viruses have the built in ability to actually change their code to fool basic anivirus scanning software until they are ready to strike, multipartite viruses are a combination (or hybrid) of two or more viruses such as a boot sector virus and a file infector virus, logic bombs are written to strike when a certain event, predetermined by their creator, happens. Until that time, they behave like a time bomb virus, lying in wait.

On final tidbit of information just in case you still are unconvinced of the seriousness and threats to your computer internet security posed by computer viruses. Depending on your information sources, estimates of new computer viruses discovered each month range from as low as 100 upwards to over 500! Clearly it is no longer a question of “if I do get a computer virus infection”, but rather, “when I get a computer virus infection”.

In my next articles we will discuss Antivirus software, what it does, how to tell if you have an infected computer and/or network, and what you need to look for in a good Antivirus software program for your internet security system.

If you use the internet on your computer, it’s just a matter of time before you get a computer virus. So, once you are infected, what can you do? Here are 10 steps to help you get protection from computer viruses.

Make sure you get a high quality anti-virus program, of which there are many available, some better than others. Do some intensive research on the net, or ask a question in various online forums, or even try Yahoo Answers. Go to your local magazine rack, check in the computer magazines for review articles or even look in the classified section to help you find the one which seems to do what you require.

See if it emphasises the removal of Trojan viruses, which is just another name for spyware.

Once you’ve got the right anti-virus software, make sure it’s always running in the background whenever you are on the internet. It should be continually scanning incoming email messages, which are the main source of spyware, plus any software programs you are running, especially if they are ones which you have downloaded. If you have the original CDs of software programs, you should be pretty safe with those.

Once you have your antivirus programs, keep them updated with the latest versions. New viruses are coming out all the time and you need an antivirus system that can keep up. A lot of professional anti spyware programs will have an annual subscription, and will keep you alerted of any updates. Make sure you take advantage of these alerts, and always have the latest version. Some of the better programs will let you schedule these updates or a full system scan of your hard drive for off peak hours, such as the early hours of the morning, when you are not likely to be using your computer.

A good idea is to also keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems will be susceptible to security violations or they may have addressed issues, which were not done on your old computer. I try and update mine every two years; in fact I’ve just bought my latest one. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are still running the up to date versions of all your software.

Make regular backups of your data, even though it may seem a chore. Most people on the Windows operating system keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. If you do this, it becomes easy to make a backup of all of your important documents simply by copying that folder. Buy yourself an external hard drive, and keep your backups on there. If possible, never have this external hard drive connected while you are on the internet, that way you will always have some uncontaminated data.

Take extra care if you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers at your school or an internet caf

Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can?t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion.

Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today?s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.

The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today?s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.

Protecting Your Computer
Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer?s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.
A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:

1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.
2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company.
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software?s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.
3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.
4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.
5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.

Recommended Antivirus Software
There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing.

Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.

The Shield Pro 2005? provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005? promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.

BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.

PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall?for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.

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Total Internet ProtectionThe internet super highway is full of all kind of viruses, malware, spyware, trojan horses and worms. You may not believe it and I?m quite sure the next time you purchase your new computer and forget to install some type of protection, there is a realistic chance that you will arrive at another opinion.Make no blunder, malware’s and viruses are active and ready to exploit your computer. The long-established types of internet pest, spyware and viruses and Trojan horses, are very much still out there. We have not even mentioned the attacks of the spammers, phishers and online predators. Naive bystanders are moving enormous amounts of money transactions, business intelligence online, personal information and that attracts criminals. Luckily, the security software manufacturers have developed the newest versions of their best products, the internet security suites.Internet security suites aspire to give you an impenetrable defense, guarding you from almost all terrorization of your computer found on the internet super highway. These security suites can stop practically all the threats all on one software program. Anti malware, anti spyware, anti virus, anti spam and anti phishing threats are stopped by security suites.In addition, security suites include parental controls, content filtering, firewalls and keylogger detection. What you have at your disposal is an online suit of body armor that is as strong as a bulletproof vest that can stop and work in opposition to any of the mentioned internet threats.Features to consider:? Firewall protection ? does it work? Spyware detection and removal? Keylogger detection and removal? Easy to install? Simple to setupThis all sounds just great, however there is a price to pay for all this protection built in one software program. Many of these programs can be bulky with lots of software code, control panels, settings, menus, and buttons to figure out what they do. With all these options available, these programs can at times become bloated and may seem to slow the computer down. The result? Many of computer users will shy away from running these applications and security software suites or may just turn down the protection, so that eventually there is not any protection left.That brings us to the new breed of software security suites. The top programs today are much easier to operate and are user friendly without sacrificing protection of your computer. These programs have the ability to run without your computer crawling page to page and slowing down to a frustrating pace. Many of these programs will allow you to click just a few buttons to make it easy to set up and operate.Top Internet Security Suite Software ProgramsPC Security ShieldZoneAlarm Pro Suite

If you’ve ever asked yourself a question like “how do i download music without getting my computer infected with a virus?” You might want to consider leaving web sites like Kazaa and learn how to download music from sites that don’t allow viruses to creep into their networks.

There is nothing as bad as going to a music service that promises to give people virus free music downloads, only to find out that the music you’ll eventually get from them is highly infected by the worst viruses imaginable. Thats the reason why i decided to write a quick article about how to download music from web sites that are not out to destroy your computer.

The first thing you need to do is perform a search on either Google or Yahoo to look for free legal music download sites. A list of music downloading sites should appear, each of them offering directions in regards to how to download music on their web sites. But this is where it gets a little tricky.

As of 6/28/2008, the day I wrote this article, the Google search engine does not warn people about music web sites that contain dangerous downloads. The Yahoo search engine on the other hand, does. This is very important if you want to know how to download music without viruses because the last thing you want to do is click on one of the sites that will hurt your computer. Thats why I personally like using Yahoo when searching for music sites. I find their search engine to be much safer in this regard.

If the removal of Trojan viruses has become a must for you, this article can help. Trojans are among the trickiest viruses to rid of because they disguise themselves, usually through the form of spyware or adware. The fact that they are hidden makes them both invisible (or unreachable) to most general virus scan programs and forces you to seek a more extensive anti spyware software to do the job.

If you have decided to do the job yourself or you are considering a free product, take the time to understand the consequences. If you are well-versed in the art of executable files, you may be fine for do it yourself removal, but then again, who has the time?

If you are looking at free products, be sure to carefully analyze the EULA (End User License Agreement) as you are often accepting terms that allow more spyware and adware to be fed to your computer (including pop-up generators). This means that free is not really free if you are a walking ad target.

Some of the symptoms indicating the need for the removal of Trojan viruses include:

1. Files opening randomly

2. Slow, crashing, or freezing computer problems are commonplace

3. You are sent to websites not requested

4. Your default homepage is replaced by an off-color site (sometimes adult sites)

5. Autoload Toolbars are placed on your PC and pop-ups are evident

6. Mouse cursor leaves a trail or the right and left buttons are reversed

7. Navigation buttons start to disappear on your computer

8. Your computer powers down by itself and sometimes reboots

9. Alt + Control + Delete is not operational

10. Your internet went on vacation

Whether or not you think you have the need for the removal of Trojan viruses, it is a smart plan to keep a quality spyware, adware and malware removal plan throughout the year. This article will cover the steps necessary to get you fixed and running great again.

Step One: Form a List of Problems you Have Noticed on Your PC

This creates a pre-measure of problems so that you can compare results once fully repaired. Keep in mind that one software is not a miracle cure for all computer problems, but one quality repair utility can fix many of the threats that are creating problems for you.

Write down anything that seems suspect to you. If you have a slow computer, write down detail about when it is the slowest, what changes you have made to the site recently, and the time it takes to navigate around places on the computer. You can then test it against the results from the repair.

Step Two: Make Use of a Free Scanning Option in a Solid Anti Spyware Software

Do not get too overwhelmed about what to look for in a quality product to do this step. Some tips will be offered momentarily. There are a dozen really great products that are similar in repair functionality and features that can be used. The goal is effectiveness and for the removal of Trojan viruses you just need a product that can perform decently in a couple key feature areas.

So, What Features are Vital?

As you are making the decision of which spyware utility to use, find one that is extremely easy to understand (so you can jump right on using it), one that offers extensive help files (either local or online), one with a large definitions (solutions) database, and research Google or other search engines by name and make sure you find almost all positive and very little negative about the product.

Step Three: If Errors are Detected Purchase the Full Edition of the Same Software

Once you come up with the software you will use for the free scan, that same software will offer a full version option once errors are detected. The repair portion of the process is quick (seconds). A results page will be yielded that will show the threat type, severity level, and will offer details about the threat if a quality product.

Again, you could probably use the software as part of your maintenance plan even if tons of errors are not located this time around. You can make the choice if the time is right for you. The same software that can perform the removal of Trojan viruses can also remove others forms of spyware, adware, malware, keyloggers, worms, pop-ups, and other infections and threats that lodge into your computer. It is a good practice to run a repair utility at least once a week to keep problems at a minimum.

Do not be too concerned about getting real time protection. The problem with many products that contain real time is that they load your system down with the memory and involuntary function times. In other words, they slow your computer on their schedule and not yours which might be a bad time for you to experience slowdowns. They also have a tendency to not play well with other programs on your PC.

Your focus should be on finding software with an extensive definitions database of at least 250,000 files which can find and eliminate issues for you from the first repair.

After finishing the removal of Trojan viruses, adware, spyware, malware and other problems, take the time to restart your PC to allow the changes to take place. You can then test you new results against your initial list. Remember that it is not common for one software program to eliminate all of the problems, especially with the very first repair. Threats are going problem and persistence is vital to maintaining your system. Still, you should see a noticeable difference of both speed and performance.

If problems continue, it may be wise to download the power suite of software types to your arsenal of protection. This includes a solid registry repair product, a well-versed general virus scan, all in addition to the anti spyware as mentioned above. If one software product makes a notable difference, imagine what three levels of protection and repair will do?

The removal of Trojan viruses is easy with the proper product and process.

I’m worried because my desktop has spyware on it. I’m wondering if my laptop is also vulnerable even if it’s wireless.

2) Chose “Hashlinks” page and check “Filter Executable files and potentially dangerous file types” option.