Overview

A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate
themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make
a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a
simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and
bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one
capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Since 1987, when a virus infected ARPANET, a large network used by the
Defense Department and many universities, many antivirus programs have
become available. These programs periodically check your computer system
for the best-known types of viruses.
Some people distinguish between general viruses and worms. A worm is a
special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot.
Definition
• In computers, a virus is a program or programming code that replicates by being copied or initiating its
copying to another program, computer boot sector or document. Viruses can be transmitted as
attachments to an e-mail note or in a downloaded file, or be present on a diskette or CD. The immediate
source of the e-mail note, downloaded file, or diskette you've received is usually unaware that it contains a
virus. Some viruses wreak their effect as soon as their code is executed; other viruses lie dormant until
circumstances cause their code to be executed by the computer. Some viruses are benign or playful in
intent and effect ("Happy Birthday, Ludwig!") and some can be quite harmful, erasing data or causing your
hard disk to require reformatting. A virus that replicates itself by resending itself as an e-mail attachment
or as part of a network message is known as a worm.

Generally, there are three main classes of viruses:

• File infectors. Some file infector viruses attach themselves to program files, usually selected .COM or .EXE
files. Some can infect any program for which execution is requested, including .SYS, .OVL, .PRG, and .MNU
files. When the program is loaded, the virus is loaded as well. Other file infector viruses arrive as wholly-
contained programs or scripts sent as an attachment to an e-mail note.

• System or boot-record infectors. These viruses infect executable code found in certain system areas on a
disk. They attach to the DOS boot sector on diskettes or the Master Boot Record on hard disks. A typical
scenario (familiar to the author) is to receive a diskette from an innocent source that contains a boot disk
virus. When your operating system is running, files on the diskette can be read without triggering the boot
disk virus. However, if you leave the diskette in the drive, and then turn the computer off or reload the
operating system, the computer will look first in your A drive, find the diskette with its boot disk virus, load
it, and make it temporarily impossible to use your hard disk. (Allow several days for recovery.) This is why
you should make sure you have a bootable floppy.

• Macro viruses. These are among the most common viruses, and they tend to do the least damage. Macro
 Virus Purpose
(Macro Virus)

• A type of computer virus that is encoded as a macro embedded

in a document. Many applications, such as Microsoft Word and
Excel, support powerful macro languages. These applications
allow you to embed a macro in a document, and have the macro
execute each time the document is opened.

• According to some estimates, 75% of all viruses today are macro

viruses. Once a macro virus gets onto your machine, it can
embed itself in all future documents you create with the
application. Antivirus programs can protect your system against
most macro viruses, although new ones are always being created
that slip by the antivirus filters.
• Understanding what a virus is when it occurs in a living form (such as a human body, an animal, or a plant) is necessary
before we can understand what a computer virus is. A virus is a small organism that is only able to reproduce itself within
another living cell or body. Poor health occurs as a result of a viral infection and body cells are destroyed or damaged as a
result.

The word virus comes from Latin and literally means 'poison' and that is basically what it is - a 'poison', able to reproduce
itself within another cell or body and an example of an illness caused by a virus is the flu. There are many similarities
between human viruses and computer viruses. The virus can be anywhere on your computer, concealed within a program,
file or document.

The production and spread of these viruses is the responsibility of criminals and other knowledgeable idiots who have
nothing worthwhile to do. Creating trouble and damage for every pc user is the sole purpose of this activity. The computer
virus has the ability to spread and 'contaminate' other computers, files or documents, similar to a common virus like the
flu (which spreads from person to person). The computer can be prevented from working correctly by a computer virus. It
can spread itself through removable storage devices such as memory sticks and floppy disks, it can spread itself through
the Internet and through local computer networks. It can be unknowingly spread to other computers by the computer
user since it is hidden and therefore hard to detect.

What exactly does a computer virus do? A 'digital virus' can be very harmful, while others are created to simply annoy and
will literally make your computer 'sick' but just what each type will do to your computer depends on what it has been
programmed to do. Some words used to identify various viruses are Macro Viruses, Email Viruses and Trojan Horses. It will
be easier to protect your computer against viruses, once you have an understanding of the workings of computer viruses.
• Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
• To answer your second question first... Other than switching to Linux instead of
Microsoft Windows there is no better way to deal with worms trojans virii and
other forms of malware (spyware etc.) than to get a good antivirus program to
secure your computer.

You dont need to spend anything - there are free ones like
Avira's "Antivir" download it here>> http://www.free-av.com/
or Grisoft's "AVG" download it here>> http://free.avg.com/
both of which are as good or better than most of the other commercial products
like Avast or Norton and both have special versions of their product lines that are
are free for personal use.

NOT ALL FREE PROGRAMS ARE SAFE! Some of these free anti virus or anti-spyware
or anti malware products out there are actually as bad as having no antivirus
programs at all. Some may actually be Virus/trojan programs being distributed as
anti virus programs! So be careful those first two I listed are good guys making
world class software that I have used successfully for years... Some other free
programs are not so good, some are really just mediocre, and some as I said are
actually booby-traps. On the other hand -- you get what you pay for so what did
you expect to get for nothing?
• You can't stay clear unless you don't use the net -
You Tube - Limewire and many others are carrying these infections now - Also
there is about 100,000 sites with "drive by" virus infections - You don't need to
download from some sites just visit them (Google, AVG, Panda research) Just have
good anti virus (AVG FREE) and good removers (Malwarebytes free) to protect
yourself
• I, personally, use AVG Free Edition, NOD32 64bit, Windows Defender/Malicious
Software Removal Tool to defend my fortress as well as Asus ActiveArmor firewall
as well as Windows Firewall.

All the anti-virus programs are set to download any update as soon as it is
available, instead of waiting for a "service release