So, You Think You Have a Virus...
Why do you think it is you have a virus?
Because a anti-virus program told you so? Anti-virus software, like all software, is not
infallible, and often gives false alarms. It is usually a false alarm if: only one file is
infected, the virus is not know to be "in the wild" (this means that there have
been no reports of this virus outside the laboratory), there is no name given to the
"virus" the software says you have.
You Might Have a Virus If...
There are some things that could mean
you have a virus. For instance: a program reports that you have numerous infected files on
your disk, it is a virus that that is known to be "in the wild", more than one
program says you have the same virus, Windows 95 doesn't allow you 32-bit disk access or
32-bit file access.
Some False Alarms and Myths
People often think that if: strange or
unusual graphics are displayed on your screen, your hard disk drive lights up for no
reason, your hard disk stops working, you just ran some downloaded software, you have a
virus. This almost always isn't the case.
Protecting Your Computer From
Viruses
There are a number of companies out
there that produce virus protection software, and update the list frequently. Here are
links to a few of the popular companies that produce anti-virus software:
www.mcafee.com
www.symantec.com
www.drsolomon.com
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