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Virus Cleanup
and Removal
Symptoms of Infected Computers
Recommended
Software
Virus
Software Deficiencies
What Tulsa's
PC Doctor Can Do For You
Virus and hacker activity are
among the greatest concerns to being online today. You have a 100% chance
of encountering viruses at some point if you browse the web or receive email. We often hear "I never open email
attachments unless I know the sender...so I'm safe" This used to be
true, many years ago. But it's no longer a safe practice
since many viruses spread by accessing your address book, and
sending itself to all listed (your friends, family, co-workers, etc.). Unsuspecting recipients see email
from you with an attachment, and open it believing that it must
be safe since they know you...then they become infected.
The only way for a 100% guarantee
against any virus infection is to NOT ACCESS the Internet/email. [Plus keeping disks
out of your computer that have been in other computers.]
Since this is largely unrealistic
in today's world, your next line of defense is with antivirus
software, but this is only helpful if you are diligent in keeping
the virus definitions updated. The good news is that with the
latest virus software, you no longer need to manually update
the virus files (called definitions). If updates aren't completed regularly, the software will alert you that it
is time to do so. If the software isn't kept current, then you
will not be as protected as you should. Literally hundreds of
new viruses are released monthly, and virus updates are available
either daily or every few days. If virus definitions become outdated,
your system will be susceptible to new viruses discovered since
your last update.
Symptoms of Infected Computers
You can suspect a virus infection if you don't have any virus
software installed (or if the program version is old and the
definitions are not current), and you notice a change in your
computers behavior, such as:
- Unfamiliar or unusual error
messages,
- Your system will not boot completely,
- Unknown programs are loading
up at boot,
- Sluggish or slow behavior, or frequent lockups
- Any other strange behavior that
is not typical for your system.
If you have any details regarding
a specific error message or virus name that may have infected
your computer, you can often look up that information on antivirus
manufacturers' web sites. Many software companies offer virus
encyclopedias, and give advice for detection and removal, as
well as provide much information about the virus itself. Here
are just a few. Check with your virus software to find links
to their site for this information also.
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