A computer virus is a program which, when executed on your computer, can perform certain actions on your computer as if it was a program that you intentionally installed and executed yourself. Usually, contracting such a virus is a result of running an infected program or executing a program that you thought was harmless (the latter case is often called a "trojan horse"). The most common actions performed by a computer virus are deletions of files, infections of other files, and replicating itself by sending infected files to others via E-Mail.

At one time, the only way that you could be infected by a computer virus was to run a program that had been infected. With the ability of certain E-Mail programs and other programs to automatically run certain files and execute powerful macros, the risk of contracting a computer virus has grown immensely. Some E-Mail programs are able to run programs or execute code automatically, without your intervention, which is the source of much of the spread of the virus from one computer to another.

The good news is that you can protect yourself from being infected by a computer virus, and also rid your machine of any infections it may already have! The information below should help you determine if you have a computer virus, and what to do if/when it happens to you.

Helpful Documents

• Blaster (and variants) worm/virus information
• I think I have a virus, what do I do?
• How do I prevent a virus infection?
• Which anti-virus software should I use?
• What should I do if I receive a virus warning?
• Messages from CoreComm Defender Virus Protection Service

Anti-Virus Software

• Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
    Purchase Norton Anti-Virus at Amazon.com
• McAfee VirusScan
    Purchase McAfee VirusScan at Amazon.com
    Purchase McAfee's Clinic Package at McAfee.com
• Trend Micro Housecall
  

Related Web Sites

• Computer Virus FAQ - faqs.org
• Anti-virus Software Reviews - PC Magazine
• How Computer Viruses Work - How Stuff Works
• Identifying Virus Hoaxes and Chain Letters - Hoaxbusters
• Computer Antivirus Software -- LookSmart
• Virus Protection Software Reviews -- Yahoo
• Virus Protection Products -- Amazon.com
• Before You Buy Antivirus Software for the Home -- About.com

Updates
Windows Update
Office Update
Apple Support

Spyware Removal
Ad-Aware
Spybot Search & Destroy
Hijack This

Virus Scanning & Removal
Housecall
Pandasoft Activescan
McAfee Stinger
Avast
Grisoft AVG Antivirus

Alternate Browsers
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Thunderbird
Maxthon
Opera

Alternate E-Mail Clients
Mozilla Thunderbird