What are viruses?
Viruses are a huge computer problem. But unlike spyware, almost everyone is at least aware of computer viruses. Most computer systems I look at do have anti-virus software.
There are many different types of viruses. Viruses are programs that infect other programs to carry the virus. Some are very sophisticated, others are very simple. Some can even turn off your anti-virus program!
In general, you two to be worried about two types of viruses. In many cases, you need two different anti-virus programs to keep your system clean: one for regular viruses, and some for trojan viruses and worms.
Get rid of viruses!
If you want free anti-virus software I would recommend you get Grisoft's AVG Free Edition. It's good software and is completely free. If you want, you can also buy AVG Pro or AVG SOHO if you want technical support.
With AVG Free Edition, you should also use another anti-virus program which is specifically designed for detecting trojan viruses. For this, I recommend Ewido, which is also free anti-virus software. Whereas AVG Free Edition will automatically scan your system, I run Ewido myself at least once a month to clean up any trojan viruses. Viruses can cause problems on your computer. But trojan viruses allow (black hat) hackers access to your computer.
Other programs
- I've also heard that "avast! antivirus" is a good anti-virus program.
- If you are willing to pay for anti-virus software, Nod32 is among the best.
- I do not recommend Norton anti-virus.
More Resources
- If you want to read up on all the different anti-virus products, than an excellent resource is Firewall Guide's Anti-Virus Guide.
- For more information on viruses, you can read Wikipedia's Computer Virus article.
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