Viruses

The odds of you downloading a virus to your computer over the Internet are small, but it's no fun if you do.

Viruses, worms and Trojan horses are human-made software programs created specifically to wreak havoc on individual computers and networks. Sometimes a strange message may appear on your screen; in a worst case scenario all the data on your hard drive may be wiped out. These destructive programs may start out on one computer, but they very quickly get copied and sent to other computers around the world. The Internet can be especially dangerous because it's so open.

Ways in which viruses are transferred:

• through email attachments;
• by downloading files from the web through a web browser; or
• by using floppy disks and other storage devices to transfer files on to your computer.

How can you protect yourself?

There are excellent virus protection programs available that scan your hard drive for viruses and delete them. The two best known are

• Norton Anti-Virus http://www.symantec.com/nav/ and
• the software from McAfee and Associates http://www.mcafee.com.

Both offer regular updates to handle newly discovered viruses. You sign up for a 30 day free trial of the software from their web sites. Be sure that you have some virus software on your computer. You can download anti-virus software from places like Tucows http://www.tucows.com ...
but you have to make sure that you return often to update your virus software.