Your PC won't Start
In the worst case you may even find that your PC won't boot, or start up.

If this happens you run the risk of losing everything. You could lose your programs, your data, your photos, your email, everything.

So What Could Happen if I don't Use any Anti Virus software?

If you don't use any anti-virus software you're living on the edge. Here's a brief list of things that could happen.

Some viruses can infect and delete files.

Some viruses go out to look for files ending with a certain extension (that's the part after the dot in the filename, eg: file1.exe, the '.exe' bit is the extension).

When they find these files they could rename them or delete them rendering them useless. If the virus finds and deletes or renames files your PC needs to run, you may find that your PC will not boot up.

Your Internet connection could be Hijacked

Many viruses look for PC's that they can use to do their dirty work with.

I have helped track down and remove a virus from a computer system that had become infected with a particular virus that had inserted the infected computer into its' own network of computers. This network of computers was used to transfer data from points around the Internet using the Internet connections of all the infected PC's.

The infected computer I repaired had been over shooting its' Internet data quota by many GB's (gigabytes) of data per month, costing the owner thousands of dollars.

Your Files and Data may be altered.

Some viruses have been known to rearrange the contents of files.

For example, text could be jumbled leading to illegible documents and programs may not run.

Your PC may be used to send Spam

A common task that virus writers put their sills to work on is to create a virus that can set itself up to send a message or messages to many recipients.

These messages are unsolicited messages, more commonly known as spam.

If your PC is infected with a spam sending virus, you may find that your ISP closes you down. You may even find that you are placed on email blacklists.

An email blacklist is a collection of IP addresses that have been noticed to have partaken in sending spam.

Once you are on an email blacklist, you may find that email you send does not get to its' recipient, thereby almost effectively killing your ability to send email.

How Can I Defend my Computer, Data and Internet Connection?

The first thing to do is to get yourself a good anti virus program, but do more than that, install it as well.

Once you install it you're well on your way.

You may want to spend some time reading up on your new anti virus software to make sure that it is setup in the way you want it. It's also a good idea to try and get to know what your ant virus software will do when it detects a virus on your computer.

Installed out of the box, some anti virus programs simply tell you when they find a virus, while others will quarantine it and ask you what to do next.

Once you have your anti virus program setup, the next thing we look at has to do with email and it wont cost you one red cent.

Try to resist the temptation and never open any email from anyone you don't know. Delete it immediately.

This is important, it will also save you lots of time if you receive lots of spam. I'll say it again…

Try to resist the temptation and never open any email from anyone you don't know. Delete it immediately.

And again…

Try to resist the temptation and never open any email from anyone you don't know. Delete it immediately.

I know this may be hard. Sometimes you might receive mail that you think IS sent just to you, or may come from someone you know, or sounds just to interesting not to read, but if you want to keep your programs, data, photos, email and everything else safe, just delete all email from people you don't know.

Next thing. Be very cautious about even opening attachments from people you know.

For example, let's say you have an Aunty Mary.

Aunty Mary may be the sweetest thing since Snow White and you know she would never send you a virus, but how do you know Aunty Mary's PC isn't infected with a super duper ultra sneaky virus that can automatically add attachments to all of Aunty Mary's outgoing emails.

Don't laugh, viruses exist that can do this!

You may have even fixed up Aunty Mary's PC with anti virus software and told Aunty Mary all about the do's and don'ts regarding viruses, but are you sure Aunty Mary renewed her anti virus software subscription?

Aunty Mary's anti virus software may be out of date and not detecting all the latest viruses to hit town.

Try to avoid downloading junky free software.

You may have one or two or many free software programs or icons or pictures or doohickies that you've downloaded, I even download little bits and pieces from time to time, but it is not uncommon for this style of software, known as freeware (software that you can obtain and keep for free) to contain or be infected by a virus or viruses.

Sometimes it's intentional sometimes it's not.

Me personally I think if I don't really need this new mouse cursor, or screen saver or clock or dancing bear or pretty lady or funny picture or free game, forget it. Leave the stuff where it is and move onto something more productive.

I just want to add a quick note here.

There are lots and lots of very useful free software available on the Internet. I am not saying everything free is virus infected, I'm just trying to point out that anything you download from the internet COULD contain a virus, that's all.

If you don't need, leave it alone.

Who writes these Viruses and What do they get out of it?

Who has the time write a virus? Well I sure don't, I suspect you don't either.

Most viruses are written by young males and I strongly suspect that most of these people are either college graduates or are students undertaking courses in computer software.

I guess these people get an idea in their head or discover that if they get their software to do this and that to a certain part of a computer, something out of the ordinary happens.

I have heard on several occasions that some of these virus writers quoted that their prime motivation for writing a virus was to be recognised by other students and other virus writers for their efforts.

But the punishment for writing as well as distributing a virus on the Internet is, in most countries, very severe and more and more virus authors are being tracked down and prosecuted each year.

My Computer Wont be in Today it has a Virus.
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Article © Matt Western - deTechnify.com

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Matt Western has been working in the electronics and IT areas since 1983. These days he heads up deTechnify.com a web site aimed at clearing away the technical haze surrounding computers computing and the internet.
You can contact Matt via http://www.detechnify.com