Computer Viruses ... Information, Prevention & Detection - May 2002
By Kelly Embleton

Almost every computer owner has heard about or has had a computer virus. Viruses infect your computer, usually destroy data, infect any one you have sent data to, drive you crazy and if they are destructive enough, cost you some money on computer repairs. Below is some information that I hope will inform you a bit more about computer viruses, how your system gets them, how to check for viruses and ways to prevent them.

What Is A Virus?
A computer virus is a piece of software that has been written to access your computer system and "infect" your files. Some viruses won't harm your computer but others are destructive and can damage or destroy your data.
Usually a virus will replicate itself and try to infect as many files and systems as possible. New viruses are constantly being created so it's important to understand how your system can be exposed to them, how to check for viruses and what you can do to protect your system.

How Does Your Computer Get Infected?
Viruses can be created in almost any type of file.
The two most common ways viruses enter your computer system are through files added to your computer from floppy disks, Zip disk or CDs, and also from downloading files and programs from the Internet. Your system can also get infected from e-mail attachments containing viruses and in some rare cases from a plain text message alone containing viruses.

Symptoms Of An Infected Computer
Some common symptoms of an infected computer system are:

• Unusual messages or displays on your monitor
• Your system has less available memory than it should
• Disk names have been changed
• Programs or files are missing
• Unknown programs have been created
• Files or programs are corrupted and not working properly
• Unexplained change in file size, especially .exe and .com files

How To Check For Viruses On Your System
Make sure your computer system has virus protection software that will check your entire system for viruses, scan incoming files and incoming e-mail before the files are allowed into your system. Antivirus software will identify any files that are infected and give you the option to repair the file if it can, clean it or delete it.
Once you have checked or scanned your computer for viruses and it is clean, I would suggest configuring the software to perform a scan on your entire computer once a week, always check incoming files (Internet downloads) and incoming e-mail. I would also make a backup of all files after your system has been cleaned and is virus free.
I would suggest Norton Antivirus as an antivirus software for your computer if you don't already have antivirus software installed.

What To Do If You Have A Virus
The first thing to do if you have a virus is to run your antivirus software and see if it can repair, clean or disinfect the infected file. If it can't you will probably have to delete the file(s).
If you receive an e-mail and your antivirus software flags it as a virus contained message, do not open the attachment and delete the message immediately. In most cases you won't infect your system if you don't open the attachment.
If a virus has entered your system and caused major distruction and loss of files, you may need to reformat your hard drive, destroying all the data on the system and reinstall programs back onto your system.
It is also a good idea to contact anyone that you recently exchanged data with - by floppy disks, e-mail attachments, Zip disks, etc. - and let them know that your computer system was infected with a virus.

How To Prevent Viruses
You can prevent getting most viruses by:

• Have antivirus software installed and working properly on your system.
• Make sure the antivirus software is performing scans on your entire computer once a week, always checking incoming files (Internet downloads) and incoming e-mail for viruses.
• Do not open any files attached to an e-mail from unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy sources.
• Delete chain and junk e-mails.
• Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet.
• Back up your files on a regular basis.
• Update your antivirus software regularly.

For more information about computer and e-mail viruses please visit Norton Antivirus at www.norton.com or McAfee.com www.mcafee.com.

Resources

• MusicLoversAuction.com is an online music auction site showcasing instruments, equipment, CDs and more. Designed specifically for musicians, by musicians, the site offers easy navigation and products that appeal to music lovers of all ages and means. MusicLoversAuction.com is claiming its place as the preeminent online auction site for music lovers around the world so drop by www.musicloversauction.com.

• The 8th Annual North by Northeast Music Festival and Conference (NXNE) will be happening on June 6, 7, 8, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. NXNE has three nights with 400 of the best new artists at 25 live music venues in downtown Toronto. Check out www.nxne.com for information about the conference, volunteers, media, special offers, Film Fest and more.

• OLGA, the Online Guitar Archive, is a library of files that shows you how to play songs on guitar. The site features an archive to browse through, lessons, resources, FAQs, dictionaries, software and more. Visit OLGA at www.olga.net.

• GetSigned.com is a free Internet resource for independent musicians. Check out their exclusive artist and music industry Q&A, informative articles on how to get signed to a record deal and how to get your songs published, and promote your unsigned band here for free on the Best Unsigned Bands listings. View this information and more at www.getsigned.com.

• For complete information on this summer's MIAC Show, visit the newly designed Web site at www.miac.net. You can register for the show online, find out information about accommodations, travel, seminars, special social events and more.

• Music Books Plus has greatly expanded their catalogue and now features online over 4,500 books, videos and CD-ROMs on music, recording, audio, songwriting, MIDI, multimedia and the Internet. You can join the electronic newsletter or request a printed catalogue online at www.musicbooksplus.com.