Symptoms of Virus Infection * we shall look into symptoms which may indicate a viral infection. After that I have tried to give some tips for safe computing. While reading this article you may feel the tips too childish but nevertheless they can be critical. So don’t overlook them and read on.
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***10 virus symptoms***-
*Programs take longer to load. Memory-intensive operations take a lot of time to start. * -
*A change in dates against the filenames in the directory. When the virus modifies a file the operating system changes the date stamp. * -
*The floppy disk or hard disk is suddenly accessed without logical reason. * -
*Increased use of disk space and growth in file size-the virus attaches itself to many files. * -
*Abnormal write-protect errors. The virus trying to write to a protected disk. * -
*Strange characters appear in the directory listing of filenames. * -
*Strange messages like "Type Happy Birthday Joshi" (Joshi Virus) or "Driver Memory Error" (kak.worm) appear on the screen and in documents. * -
*Strange graphic displays such as falling letters or a bouncing ball appear on screen. * -
*Programs may hang the computer or not work at all. * -
*Junk characters overwrite text in document or data files.***** ***
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Your guide to safe computing
** Listed below are some of the steps recommended by experts to safeguard your PC from viruses. These are a compilation of my past experiences and magazine sources. *
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*Change a setting in the BIOS that enables your PC to boot from the C-drive first. * -
*Use a good anti-virus program to scan hard disk. Recommended ones are Norton Antivirus 2000 and Mcaffee 5. * -
*Do not install pirated software, especially computer games. * -
*Activate watch-guard programs (monitors) that look out for suspicious activity. * -
*Use the update service offered by software vendors and update the anti-virus software every month. * -
*Scan the entire hard disk twice a month. * -
*Scan files downloaded from the Internet or those transferred through a network. * -
*Prepare a rescue disk with critical system files. Preferably, it should be bootable. * -
*Keep the original cd containing the operating system handy. * *In the next article, I will try to cover some of the most happening viruses in today's cyber world. This may caution you up a little. *
although this article is a bit old, hope this will be useful for some here,
i actually scan my entire hard disk every couple of days and make a backup of everything every week, just so i’m prepared
http://www.boloji.com/computing/security/016.htm
hope some of the experienced members add valuable advice too