2010/08/09

Common Computer Virus Myths That You Shouldn’t Believe

Computer viruses are a huge problem for Windows users. Every year there are millions of computers that are damaged and destroyed from virus problems. Many are scared about going to certain places online and download anything in fear that it’s a virus. Learn some of the truth behind common virus myths so that you can be more informed.
Myth: Something is wrong with the computer. It must be a virus.
Many times when there are computer problems, it is a virus. But if you have protected yourself with updated virus software, it’s very likely that it could be another issue. If you think everything is a virus, another issue could hurt your machine while you are looking for a virus. Be sure to understand that other problems on your computer can exist as well.
Myth: Viruses can’t actually physically hurt your machine.
One thing that many people are not aware of is that a virus can actually physically destroy your machine. Some are written to mess up hardware. Most of the time what is messed up is the hard drive. It’s important to protect yourself from these problems so that your hardware will stay intact.
Myth: If you see a pop up warning of a virus, you need to download the program to fix it.
If you ever see a pop up on the internet that tell you that you have a virus problem, don’t download that program. Many of these hijack your computer. This means that you will have to pay a fee to remove the virus that the software wrote for your computer. This is a dirty trick. Unless you know for a fact that the virus pop up is from your anti-virus program, don’t touch it.
Hopefully this will help you out understanding virus problems. Whatever you do, keep the software updated and don’t download things that you aren’t sure about.