What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is a software program that has been intentionally created to cause a user grief, spread to other computers, or destroy data on an individual's computer. To help prevent a computer from becoming infected by a virus, software developers have developed anti virus programs that stay active on the computer helping to protect it. It is important to realize that many computers do not come pre-loaded with these already installed and that if computers do come with these programs, the programs may expire within 90 days.

Do Macs get viruses?

This is my favorite question of all time. People are under the misconception that Macs never get viruses. I admit they are great and are less likely to get a virus but they are still vulnerable. Think of it like this, Windows still dominates the market so a hacker is more likely to develop a virus that would infect Windows users rather than Mac. Their operating systems are completely difference and a virus developed for Windows would not affect a Mac and vice versa.

I hear terms like virus, malware, spyware, etc...what's the difference?

I would consider a virus to be the general term for any type of infection. All other terms are just sub categories based on what they are doing to your computer. For example, adware just annoys you with pop ups and adds but Spyware is actively looking for personal information such as user names and password.

This article by PC Magazine breaks it down fairly well. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379663,00.asp

Can a virus damage computer hardware?

No. Computer viruses are software code designed to spread to computer files and other computers, delete files, and cause other problems with the data on the computer. So if you're experiencing an issue with a hardware device such as your printer, video card, sound card, etc. it is not due to a virus.

If I format or erase my hard drive will it remove a virus?

If your computer is infected with a virus formatting or erasing the hard disk drive and starting over will almost always remove any type of virus. However, keep in mind if backups have been made that contain the virus, other media or drives connected to the computer have a virus, your computer is connected to another computer on a network with a virus, and/or the virus is stored on some other type of software you use with your computer it can become re-infected if not properly protected.

I have a question that is not in the FAQ?

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