You might have a virus on your system if:

• Your friends and family start contacting you asking why you are sending them a virus.
• Your system starts behaving strangely, and working erratically and will sometimes "lock up" and crash.
• Your internet connection seems to be busy even when you are not doing anything.

The reason to have an up to date antivirus software package on your computer, notebook, workstation or server is simple, to protect it and all the data and information on it. Whether you are connecting to the Internet with your computer at home, at work or running an online business, it is vital that you have some type of antivirus software installed to protect your system. Do not be fooled into thinking that you do not need antivirus software because you only casually surf the Internet or send and read e-mail. The reality is any computer should have antivirus software that is designed by a trusted maker and is updated regularly with the latest virus definitions, even systems without an internet connection should have antivirus software installed.

Many people think that they don't need any type of antivirus program if they:

• (1) Don't have access to the internet
• (2) Only read e-mail that they receive from family, friends and co-workers
• (3) Only use their computer for work, or occasionally.

Even if you fall into one of these three categories you still need to have antivirus software installed on your computer since you're still at risk from security threats. If someone gives you a floppy disk or CD-Rom for instance that has a virus on it you will infect your system if you don't have antivirus software installed, a virus will go unnoticed and could do considerable damage to your computer and your data, including your documents and photos.

You must remember that the cost of purchasing, and keeping antivirus software up to date is very small compared to the cost or re-installing software, getting your system fixed or losing all your valuable data and photos.

What is a virus?
A computer virus is a program - a piece of code - that has the ability to replicate itself. Like say, a flu virus, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file on your system and are spread throughout your system, via email to anyone in your address book and sent from computer to computer and if unchecked can spread like "wildfire" and cause chaos on a Network (Computers linked together). The problems that computer viruses cause can vary. Some will replicate themselves so many times that they use all available memory thus bringing your computer to a halt. Others are able to invade your e-mail program and send themselves to everyone in your e-mail address directory. Antivirus software is important not only for the protection of your computer, but also the protection of the computers that you are linked to.

There are thousands of viruses out there, and many new ones are circulating each and every month. Don't ignore the warning.

Besides replication, some computer viruses have something else in common: a damage routine that can deliver the virus payload. While payloads may only display messages or images, they can also destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other kinds of damage. If the virus doesn't’t contain a damage routine, it can still cause trouble by taking up storage space and memory, and downgrading the overall performance of your computer.