In my experience with computers, I’ve had people come to me with all sorts of questions about their computers, ranging from how to format their systems (scary, eh?) to where the damned power button is…no seriously. However, the one thing that seems to throw even some self-pronounced computer gurus into a near rabid frenzy is the issue of viruses. Now I’ll be treating the issue of how to protect your computer from both online and offline viruses in another post, but this post will be looking at some common and sometimes ridiculous misconceptions that people have about computer viruses. After this, you might probably want to apologise to some people you might have unwittingly misled…or give the neighbourhood ‘engineer’ a sound conk on the head.
1. Please replace the protective cap on my flash drive; I don’t want it to get infected
Now you might think that is a bit exaggerated, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who think that leaving their flash drives exposed or sticking it into a rusty USB port will lead to a virus infection. I’ve seen people throw clothes over their desktops to ‘protect’ them. What these people don’t know is that a virus is a software program that can only be transmitted when your computer or device is connected to another computer or device. Dropping, scratching, or even kicking your device would most probably physically injure it, but will definitely not infect it with a virus.
2. Junior, you’ve been using the computer for five hours, do you want it to get a virus?
I guess people just feel that the best way to scare their kids off the computer is by threatening them with a virus. Let’s just get it clear that using your computer for any length of time cannot be responsible for infecting your computer.
3. My Computer Is Throwing a Lot of Errors, So It Must Have a Virus
Once a computer ‘hangs’, slows, or generally does not do what we want it to do, we’re quick to conclude that a virus is responsible. More often than not however, the user is behind whatever glitch he’s complaining about. Some people pull out their flash drives without first disconnecting it from the system, and their files get corrupted. Others install RAM and resource hungry software on obsolete computers and expect them to run OK. I remember a friend who wanting to copy an application merely copied the application’s desktop shortcut. Upon getting to its destination, the shortcut informed him that the files it needed to run were missing…ah hah, Virus infection! Files can get corrupted on their own, without the involvement of any viruses—whether it's through a bug in the software, a bad sector on your hard drive, faulty memory, or ironically, a conflict with your antivirus software. Your system might slow down because your hard disk is full or just due to old age. So the next time your system freezing, or get a warning about being unable to open a file, first make sure it’s not your fault before you accuse your computer of having a virus.
4. I only inserted the flash drive one time, how could my computer be infected?
That pretty much sounds like “we had sex only once, how can I be pregnant”. Answer; one time is more than enough. A virus will not ask for your permission to infect your computer. Once the virus software detects a connection to another device, it will immediately copy itself.
5. I’m not connected to the internet, so I can’t get a virus
This is another ridiculous misconception that people have. While most viruses originate from the internet, you don’t need to be connected to catch one. All you need is interaction with an infected computer or device.
6. 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 tells 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.
7. I paid 10k for the latest antivirus, so I’m covered
This is august, and you paid in January. Have you by any chance updated your antivirus software since then? If not, by now your virus definitions will be hopelessly out of date, and your computer will be riddled with viruses. People frequently assume that getting expensive antivirus software is enough. What your neighbourhood ‘engineer’ didn’t tell you is that you need to update your software constantly to ensure continued protection.
8. I can just format my computer, reinstall windows and copy everything back
This is where the neighbourhood ‘engineer’ usually misses it. I can't count the number of times I've seen somebody reinstall Windows on their PC after a virus infection, only to copy their files from a backup drive and then re-infect themselves all over again. You need to make sure that your documents and data have been scanned for and are free from viruses, especially after an infection. To help prevent these problems in the first place, make sure that you've got an antivirus package installed and real-time protection enabled.
What kind of funny virus tales have you heard during your time in the computer era? Share your funny moments, or ask about anything you aren’t clear about in the comments.
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