Computer Viruses are everyone's great fear. It's especially horrible for someone who works from their home computer to get a virus. When you get a virus, which is a small software program, your computer will not operate properly. Maybe not right away, it could slowly corrupt or even delete data that is on your computer. Your e-mail program may spread this nasty virus to others on your e-mail list. Some viruses will actual e-mail to everyone on your list, thus spreading it without your knowledge. Viruses can even delete all the data on your hard drive.

To get a computer virus there are several ways, it could come in an e-mail message, or even over whatever instant messenger service you are using. This said don't ever open up an e-mail that has an attachment unless you know who the message is from. That attachment is very likely a computer virus just waiting to get a hold of your computer and trash it. A virus may come as images, card, or even audio or video files. You know those downloads you can get from the internet, while they very likely could be a virus. Or if your someone who downloads pirated software you might want to watch out those people who have those files up there, you don't know, they could be sending you a virus.

Symptoms of a computer virus are as follows:

Your computer could be sluggish and running slower.

Your computer may lock up, or just stop responding frequently.

If your computer restarts every few minutes after crashing.

If your computer just restarts on it's own without crashing.

Your applications that are on your computer are not working properly.

Your disk drives come up as inaccessible.

Printing an item does not work properly.

Your getting unusual error messages.

Menus and dialog boxes are distorted.

An attachment shows two extensions instead the normal one.

Your anti-virus program isn't working, and can't be started.

If your trying to install a new anti-virus program you can get it to run.

New icons are showing on your desktop that you didn't add.

Music or sounds come from your speakers without you doing anything.

Programs disappear without you removing them.

If you think your computer might be infected get the latest anti-virus software. The problems listed above may occur for other reasons, such as hardware problems. You need to get an anti-virus software to find out if these problems are caused by viruses or other problems.

You may also have gotten a worm or a Trojan horse via e-mail, following are the symptoms that you may see:

The file may make copies of itself, thus taking up all your free space on your e-mail server.

The file is sent to all your contacts in your address book.

The virus may delete files and programs from your hard drive.

Pirated software may be installed by the virus.

Security will be reduced by the virus.

You get a message with an odd attachment DO NOT OPEN.

A friend tells you they got a weird message from you, but you didn't send one.

To fix a virus that is on your computer, follow the steps below:

You will need to install all updates from Microsoft.

Get the latest anti-virus software and install it on your computer, run a full scan.

Get Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool and install it on your computer.

These steps should free your computer of any viruses you might have, and after that is done just be careful of what you download and open in e-mail.

Fortunately, by updating the computer and by using antivirus tools, you can help permanently remove unwanted software.