Reasons why PCs crash #6 - Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to


* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs


Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.


A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.


An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2011, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).