Computer Viruses: The Nasty Truth

Computer Viruses: The Nasty Truth
Word Count:
569
Summary:
The term, “virus”, in computer technology, refers to a self replicating application that spreads by making copies of itself by inserting into other programs, other executables or documents, and when executed begins to perform harmful actions on the system. All computer viruses are deliberately created, not always malicious and some of them may be benign and simply annoying.
Non-Memory Resident and Memory Resident Viruses:
Non-Memory resident viruses, when they are execu...

Keywords:
virus, antivirus, spyware, computers

Article Body:
The term, “virus”, in computer technology, refers to a self replicating application that spreads by making copies of itself by inserting into other programs, other executables or documents, and when executed begins to perform harmful actions on the system. All computer viruses are deliberately created, not always malicious and some of them may be benign and simply annoying.
Non-Memory Resident and Memory Resident Viruses:
Non-Memory resident viruses, when they are executed, immediately look for other hosts that can be infected. When they infect these targets, they transfer control to the application program they infected. A non-resident virus has a finder module and a replication module. The finder module, once it finds a new file to infect, calls upon the replication module to infect that file.
Memory-Resident virus stays in the memory and do not look for hosts to infect when they are executed. It stays active in the background after its host program is terminated, and infects files as soon as they are opened or accessed by other programs or the operating system. It does have the replication module like the non-memory resident virus, but without the finder module.
Types of Computer Viruses:
File Viruses: These types of viruses are the most common, and mostly infect open files and program libraries on an operating system. The virus functions by inserting itself into a host file, modifies it in such a way that the virus is executed when the file is opened. They are also known as left viruses. Today, there are known viruses infecting all kinds of executables of standard DOS: batch command files (BAT), loadable drivers (SYS, including special purpose files IO.SYS and MS- DOS.SYS) and binary executables (EXE, COM). There are also viruses targeting executables of other operating systems - Windows 3.x, Windows95/NT, OS/2, Macintosh, Unix, including the VxD drivers of Windows 3.x and Windows95.
Macro viruses: Macros are used in most word processing programs such as Microsoft Office in order to automate or simplify recurring tasks in documents. Macro viruses are those viruses that use the application's own macro programming language to distribute themselves, in which an unwanted sequence of actions is performed automatically when the application is started or something else triggers it. These macro viruses may inflict damage to the document or to other computer software but are relatively harmless, and are often spread as an e-mail virus.
Boot Viruses: These were one of the most common viruses prevalent during the early and mid 1990s, when the use of diskettes was popular. These viruses infect or substitute their own code for either the DOS boot sector or the Master Boot Record (MBR), which controls the boot sequence of the PC. The MBR is executed every time a computer is booted so the virus will also be loaded into memory on every startup and spreads to every disk that the system reads. They are typically very difficult to remove, and most antivirus programs cannot clean the MBR while Windows is running. So, bootable antivirus disks are needed to fix boot sector viruses.
Script viruses: They are a division of file viruses, written in a variety of script languages such as VBS, JavaScript, BAT, PHP, HTML etc. They can form a part of multi-component viruses or infect other scripts such as Windows or Linux command and service files. If the file format, such as HTML, allows the execution of scripts, they can infect it.

Backup Software

Backup Software
Word Count:
558
Summary:
You won't have to worry about losing valuable data again if you find the best backup software for your home or office. Whether your main concern is to keep a copy of all your documents or to encode sensitive information, you can find the best backup software that contains the best of both of these features and more. Backup software may not always be cheap, but it is an essential investment for preserving and protecting valuable information.
If security is your main concer...

Keywords:
computers,data protection

Article Body:
You won't have to worry about losing valuable data again if you find the best backup software for your home or office. Whether your main concern is to keep a copy of all your documents or to encode sensitive information, you can find the best backup software that contains the best of both of these features and more. Backup software may not always be cheap, but it is an essential investment for preserving and protecting valuable information.
If security is your main concern, there is backup software that has five different encryption alogrithms that protect your data against hackers. You can also have the file name encrypted for added security. It is easy to add new folders, and you can build your files at the click of a mouse.
The best backup software will:
• Create a backup program
• Choose files for backup
• Define compression settings
• Choose target of the backup
You can have all of your files backed up automatically, or you can pick and choose files to back up. Changes can be made constantly, and most backup software is flexible enough to accommodate multiple versions of the same document or selected revisions. If you want to conserve space, you can select the highest level of compression to make more room. It is also easy to choose which location you want you files stored, whether it is in:
• Hard drive
• USB stick
• Network Folder
• CD
• DVD
• Remote FTP Server
Most backup software employs automatic backup programs that will store your information as it is created. You can choose scheduled backup instead, if you prefer. It is possible to store multiple versions of a document and the wizard feature restores files to their original folders.
Backup software may also contain other features that are helpful, such as virus scanning and disaster recovery. Anti-virus features will help prevent file-destroying crashes from infecting your computer, and disaster recovery will help get your computer up and running again if it does happen to crash. Backup software will ensure that your files will be intact even if your computer temporarily ceases to function.
There are many who simply to backup their files manually on a floppy disk or a CD rather than purchasing backup software. However, these devices have a somewhat short shelf life, and will tend to wear out even if they are not used excessively. It would be a major disappointment to believe that your files are safely backed up when they fail to appear when needed. The sheer effort required to cut and paste and to edit your files for backup will probably cost you in terms of work hours much more than a rather modest investment in backup software. Everything is done automatically with backup software, and there is less likelihood that you will fail to backup certain files due to an oversight.
Backup software varies in price and quality, so it is worth doing substantial research before making your final investment. Some might find that security is more of a priority, whereas others are looking for backup software that will provide them with maximum space. Still others ar searching for the lowest prices on backup software. It is definitely worth it to take advantage of trial offers and demos when they are offered. This will enable you to decide on the backup software that is right for you.