Gateway ALR 8000, User Manual

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Computer Virus Notice vii
Computer Virus Notice
What is a virus?
A virus is a program written with malicious intent for the sole purpose of
creating havoc in a computer system. It attaches itself to executable files or
boot sectors, so it can replicate and spread. Some viruses may only cause
your system to beep or display messages or images on the screen. Other
viruses are highly destructive and corrupt or erase the contents of your files
or disks. To be safe, never assume any virus is harmless.
What types of viruses are known?
Viruses are identified by how they infect computer systems.
•
Program Viruses infect executable program files such as.COM,
.EXE, .OVL, .DRV, .SYS, and .BIN.
•
Boot Viruses attach themselves to a Boot Record, Master Boot,
FAT, or Partition Table.
•
Multipartite Viruses are both program and boot infectors.
How does a virus spread and contaminate?
There are many ways a virus can spread and infect your system. However, a
virus is inactive until the infected program is executed, or a boot record is
read. Thereafter, the virus loads itself into system memory and begins to
copy and spread itself. Diskettes used in a contaminated system can get
infected and, in turn, transfer the virus when used in another system. A
virus can also spread via programs downloaded from bulletin boards or the
Internet. Remember that viruses cannot appear all by themselves. They
have to be written, then spread through direct contact with executable
programs or boot sectors.
3430.book Page vii Thursday, July 9, 1998 4:55 PM