How are viruses harmful ? How can you prevent them ?

Viruses can cause damage in many ways. They can:

1. destroy file allocation tables (FAT) and lead to the corruption of an entire file system, resulting in the need to fully reinstall and reload the system.
2. create bad sectors on the disk, destroying parts of programs and files.
3. decrease the space on hard disks by duplicating files.
4. format specific tracks on the disks or format the entire disk.
5. destroy specific executable files and alter data in data files, causing a loss of integrity in the data.
6. cause the system to hang so that it does not respond to any keyboard or mouse movements.

We can protect our computers from viruses by following some simple guidelines:

1. Never use a "foreign" disk or CD without scanning it for viruses.
2. Always scan files downloaded from the internet or other sources.
3. Use licensed software.
4. Password protect your PC to prevent unattended modification.
5. Make regular backups.
6. Install and use antivirus software.
7. Keep antivirus software up to date.