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Viruses:
Viruses are nasty little programs that attempt to either manipulate your computer into doing things or giving away information it's not supposed to or just be downright destructive. Viruses can be picked up via email or download. If your browsers internet security settings are set too low, sometimes scripts written with bad intentions can install a virus or download a trojan before you even know what happened.
It's always a good idea to make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and working properly. If you're unfortunate enough to have a computer that has contracted a virus there is a possibility that your anti-virus software may be able to handle it.
Many viruses, however, are built to resist any attempt at removing them. They duplicate themselves in your computers memory and watch for when their file is deleted. As soon as its deleted they put it right back. Sometimes they put it back right as the computer is shutting down just to be annoying.
In cases like this there are generally three ways to handle things...
Search for Instructions to Get Rid of the Virus
If you know the name of the virus you can search for instructions to get rid of it. I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you were comfortable with editing the Windows registry and renaming, deleting and replacing system files...all of which could lead to disabling your operating system.
Take it to the Computer Guy
This may be your best bet if you have important data on your computer. A professional computer tech usually has some good, solid experience with dealing with viruses and can many times save the Windows installation. If he/she can't they will most likely be able to at least save your important data.
Wipe the Hard Drive and Reinstall Windows
Sometimes starting all over again is the easy way to go. If you know how to do this it may be a good move. Be aware, however, that some viruses write themselves to your hard drives master boot record. If you don't take care of this there's a possibility that a fresh install will contract the virus again as soon as Windows loads.
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