A: This means that our anti-virus software has intercepted an email containing a virus before it reached you. If you would like to recover the original message then forward the 'virus warning' message you received to pop3support@surefish.co.uk.

Q: What is a virus?

A: A virus is computer program written by a programmer. The main purpose of a virus is to cause some type of harm to a computer. Usually the harm is concentrated only to software, but some viruses have been known to affect hardware (rare).

Q: What do viruses do?

Viruses run themselves just like any other program. The only difference being that a virus program is designed to "infect" other files or programs. A virus serves no constructive purpose.

Q: What sorts of files do viruses "infect"?

A: A virus can affect different files on your computer. A virus is capable of replicating itself to every file on your computer as well as system files that the computer needs to run properly. If a virus infects systems files, the computer must be formatted and the operating systems must be re-installed. This would cause the machine to lose all of its saved files.

Q: How do computer viruses travel?

A: Viruses can be spread by several different ways. They can be stored on any type of storage media (Floppy disks, CD, Zip disk etc.), they can be sent through email, or file sharing on a network.

Q: Can a computer virus be removed from a computer?

A: In many cases a virus can be "cleaned" from a computer. If the virus software being used is current enough, it should be able to destroy the virus.

Q: I suspect I have a virus but how can I be sure?

Viruses can lay dormant on a computer for some time. Some viruses are "time-triggered" meaning they will only execute during specific time period. If you suspect you have a virus, run a virus scan of the entire computer.

Q: How can I prevent a virus from infecting my computer?

A: There are several different ways to prevent your computer from contracting a virus. Do not open any attachment unless you are sure of the origin. Do not open any email if you are not sure of the sender. Do not open any file from a floppy disk unless you are of the contents and origin.

Q: Where can I find out about viruses hoaxes?

A : A great website to visit is http://vmyths.com/ This is the foremost authority on viruses and virus protection.