Our review of leading antivirus packages shows that the software has grown so cheap and easy to use and update that fighting viruses has become a low-maintenance activity. Avoid the Bug. Before we get into too many details, however, let's cover a little background about viruses, those infectious, maliciously designed pieces of programming code that can hide in all sorts of files. Knowing how they work prepares you to buy antivirus software. Boot sector viruses are limited to a physical diskette or hard drive and move to a system only when the user turns on the computer while an infected diskette is in its drive.
File viruses infect program files or document files and can be spread any way files are shared.
These macro viruses often run rampant at corporations that have large networks of users who share files, but E-mail attachments are the biggest source of macro viruses. A, which installs itself using the spreadsheet's formulas and can thus change the data in a document. The virus itself isn't a big problem, but it opens the door to a whole new breed of viruses. Your only realistic defense against viruses of all shapes and sizes is full-fledged antivirus program. A good one recognizes a virus, helps remove it, and repairs damaged files.