Always make sure you have a good backup before installing a new program. See if anyone you know has used it before you load it for the first time. A virus is a self-replicating program that attaches itself to other programs. Every time a host program runs, the virus spreads into other programs. Understanding these parts will help you to avoid virus problems, and to deal with them calmly and rationally if you get one.
Payloads are the nasty part of the virus.
It is the first common virus to actually damage computer hardware. The fact that it also reformats your hard disk simply adds insult to injury. When you turn on your computer, a program called the BIOS runs. It is stored on a chip inside the computer, which is cleverly called the BIOS chip. Nowadays, most computer manufacturers use flash memories for BIOS chips.