By Mark Vincent General Information and Phone Numbers. By Brian Boyd Introducing the new, improved Notice Board. By Shawn Beattie and Collette Hoven General Information and Phone Numbers. To put it simply, a computer virus is a program written to damage or disrupt some part of your computer. Common viruses can damage or destroy files on your hard drive, cause your computer to freeze or 'lockup', and even prevent your computer from starting up at all.
Some viruses can cause serious and irreparable damage.
Fortunately, these are very rare. There are some viruses reported to trigger on specified dates of the year, and some do their damage the first time the virus is executed. Many, however, work slowly in order to avoid detection. With the right precautions, you can dramatically reduce your computer's chances of becoming infected. Most viruses find their way onto your computer by hiding on diskettes or in popular programs distributed on the internet.