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How do I know if a virus infected the computer?

Viruses have many different and unusual symptoms. A common symptom among newer viruses that spread by email attachments is having emails automatically sent to every email address stored on the computer. Sometimes, odd, rude or politically incorrect error messages can be indications of viruses. Other viruses produce errors that are identical to normal software issues.

Virus protection software will scan the computer for known viruses. Virus protection software relies on virus definitions to detect known viruses. It is important to keep the virus definitions of the virus protection software up to date. Up to 15 new viruses come out every day. Symantec AntiVirus Center has up to date information about the symptoms of the most popular viruses. Visit http://www.sarc.com for information about the symptoms and removal instructions of the viruses that are currently causing the most trouble.