Computer Knowledge Virus Tutorial

Welcome to the Computer Knowledge tutorial on computer viruses. We'll discuss what they are, give you some history, discuss protection from viruses, and mention some of the characteristics of a virus hoax.

Keep in mind that not everything that goes wrong with a computer is caused by a computer virus or worm. Both hardware and software failure is still a leading cause of computer problems.

If you read each page to the end you should be able to proceed on a page-by-page basis. To jump to a specific page please see the map at the bottom of each page. A listing of anti-virus software vendors is also available as part of that map.

Please also don't forget to read the License/Legal info. There are license, use, and distribution requirements for this tutorial, even if it is on the Web.

Finally, this tutorial can be downloaded to run on your computer if you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat (a free reader is available). The links below will allow you to download a zip file with the tutorial PDF file in it and/or a copy of the latest Acrobat PDF reader. (This copy may lag the posted tutorial as it is only updated approximately once a year; or less often if changes were minor.)

Download Tutorial Zip File (800K)

Download Acrobat Reader

Tutorial Navigation

There are several ways to navigate the virus tutorial. By following the arrows (see just below) you will be taken to each page in sequence. Or, under the arrows on each page you will find a complete map of the Virus Tutorial. Just pick the page you want to jump to.

OK, with the administrivia out of the way, let's begin...