Is your computer is running slowly and seems to be at the edge. You may have a virus on your computer. So, let us see, what is a virus? What it can do for your computer? How can you do protect your computer from SPYWARE?

The spyware virus is a malicious program which replicates itself through your computer without asking you or takes permission from you. This spyware program can infect your files and make it malfunction. For example, you may open a Microsoft word file and see it failed to open. Assuming that the cause of this failure is spyware, and then you will likely to see other files malfunctioning  as soon as one file is failed due to a virus on your computer.

Spyware viruses are large collection of instructions attached to one of your programs. These instructions can be coming from different sources such as browsers when you open the internet, a link in email, cd disk, flash memory, or other sources. When one of these programs is opened, these instructions are executed along with the original program you opened and load itself in the memory, and then it can write itself to other files in the computer.

In fact, there are two strategies the spyware can infect you system. The first one is called nonresident strategy. In this type of infection, the spyware virus looks for other files  and resources to infect only on the local computer. In the second strategy, which is called, Resident strategy, the virus looks for other hosts to infect if it is connected to a local network.

The most important is how to prevent these spyware viruses from your computer. The common technique is to install an spyware anti-virus software on your computer. This software works by detecting viruses on your computer. It has many techniques to detect that there is an existing spyware virus according to software vendor. It can detect it based on signature in the file it scan. A signature is a certain pattern it looks for and if exists then it decides that a virus exists. Every spyware sofware that uses this technique has a database of this signatures which represents the most common spyware viruses. Some spyware anti-virus sotware also detect by looking for the behaviour of the file being opened which is called heuristic detection .

A second technique to prevent your computer from viruses is to backup your data. If some files is infected on your computer, you will find some copies of your data. You can store it, for example on CD, or DVD.

Everywhere you turn you see it on the news. Bird flu is on the rise and people are scared. Finding out more about it will help you learn how to protect you and your family.

H5N1: What is it?

Also known as Avian Flu, the H5N1 virus is commonly seen among wild birds and is as typical as the human cold and is transmitted between birds. Domesticated birds can also be at risk to catch Avian Influenza from wild birds.

There is an incubation period of 1-5 days between the time of exposure and the development of symptoms and can be fatal within 2 days. The concern and fear regarding this potential pandemic is that once a virus begins to mutate, it behaves differently and can be transmitted between species. This is the case with HIV. HIV began in monkeys and is commonly seen as a virus between monkeys. After the virus mutated, it spread to humans and the effects have been tragic. The virus is already showing signs of mutation as cases involving cats and pigs have been recently brought to light. The other fear and threat comes from the issue of Human-to-Human contact. If the Bird Flu mutates into a strand that is easily communicable between humans, we could see a pandemic of Avian Flu. Right now, the best way to prevent a pandemic is through careful prevention and monitoring the H5N1 virus closely.

Bird Flu: Symptoms

The symptoms are very similar to the Human Flu strains that we are familiar with. Fever, sore throats, coughs, muscle aches and pains, and general malaise are all signs of the virus. Other symptoms include Pneumonia and trouble breathing. If symptoms are identified early enough, it can be treated successfully. However, there is the threat of death if its left on its own.

Protecting Yourself from Avian Influenza: Goggles and Gloves

Currently, Bird Flu is being seen in Asia and Europe. Since the key to preventing the spread or mutation of the virus is protection, it is strongly suggested that those who are handling anything that has been potentially contaminated with the virus, wear goggles, gloves and masks specifically designed to protect against the virus. You should also make sure that you receive an annual flu shot to protect yourself from having common Influenza at the same time, should you catch Bird Flu. The two viruses together could mutate causing the strand that leads to a pandemic. Always practice good hygiene, hand washing, and stay away from areas that may be contaminated with AvianFlu.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/avianflu/htm/_no_100_no_0.htm

With this information, you can protect your family against a potential outbreak of the Avian Flu virus.