antivirus software

Is your computer running unusually slow, are files mysteriously being deleted or are you having trouble opening applications? If so then there is a good chance you have a computer virus.A computer virus is just like a human virus, it can duplicate itself and 'infect' other computers automatically. These viruses can be responsible for everything from file deletion, to system corruption and even cause computers to be re-formatted. With 10 to 15 new viruses discovered per day, the threat is growing exponentially.Viruses can be spread via any transferable media whether in the form of floppy disks, CDs, email attachments or material downloaded from the Web. One of the most common forms of transfer is via email, in the form of an attachment which, when opened, activate a virus and infect a computer. To make matters worse, often, viruses are programmed to spread themselves by emailing a copy of themselves to all the other email addresses in an infected computer's address book. With over 58,000 viruses currently in existence it is difficult to avoid them. This is where antivirus software comes in.Free Antivirus SoftwareThere are many virus software programs out there for free. Virus scanners are software that will preform a system scan on your computer to detect viruses, such scans can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3-4 hours depending on how extensive the search is. These programs specialize in only the detection of viruses and often don't have removal capabilities unless upgraded. While other applications can be downloaded without scanners that are able to target specific viruses that you know have infected your computer. There are also many free email protection programs, these will either automatically detect viruses in email attachments when received or be able to scan email attachments before they are downloaded and alert the you of any threats. To see the best free antivirus software click here.Complete Antivirus ProtectionAlthough there is tons of free software available, the best complete protection often must be purchased. Such software is usually from highly reputable companies such as McAfee or Norton. Such programs will include scanners, virus removal, process monitoring, internet security, pop-up blockers and software updates to stay protected. The advantages to bought software over free software is more protection, more features and program stability, and most importantly updates since new virus are constantly being created.Yes, these programs cost money, but when you get a virus that you are unable to stop until your computer is ruined you will wish you had such software.