What is a virus?

Viruses are computer infections that can damage your machine and destroy your documents. They generally come from the internet via emails and email attachments, but can also be picked up from websites.

What should I do?

Follow our tips for protecting your PC:

-- Install anti-virus software on your computer and make sure you keep it activated. Virgin Media has its own security program: PCguard, which includes anti-virus software. This is free to Virgin Media customers, so there is no need to pay for anti-virus software.

-- Keep your anti-virus software up to date. PCguard Anti-virus updates itself automatically, by default, but if you have other anti-virus software, it may not. Anti-virus software is completely ineffective at protecting your computer if it is not updated on a regular basis allowing it to recognise the latest threats in circulation on the Internet.

-- Install a firewall. You should keep your computer protected at all times with a firewall.

-- Install Microsoft updates and security fixes. If you use Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP, your PC could be at risk due to vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. XP is the safest Windows application.

-- Ensure you have spam controls in place. Virgin Media automatically catches many viruses as part of its spam controls so they don't even arrive in your inbox.

-- Do not open files with double extensions. Some viruses try to hide themselves by giving themselves double file extensions, e.g. virusfile.pif.bat. Any emails that contain such files should be deleted immediately.