I have two computers, and they both have viruses. We got internet a few months ago and that's when all this stuff started happening. We were getting all these pop ups saying we had 100's of viruses on one of our computers, when you would get on, everything would be fine for a few minutes and then it would start going really slow and then just shut down without warning.
My brother then hooked up his computer for all of us to share, and now the same thing is happening, we all know it has viruses, (not as many as our other one, and its not shutting off yet, but its going really slow).
I know we're supposed to have anti-virus stuff set up, by my mom and dad keep putting it off. But I do need these questions answered.
1. Roughly how much do anti-virus stuff cost, where can we get it, and does it matter what kind you get?
2. Can we get rid of current viruses? Would we have to clear everything on both computers?
3. How do anti-virus things work exactly?
4. How do viruses get in your computer even if you don't click on pop ups or download things?
5. Any other advice?

1. Anti-virus software is sold on a subscription basis. Generally there is a $30-$60 charge for the initial purchase including a 1 year subscription. Afterwards, annual subscriptions are around $30.

2. Depends on the virus and the ability of the A/V software to clean it out.

3. A/V utilities generally work by identifying the virus "signature". That's why they need to be constantly updated to and new "signatures" to look for.

4. There are a variety of ways you can be infected. Whenever you get information from WEB you are downloading something to your PC. Those downloads could have malware attached.

5. Back up any data you absolutely need to a CD or flashdrive. Then use your PC's Recovery Disks to return them to Factory settings. Install your A/V software, then scan your backups before copying them back to your PC.

There's at least one author who recommends reinstalling the operating system if you ever get infected (note: I'm not necessarily recommending this).

Starting from scratch is the only malware cure |Security Adviser | Roger A. Grimes | InfoWorld

A computer virus is just a computer program that someone wrote. Its purpose is sometimes malicious. Recently, the most common type of malware doesn't try to damage your machine, but it tries to use the machines of unsuspecting users for nefarious purposes. Infected computers are called "bots" and they become part of a "bot-net". The bot-nets are actually bought and sold (by "bad guys") on the black market. Bot-nets are used for things like sending spam, raiding web sites, etc. They're money-making ventures for crooks. As a result, the programs try to remain as innocuous as possible. At worst, they slow your system down to a crawl.

Another common malware throws pop-ups on your computer (with advertisements) and redirects your Internet browser to sites that it wants you to go to. Fortunately, these are so intrusive that most people try to get rid of the infection quickly.

I have cleared viruses from people's computers. The usual way to do it is to scan with several anti-virus products. There are online scanners (google "online antivirus scan") that can find most viruses. Some viruses (or other malware) can be tough to get rid of.

By far the most common way to get infected nowadays is to have a pop up appear. Often there will be only an "OK" button. If you press that, you're toast. Sometimes, even if you press the "X" in the upper right corner, that will still be sufficient to catch an infection. The only way to get rid of the window without being infected is to launch "task manager" (<ctrl><alt><del>), locate the window and terminate it from task manager. More often than not, the window will say something like, "YOUR SYSTEM IS INFECTED! Click OK to scan your system". Your system may or may not be infected, but if you click <OK>, it will be. The more common of these is trying to sell you their "antivirus" product to get rid of the infection that they just gave you.

There are some ways that it's possible to get infected without clicking on anything. If your system is fully patched and updated, it's unlikely but not necessarily impossible.

There are free antivirus programs out there. I often recommend AVG Free for home use: http://free.avg.com/download-avg-ant...s-free-edition (it's free for home use). I also recommend a "personal firewall". You can get systems that incorporate everything but they're not necessarily the best. I prefer the "ZoneAlarm" free firewall for home users: http://www.filehippo.com/download_zonealarm_free/. I also recommend a "firewall". Linksys and D-Link are some of the more common brands. You can get them with Wi-Fi if you have a laptop computer, but if you turn that on, make sure you use encryption.

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