Do i have any email virus in my pc?

[Ashlin]

From last few days i'm continuously receiving several pop3 emails, that to from my own email address. I'm not sure about it whether they are email virus, but do i have trojan viruses in my pc? Can any one tell me exactly what they are and if they are email viruses how to remove them from my pc?


Thanking You in advance.

[deveritt]

An email virus is a computer code sent to you as an email note attachment which, if activated, will cause some unexpected and usually harmful effect, such as destroying certain files on your hard disk and causing the attachment to be emailed to everyone in your address book.

These are the two possible ways which you can do while opening any suspicious mail on your computer.

1) A policy of never opening (for example, double-clicking on) an e-mail attachment unless you know who sent it and what the attachment contains.

2) Installing and using anti-virus software to scan any attachment before you open it on your computer.

* These are the two best examples of email virus:-

1)The Melissa virus macro virus

2) The ILOVEYOU virus are among the best publicized of recent e-mail viruses.

Each of these also spawned copycat variations with different words in the subject line.

[Trio]

Computer viruses come in many forms and can cause various kinds of damage to your system. Fortunately, most viruses are easily dealt with and effective methods for eliminating them are often developed as soon as the viruses are discovered. If you think your computer may be infected, take any necessary steps to clear your system and avoid infecting other computers.

* Follow these steps to get rid of viruses:-

1) Visit your virus-scan software manufacturer's Web site and install any virus updates that are available. Then run the software. The software may not be able to delete the virus, but it may be able to identify it.

2) Search the Web for information regarding your specific virus by typing the name of the virus or its associated file into a "Search Engine" followed by the word "virus." For example, "Melissa virus," "BubbleBoy virus," etc.

3) Download and install any patches or other programs that will help you eliminate the virus. Or follow any instructions you find on deleting the virus manually.


4) Run another virus scan to make sure the virus has been dealt with properly.

[Techno01]

If you are having a doubt in your mind that your computer is been affected by trojan virus, then follow the below steps:-

1) If you think your computer was affected with an e-mail virus that mails itself to people in your e-mail address book, contact those people and tell them not to open the messages or attachments.

2) Web based email usually has built in virus scanning so viruses never reach your machine.

3) Generally, deleting the file that caused the virus isn't sufficient to eliminate the problem, since many viruses can create new files or corrupt existing files. Your best bet is to use anti-virus software or specific online instructions.

4) Avoid sending out any e-mails until you have properly eliminated the virus. Many viruses can attach themselves to outgoing messages without your knowledge, causing you to unwittingly infect the computers of your friends and colleagues.

[Jackson2]

Here's 3 easy things you must do right away:

1] Do A Virus Scan Immediately

To get rid of the virus you should run your anti-virus program and do a full system and registry scan. This can often identify the nasty virus and then "quarantine" it to prevent it infecting other parts of your system.

2] Do You Know What The Name Of The Virus Is?

Sometimes the name of the virus can be identified through your anti-virus program or it identifies itself through certain actions or dialog boxes. This can be extremely useful, as a quick look online can yield the exact solution to get rid of that particular virus. If you're using Windows, then Microsoft will have all the latest info and download patches to get rid of recent viruses.

3] Run Another Virus Scan To Check

Running another scan will enable you to verify that the nasty virus has been taken care of, and you can rest assured that it should not cause any further problems. Performing regular scans every week or so is good practice to limit the potential of any returning virus.

* Helpful Tip:

Be careful about what you download, particularly if you use Peer-2-Peer sharing networks or Torrent sites. Hackers and other rogues often hide malware and viruses in these kinds of files, as most folks wouldn't expect it. Even if the file is coming from a friend, they may have downloaded it themselves and not realised that it contained the malware.