The Computer Guy

	FeedBack (see below)	THU 12/14/00
...changing the world, one computer at a time. Today's Site Need RAM Memory? (great RAM site... type in your brand of computer) Did you know that... ...because he felt that such an important tool should be public property, English chemist John Walker never patented his invention -- matches. Today's Animated Gif Email Your FeedBack The Computer Guy (and if you want to be removed from this daily mailing, just email me with "REMOVE" as the subject of the email.)	Today's Pic A Rose For Helen by The Computer Guy CLICK to enlarge BACK to return	Today's Word PRINTER DRIVER A program that controls a printer. Whenever you print a document, the printer driver takes over, feeding data to the printer with the correct control commands. Most modern operating systems come with printer drivers for the most common types of printers, but you must install them before you can use the printer. You can also download updated drivers from the printer manufacturer's Web site.

A reader (who is a diehard Gore supporter) submits the following comment regarding yesterday's Daily Pic entitled "DOVE"...

"I sincerely hope that, in his speech this evening, VP Gore releases a dove of peace . . . and that it flies directly over the heads of Rehnquist, Scalia, Thomas, Baker and Bush."

The word virus is inherently scary. Since the Michelangelo virus was first reported in 1991, computer viruses have been a hot topic.

But don't be frightened. Here's what a virus can and can't do and how to avoid them.

A virus is a bit of computer code that is capable of replicating and spreading to new files and computers. Although many viruses can immediately begin damaging computer files, they certainly don't need to have this quality to be defined as a virus. Many typically wait until certain conditions are met. For example, the original Michelangelo virus looked for the date March 6 before it became malicious.

Most virus writers want their viruses to spread to as many computers as possible. If a virus crippled the newly infected computer immediately, it could never spread very far, and ultimately the potential for widespread damage would be very much reduced.

The best way to protect yourself from computer viruses is to update your antivirus software and avoid opening attachments. Run an antivirus program that utilizes "on-access" scanning, such as Norton AntiVirus. This type of scanning occurs constantly in the background. Every time you copy a file to the hard drive, run a program, open a document or open an email, the files are automatically checked to see if they contain a virus. You're only notified if the program finds something suspicious.

A tip to the wise: Be especially careful with programs (i.e., files that end with a ".exe" extension) that you download from the Internet or exchange with others. This is an easy way to spread viruses. Only open an attachment if you expected to receive it and need to use it.