Computer Viruses? What really is it?

written by Roderick Hames

One might think of a computer virus as a tiny computer program designed to

perform mischief. Most computer users have heard about computer viruses. A
computer virus is the result of a destructive program that someone has written and
placed inside a computer program, which unsuspecting people then place in their
computer system.

Some viruses can erase all the information from the place where it's stored on
the computer's hard disk. But each virus is different. Some display strange
messages on your computer screen; others make small changes in your computer
programs.
 Where do these viruses come from? They certainly don't float around in the air
like some human viruses. Instead, like any other computer program, a human
must create them.

Why do people create them? It's hard to say. Some people create these
programs out of meanness to get even. While others create them just as a
challenge. Why do you thing people create these very destructive programs? How
does your computer get a virus? Almost exactly the way humans do. The computer
gets exposed to one. Well, its not quiet that easy.

Many people get contaminated computer programs by trading programs with

other people. Others get contaminated computer programs through the use of
modems, which allow computers to communicate over telephone lines (ie. The
Internet)

Most of the time, programs that arrive by modem or a trade are perfectly safe
to use. However, you do stand a chance of getting a program that has been
tampered with. Here a computer program virus is hiding inside the normal
program. Many computer programs that are traded were copied illegally.

When this program enters your computer through your input device, it hides in
your computer's memory and starts to duplicate itself like a disease. When you
save your data, you also save the virus. Slowly but surely, the virus crowds out
your data and causes major system problems.

The virus can't affect the computer's ROM (Read Only Memory), but it can
affect RAM (Random Access Memory) and your computer disks. When your
shut off your computer a virus that has been picked up will be lost, just like any
other memory that is held in RAM.

If the virus is on your disk or hard drive, it will return to the computer when
you use the program again. If you switch from one program to another without
shutting down the machine, the virus will attach itself to the new program. In this
way, it can slowly infect all your programs before you know that it exists. Today
millions of dollars are being spent to rid and protect computer systems from these
virus programs.

Commercial and shareware programs have been created with the sole purpose
of detecting and fixing suspect programs that might be viruses infected. These
detection programs should be ran when any disk is put into your disk drive or
every time your computer is first started up each day to scan the computer's hard
drive.
Hardware and Software

Computers are made up of hardware and software. Hardware is the

tangible, physical equipment that can be seen and touched. Examples
of hardware are things such as the keyboard, printer, monitor, and
computer chips.

Software is a package of instructions that tell the computer what to do

also known as an application or short for app. Software are things such
as

Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Windows, Sim City, or Chrome. People

who write software (instructions that tell the computer what to do) are
called programmers.

1. a. What is hardware? ________ b. What is software? _________

Programmers write instructions, or programs, to the computer so that

it is able to execute a task or operate properly. A program can be defined
as a series of detailed step-by-step instructions that tell the computer
precisely what actions to perform. Many people are making money
writing apps (or programs) for the I-phone and Android phones.

2. a. What is a program? _____________ b. Who writes

programs? _____________

Many people believe that computers can do just about anything and
that their level of sophistication requires a genius to program and run
them. In reality, computers are very simple devices that can perform
basically only four functions. A computer can
(1) store data and programs, (2)

follow a set of steps or commands, (3) do simple and complex

arithmetic calculations, and (4) perform logical comparisons. What
makes the computer such a powerful device, given only these four basic
functions, is its tremendous speed, its accuracy, and its ability
to store vast volumes of data.

3. Name two things that make computer such a powerful part of our life
today? _______________________
Memory - Chips (internal) - thumb/Flash Drives
(external)
The computer must be given instructions (code), in the form of
software (program), which tell it exactly what to do. The instructions
that the computer follows are stored in locations known as memory. For
simplicity purposes think of memory in two categories:
(1) The computer's Internal memory (ex. microchips: RAM, ROM)
(2) The computer's External memory (ex. thumb drives, hard drives,
cloud storage: ie. Dropbox)

The computer's Internal memory which is composed of computer chips

is divided into two types: RAM (random-access memory)
and ROM (read-only memory). RAM's primary purpose is
totemporarily store programs given to it by a programmer or operator
of the computer. This type of memory
is temporary because it is erased when the computer is
turned off (powered down). In other words, all the information
in RAM is erased when the computer is turned off. It is called
random access because the processor can jump directly form one
location to another in random order as the program is needed. RAM
holds programs such as Microsoft Office, browser software like Chrome,
and Internet Explorer or whatever program the computer is currently
running. It make the computer run fast when the program is stored in
RAM and not on the hard drive. This is why it is very important to
always buy a computer with plenty of RAM to ensure your computer
runs at a fast speed.

ROM's primary purpose is to store important instructions that the

computer will reuse over and over such as what to do when the computer
is turned on and how to control specific requests made by the
computer. ROM is permanent memory
that can not be changed or erased. This is why it is called Read-Only
Memory.

4. a. ROM stands for: ____________ b. RAM stands for:

__________________
5. What happens to RAM when the computer is turned off? _________
b. Why is it important to buy lots of RAM when shopping for a new
computer? _____

Input and Output devices

A hardware device which enables the computer to accept data is called
an input device. The most common example of an input device is
a keyboard. Other commonly known input devices include amouse, bar-
code scanner, camera, stylus pen, touch display screen, and speech
recognition device.

A hardware device which reports computer information in a form we

can understand is called an output device. The two most common forms
of output devices are monitor, and printer. Other examples
include sound or music speakers or earbuds.

6. What is the function of an input device? _________ Give an Example:

________________
7. What is the function of an output device? ________ Give an
Example: ________________

Processors
All computers do processing by following a series of instructions in a
software program. The computer chip that receives and carries out these
instructions is called the processor. All computer systems, regardless of
size or manufacturer, have processors (also referred to as central
processing units or CPU).

The processor performs many different functions. It receives and

temporarily stores instructions as well as the data to be processed.
It moves and changes stored data. It does arithmetic calculations. It
makes decisions of logic, such as determining if two numbers are equal.
It directs the action of the input and output devices. The CPU is often
referred to as the brains of the computer system.

8. Name one function of the processor?

______________________________
9. What is the CPU often referred to as? ______________________