Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 6, 1995                   TAG: 9509060115
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DON'T LET CREEPY VIRUSES MESS UP YOUR NEW WINDOWS

No? If you're one of the hundreds of Roanoke-area PC users who has just installed (or hired someone else to install) Windows 95 - which has no built-in anti-virus capabilities - you may want to party with Symantec Corp., the software company that created several anti-virus programs, and Norton Utilities, a program that can restore lost files and repair disks.

For one day only, Symantec is offering its new AntiVirus for Windows 95 software free for the downloading. Just go to the Symantec forum on CompuServe and type GO SYMANTEC. Click on the Norton AntiVirus Forum and then on the button that says "Download Norton AntiVirus for Windows 95." The new program will be sent to your computer.

Like anti-virus programs before it, AntiVirus for Windows 95 first scans for any viruses on your PC and then gets rid of them. Earlier versions of Windows had built-in anti-virus capabilities, so they don't need additional software. Because Windows 95 runs under a different operating system, any anti-virus software you were using likely won't run well once you upgrade.

If you download the program during the promotion, you won't get an instruction manual or any of the fancy packaging that comes in stores (where it'll run close to $80). You can, however, get free technical support from Symantec for seven days.

But what if your computer seems perfectly healthy? Do you need to bother with anti-virus software?

Think about it in terms of human diseases. If you don't plan a trip to Africa, you probably won't need a malaria shot.

It's the same with computer viruses. Your computer can "catch" a virus if you copy infected software from someone else, then install it on your PC. If you're positive your computer is free of viruses, and if you don't plan to copy anyone else's software, you may be fine without any anti-virus protection.

"It all depends on how you use your computer," said Tim Hanley of Compu-Tech Services Inc., a Roanoke computer consulting and sales company. "The biggest concern is when you're copying files from somebody else."

Once detected, viruses sometimes can be removed before they can hurt anything, Hanley said. Many viruses are programmed with an execution date, and if these are caught before that date, no harm is done. If the virus already has taken effect, files may be corrupted and the hard drive may crash. When this happens, the only remedy is to reload all software from clean versions. In the process, you usually lose the infected data.

Because it's difficult to know whether a PC is infected - the symptoms aren't always immediately distinguishable from run-of-the-mill computer glitches - an anti-virus program may be a wise investment, especially if you use your PC frequently.

You don't necessarily have to spend a lot to get reliable anti-virus insurance. Hanley recommends two inexpensive anti-virus programs that are available over the Internet as shareware: McAfee's Scan and Clean, which registers for $30, and F-Prot, for $20. You can try out either one for 30 days before paying the registration fee. Neither has released a version for Windows 95 yet, but Hanley said he expects to see upgrades soon.