[germainebull]

In today's world, computer viruses and their variants are widespread. Some particularly malignant viruses can render your PC unusable. Have you ever accidentally downloaded a virus that totally grounded your PC?

[oldbuddy]

I did many years ago and it was devastating, not even considering I lost many files that were never recovered. That's why I switched to Linux for my online activities.

[MeowsePad]

I've never had a virus render my computer unusable. I guess that I've been lucky. The only time I've ever gotten anything that did a significant amount of damage was one time when I accidentally had Windows Updates disabled. I got a piece of ransomware and had to format my hard drive and reinstall Windows.

[sprite1950]

Yes, I knew nothing about computers or viruses at the time as I was new to the online world. I've learned a lot since then. My computer came to a standstill and in the end I couldn't even start it up as the start button disappeared. Luckily I had a friend who was able to sort it out but I'm very wary of downloading anything these days.

[IcyFirefly]

We came close to the death of our desktop back in the early years when we first got internet. After that, I am weary of downloading anything, and always have antivirus on, plus firewall and such. Two years ago when I desperately needed to make money, I also listened to a close friend and signed up with those PTC sites. A huge mistake was learned by both of us as we brought our laptop to a stand still mode

[FuZyOn]

I installed a keylogger when I was younger and it absolutely wrecked my PC. I'm glad I wasn't old enough to have a PayPal or credit cards because that would've definitely been bad for me.

[germainebull]

From your comments, I guess all of us have unwittingly downloaded malicious files onto our computers. It appears that experience is a good teacher in this case.

[AngelicDevilTel]

I have never had one render my computer useless.
They have all been pretty annoying especially Rogue AVs but I have learned how to deal with those.

I switched to Linux some years ago so no viruses but I do still deal with those pop-ups trying to scam windows users into thinking that they do have a virus.

[oldbuddy]

I switched to Linux some years ago so no viruses but I do still deal with those pop-ups trying to scam windows users into thinking that they do have a virus.

I get a good laugh out of these too, almost as much as when I get a phone call saying my computer has been sending them signals from my Windows system.

[AngelicDevilTel]

I get a good laugh out of these too, almost as much as when I get a phone call saying my computer has been sending them signals from my Windows system.

Some people fall for it which is why they keep doing it.
But individuals such as yourself and I know better.

[suny]

I have had this situation but it was not as bad which I could not handle it myself. Had it been severe or beyond my control I am sure I would have found a way to get rid of it with the help of experts.

[oldbuddy]

I have had this situation but it was not as bad which I could not handle it myself. Had it been severe or beyond my control I am sure I would have found a way to get rid of it with the help of experts.

I would rather use a free copy of Linux than pay for experts later on. (Even if I had to spend $100 for another computer to do it on)

[bestwriter]

In today's world, computer viruses and their variants are widespread. Some particularly malignant viruses can render your PC unusable. Have you ever accidentally downloaded a virus that totally grounded your PC?

I have an anti virus software kaspersky that warns me about suspicious sites and hence never had any such problem

[oldbuddy]

In today's world, computer viruses and their variants are widespread. Some particularly malignant viruses can render your PC unusable. Have you ever accidentally downloaded a virus that totally grounded your PC?

I have an anti virus software kaspersky that warns me about suspicious sites and hence never had any such problem

You need to add one word to your post, YET! I can't even count the number of friends that have been crippled by infections while they are running anti-virus programs that slow down their computers.

[cessy_08]

You need to add one word to your post, YET! I can't even count the number of friends that have been crippled by infections while they are running anti-virus programs that slow down their computers.

It is always the case, isn't it? I think virus developers (whatever they are called) are ALWAYS one step ahead of antivirus software.

[thisnthat]

In today's world, computer viruses and their variants are widespread. Some particularly malignant viruses can render your PC unusable. Have you ever accidentally downloaded a virus that totally grounded your PC?

I have an anti virus software kaspersky that warns me about suspicious sites and hence never had any such problem

I really like Kaspersky. It saved us a total wipe when we got something bad years ago. It also looks for and warns against anything suspicious instead of waiting for a particular virus to show up. It does sometimes give a false positive, but I prefer that to waiting until there is an actual virus or something.

[darkthorn]

Oh yes so many times, even with an antivirus sometimes the PC gets infected. In the past I had several problems with virus and malware than I learn my lesson and started to be more careful with the sites I visit and the files I download. Nowadays I have no troubles at all with it.