If you do - and you know how to update them on a regular basis... this thread is NOT for you! You are the computer users that are part of the solution, not the problem! And you know who you are!! THANK YOU!

BUT - if any of the following apply to you, then you PROBABLY are not protected. And you may NEVER be protected unless you understand what it TAKES to be protected. I didn't!! In 2000, I wound up with a kak.worm virus...
I needed help. Most of my help came from my sister (who does tech support for the State of Texas) I didn't UNDERSTAND... but a detailed explantion from someone who could help me (based on my level of pc experience) was critical. And all it took for me to correct this!

LIST 1 - For those who don't and/or have never had Anti-virus software:

If you do not have and have NEVER had Anti-virus software... YOU PROBABLY ALREADY have a virus. PERIOD. You might have 10 of them... who knows?

Symptoms include:
IF your computer won't boot up or shut down correctly, or freezes up regularly forcing you to reboot, you may have a virus. (these are also symptoms of other problems... but if you don't have AntiVirus software... if the problems get worse over time, it probably IS a virus.
The reason your pc makes you "re-boot" is because some viruses "thrive", feed and NEED this activity to grow. Healthy software doesn't do this... it is the VIRUS. Some viruses NEED you to do frequent reboots to further infiltrate your system

IF you boot up and see brief error messages - like a keyboard error or it can't find your monitor, or you see "system" errors, you probably have a virus.

IF you have "registry errors", you probably have a virus.

These are just SOME of the "subtle" warning signs of viruses... and if you are not an experienced pc user, you probably need some "Virus 101" (some help) to help you understand what your computer is telling you.

How do I define an "inexperienced" pc user?
This has NOTHING to do with being able to send an email or post a message or sell on Ebay.
IF you don't know the diference between a .dll, .exe and .bmp file - then by MY standards, I'd have to say you fall in the "inexperienced" level of pc users.

LIST 2: IF YOU HAVE Anti-virus software - but fall into any of the follwing catagories...

If any or all of these apply to you -
IF you do not know what a .dat file is...
IF you do not know how to update your dats...
IF you don't know if you update them or not...
IF you don't update on a regular basis (I do it DAILY - but weekly is probably good enough) or
IF you simply don't KNOW you are getting your updates...
then you may not (and probably are not) protected.

IF you have Anti-virus software that came with your computer, but have never updated your dats... you are not protected

IF you are not PAYING to have your dats updated, unless you are in a free subscription period and you KNOW you are in such a period... sorry! but you probably are NOT protected.

IF you had your Anti-virus software professionally installed more than A WEEK ago, and don't KNOW for sure (maybe by seeing a message pop up saying "your updates have been installed and you are protected")... GUESS WHAT?? You probably are NOT protected.
IN ONE WEEK, the best installtion money can buy can be WORTHLESS if you don't "update your .dats"

See... at this point in your pc use, if you don't know if and how an anti-virus program works and is updated, you need a phone call...
It's too hard to explain everything here because of people's varied levels of pc-experience.

If ANYONE is unsure about whether they are protected... PLEASE allow me to call you - or you can call me.
PLEASE - I'm not just offering this "to be nice", but in hopes that the more people who understand how Anti-virus protection works, we can all help REDUCE the threat of spreading viruses.

We do THREAD AFTER THREAD on this board about Virus Protection... yet I am AMAZED that some people still don't have or think they need Virus protection.

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE IS NOT "OPTIONAL" ANYMORE.
IF YOU ARE ON THE INTERNET AND DO NOT HAVE OR USE ANTI_VIRUS SOFTWARE CORRECTLY, IN MY OPINION, IT IS AS IRRESPONSIBLE AND UNFAIR TO OTHERS AS DRIVING WITHOUT VEHICLE INSURANCE