Alcar, it's not Virii, it's Viruses.
And you probably only have one. And it is more likely a worm by the sound of it.
If it's a virus, then it should be really simple to remove. Just a matter of finding the file in the process list. But if the virus is cunning, then it will most likely be hiding in the memory. In which case, it's a job for McAffee.
Run a virus scan, then quarantine it. McAffee will then attempt to learn what the virus does, then it will look for damage matching the virus. If all goes well, then it should be able to undo the worm damage.
But if it isn't a worm, then it will be a virus that is causing programs to crash. Usually these viruses work within the system idle process, which fills the empty space in the CPU. It will take up the empty space, forcing CPU usage right up to 100%, meaning that no other programs ever get a chance to use it. It will constantly reset itself to run in "real time" so that it overrides the windows processor buffer dump.
For a virus to be able to do all of the above, it needs to have a file on the computer that initialises the process. To discover what this file is, you will need to start up the computer, and the moment windows XP loads, you will need to press CTRL+ALT+DEL and check out the process list. You should find a program in the list of processes with a suspicious name. Either that or it is using up alot of memory.
Either way, you'll find it.
Viruses are commonly mistaken for:
Trojans,
Trojans come in many forms, but mostly arrive disguised in programs, and start doing all sorts of nasty things, like erasing buffers, or even shutting down your PC!
Worms,
A kind of virus, the worm eats information, usually in system kernels or DLL files. The worst kinds are the ones that enter system buffers, disallowing the use of keyboards, mice, cdplayers and word processors.
Viruses are:
A virus is a program that takes up system resources. They'll fill up buffers, CPU's and take up all available memory. Effectively clogging the works of the computer until it grinds to a halt and crashes.
Viruses can be given to you by:
Downloading FILES. Viruses do not come in programs, programs merely load the virus, or give the virus access to the CPU and memory. It is a common misconception that completely blank floppy disks can contain virus infections. This is NOT true. A blank floppy disk can't contain a virus, simply because a virus is a file. Viruses can also come in the form of a program that uses up all the memory and CPU of a computer, but these are easily detected due to their open presence in the windows system.
You are more likely to catch:
You are more likely to catch a worm. A worm isn't an active file or program, it is actually just a chain reaction started by an exploited bug in a program. The chain reaction causes information to be randomly deleted. It is a bit like a domino effect. The falling dominos aren't actually the culprit, it's the finger that started it.
Hope this helps.
Experiencing Technical Difficulties
