QOTD: Has a Virus Ever Infected Your PC?

Once in a while, there's always a major outbreak of computer viruses. This year, the Conficker virus is making the rounds.

Simply put, computer viruses don't play on vulnerabilities of the operating system, they play on the inexperienced. This is of course, unfortunate. Several years ago, viruses were the only hot news in terms of malicious software. Now, spy-ware, ad-ware and other forms of malware are the hottest topics.

Even if you're experienced and savvy with computers, there are always going to be friends and family members that are not so experienced with how to handle themselves around a computer. It's always easier to trust people we know, and virus writers know this. I personally hate receive emails from anyone that asks me to check out a cool or funny slide show. It doesn't even matter if it's from my family--the email goes into the trash right away.

Then there's simply normal email. Not enough people know how to use the BCC (blind carbon copy) field in their email client when sending out emails to multiple recipients. This frustrates the heck out of me.

The question of the day is: Has a virus--or other nasty adware--ever infected your computer?

Let me know what you use to protect yourself, if anything.

Personally, I haven't used an anti-virus for nearly a decade. It all boils down to knowing what to keep an eye out for. But sometimes, just sometimes...