Computer Viruses

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have reproductive ability.

A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software), including true viruses.

Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda.

Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious.


Most personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local area networks, facilitating the spread of malicious code. Today's viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging, and file sharing systems to spread.

Fred Cohen is an American computer scientist and best known as the inventor of computer virus defense techniques.

In 1983, while a student at the University of Southern California's School of Engineering (currently the Viterbi School of Engineering), he wrote a program for a parasitic application that seized control of computer operations, one of the first computer viruses, in Leonard Adleman’s class.

One of the few solid theoretical results in the study of computer viruses is Cohen's 1987 demonstration that there is no algorithm that can perfectly detect all possible viruses.

He has many other works related to computer viruses.

Apple Computer

Apple Computer, Inc., major manufacturer of personal computers with headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple designs, produces, and sells personal computer systems for use in business, education, government, and the home. Its products are sold in more than 120 countries and include personal computers, printers, monitors, scanners, software, and networking products.

Apple was formed by Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak in 1976 to market the Apple I, a computer circuit board that they had designed and built in Jobs’s garage in Los Altos, California. They scrapped their plan to sell the board alone when Jobs’s first sales call yielded an order for 50 units. They were, however, sold without monitor, keyboard, or casing.

The company was incorporated in January 1977 by the charismatic Jobs, the meditative inventor Wozniak, and their new partner and chairman, Mike Markkula. Markkula brought credibility, maturity, engineering and product management experience, and an extremely broad-based knowledge of the business world, as well as investment cash of his own and contacts among Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists.

Markkula also recruited all of Apple’s outside board members and lured away managers from other major high-technology firms, including Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and National Semiconductor.

Computers and Technology

"Quantum computers may one day be thousands to millions of times faster than current computers. "

Computers will become more advanced and they will also become easier to use. Improved speech recognition will make the operation of a computer easier. Virtual reality, the technology of interacting with a computer using all of the human senses, will also contribute to better human and computer interfaces. Standards for virtual-reality program languages—for example, Virtual Reality Modeling language (VRML)—are currently in use or are being developed for the World Wide Web.

Other, exotic models of computation are being developed, including biological computing that uses living organisms, molecular computing that uses molecules with particular properties, and computing that uses deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the basic unit of heredity, to store data and carry out operations.

These are examples of possible future computational platforms that, so far, are limited in abilities or are strictly theoretical. Scientists investigate them because of the physical limitations of miniaturizing circuits embedded in silicon. There are also limitations related to heat generated by even the tiniest of transistors.

Intriguing breakthroughs occurred in the area of quantum computing in the late 1990s. Quantum computers under development use components of a chloroform molecule (a combination of chlorine and hydrogen atoms) and a variation of a medical procedure called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compute at a molecular level.

Scientists use a branch of physics called quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of subatomic particles (particles that make up atoms), as the basis for quantum computing. Quantum computers may one day be thousands to millions of times faster than current computers, because they take advantage of the laws that govern the behavior of subatomic particles.

These laws allow quantum computers to examine all possible answers to a query simultaneously. Future uses of quantum computers could include code breaking (see cryptography) and large database queries. Theorists of chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics are now working to determine the possibilities and limitations of quantum computing.

Communications between computer users and networks will benefit from new technologies such as broadband communication systems that can carry significantly more data faster or more conveniently to and from the vast interconnected databases that continue to grow in number and type.

Computer Engineering

Computer engineering is for those interested in building and understanding computer hardware, digital systems, and computer hardware systems. While most people are aware of computers in the form of personal computers and web servers, most electronic devices contain several small computers or microprocessors (try operating your newer vehicle when the "computer" fails).

One current trend in computer engineering is microminiaturization. Using VLSI, engineers continue to work to squeeze greater and greater numbers of circuit elements onto smaller and smaller chips. Another trend is toward increasing the speed of computer operations through use of parallel processors, superconducting materials, and the like.

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

The largest and most diverse field of engineering, it is concerned with the development and design, application, and manufacture of systems and devices that use electric power and signals. Among the most important subjects in the field in the late 1980s are electric power and machinery, electronic circuits, control systems, computer design, superconductors, solid-state electronics, medical imaging systems, robotics, lasers, radar, consumer electronics, and fiber optics.

Aspects of electrical engineering are found in almost every consumer device or appliance. For example, such consumer technologies as cell phones, personal digital assistants, MP3 and DVD players, personal computers, and high-definition TV each involve several areas of specialization within electrical engineering.

Other technologies,such as the internet, wireless network connections, medical instrumentation, manufacturing, and power distribution -- technologies most people take for granted -- also involve some area of electrical engineering. In fact, it is difficult to find an industry where electrical engineers do not play a role.

Because electrical engineering has so many facets, there are many areas of specialization within the discipline. Our department has a high degree of expertise in electromagnetics and wave propagation, optoelectronics, digital signal processing and communications, power electronics, nanostructures and devices, controls, and computer engineering. Students may pursue specialization in these areas through elective courses.

What is EECE?

Electrical engineers and computer engineers today are involved in the development and enhancement of nearly every aspect of our lives. As technology becomes ever more pervasive in our everyday lives, electrical or computer engineers are increasingly in demand by a wide range of industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the growth rate in jobs among computer engineers from 2000 to 2010 to be 24.9% or 15,000 jobs; electrical engineering jobs will grow by 11.3% or 18,000 jobs. So what are the differences?

Virtually unknown just a few decades ago, computer engineering is now among the most rapidly growing fields. The electronics of computers involve engineers in design and manufacture of memory systems, of central processing units, and of peripheral devices (see Computer). Foremost among the avenues now being pursued are the design of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) and new computer architectures.

The field of computer science is closely related to computer engineering; however, the task of making computers more “intelligent” (artificial intelligence,), through creation of sophisticated programs or development of higher level machine languages or other means, is generally regarded as being in the realm of computer science.

One current trend in computer engineering is microminiaturization. Using VLSI, engineers continue to work to squeeze greater and greater numbers of circuit elements onto smaller and smaller chips. Another trend is toward increasing the speed of computer operations through use of parallel processors, superconducting materials, and the like.

Computer Problem to dealwith

Good maintenace to our computers.

When we have problems with our computers, we call computer technicians to repair them.The technician will then troubleshoot the computer to determine the error or damage. One case that a technician usually encounters is no-monitor display. When this happens, the technician checks the cable connections first.

• Is the power supply connector attached to the monitor? he may also check the monitor controls. The brightness and contrast controls may be turned down. He can also inspect the video card inside the CPU to see if the card is loose or dusty. after the trouble has been identified, he fixes the computer to return it to its original working condition.

Make sure to have a License Computer Technician to provide good maintenance to you personal computer. The computer is, our Heart and Soul to promote and explore our business,

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