- Can data files be infected?
Usually not. The exception when data files contain executable code, which can be infected by viruses. A good example of this is a Microsoft Word file (.DOC, .DOT). Although Word files are technically data files, they may contain macros, which are executable and therefore susceptible to infection.
- What are rescue disks?
Many anti-virus and disk repair utilities can generate a (usually bootable) rescue disk for a specific system. This requires a certain of care and maintenance, especially if you make up more than one of these for a single PC with more than one utility. Make sure you update *all* your rescue disks when you make a significant change, and that you understand what a rescue disk does and how it does it before you try to use it. Don' t try to use a rescue disk generated on one PC on another PC, unless you' re very sure of what you' re doing: you may lose data.
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