While viruses are capable of damaging systems, they cannot
do the following:
Viruses
don't infect files on write-protected disks.
Viruses
don't infect compressed files. However, applications within
a compressed file could have been infected before they
were compressed. Some viruses are known to insert copies
of themselves in already-created archives.
Viruses
don't infect computer hardware such as monitors or computer
chips; they only infect software. They can, however, damage
certain types of hardware such as flash-memory.
Macintosh
viruses don't infect DOS-based computer software, and vice
versa. For example, the Michelangelo virus does not infect
Macintosh applications. Again, an exception to this rule
are the Word and Excel macro viruses, which infect spreadsheets,
documents, and templates which can be opened by either
Windows or Macintosh computers.
Viruses
usually do not identify themselves as viruses, even after
they do something destructive. Script-based viruses and
Windows 32-bit viruses represent the newest growth area.
