Contracting a virus isn’t something you should be embarrassed about—it happens to everyone. But letting a virus stay on your system long enough to do serious damage—now that’s embarrassing. I’ve found a site that can help.

The AntiViral ToolKit Pro (AVP) Web site is a great resource for system administrators, even those who don’t use Kaspersky Laboratories’ antivirus software packages. This Web site hawks several antivirus software utilities for Windows 95/98, NT/WS 3.0.132, DOS 3.0.131, and Linux-based computers—several of which are designed specifically for Internet servers.

As you’d expect, you can download evaluation software, upgrades, and virus library update files from the site. You’ll also get e-mail support and report viruses, and you can subscribe to a free, weekly newsletter on AVP programs and updates, find virus FAQs, and track down known problems and incompatibilities for Kaspersky Laboratories software.

AntiViral Toolkit Pro offers virus alerts, updates, advisories, and more.

One of the best features of this Web site is that it freely provides lots of information about viruses. You’ll find virus alerts and advisories, a special Virus Watch List of recent prominent viruses on the Internet, virus FAQs, and most importantly, the AVP Virus Encyclopedia. This single resource alone makes the AVP site worth bookmarking. The AVP Virus Encyclopedia has been regularly updated on the Web since April 1996.

You can search this encyclopedia with a search engine or browse it alphabetically by virus name or by virus category (such as boot viruses, macros, and polymorphics). Each reference includes detailed information that helps you identify various versions of a virus, the types of systems it affects, and the damage it does.

You’ll also find information on Trojan horse programs, worms, and other malicious code. But perhaps even better, you can download a free WinHelp edition of the AVP Virus Encyclopedia for Windows 95-, 98-, or NT-based computers. And if you can’t find the information you’re looking for on the AVP Web site, you’ll find plenty of links to other antivirus resources, like the Computer Virus FAQs and the Computer Virus Myths Web site , as well as virus-oriented newsgroups.

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Swiss site: http://www.avp.ch/U.S. mirror site: http://www.usa.avp.chE-mail: info@metro.chWebmaster: webmaster@metro.chMap categories: Main page, AVP news, avp.ch Site History, AVP Info Mailing List, Download, Products, Support, TheLab, Virus Encyclopedia, Company ProfileDate started: December 1994Affiliations with other sites: NoneNow it’s your turn to review the AntiVirus Toolkit Pro Web site. Just click on Rate this Site!, and you can help separate the good from the bad from the ugly. It only takes a minute or two to complete your rating, so tell us what you think. Rate this site now!

Bruce Spencer covers e-commerce and other information technology topics regularly for TechRepublic. His WebReviews appear weekly on AdminRepublic.