Computer Viruses Can Increase .COM and .EXE File Sizes

Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
Article ID: Q58141

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows operating system versions 2.x, 3.0, 3.0a, 3.1, 3.11

If you have used all the standard procedures for installation and Microsoft Windows stops responding (hangs) or performs inconsistently, check the size of .COM and .EXE files to see if the size is within normal limits. Some computer viruses can increase the size of .COM and .EXE files. If Windows does not run properly after setting it up with the correct options, check these file sizes to determine if a virus has infected the system.

For more information on viruses, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   MS-DOS and VIRUS

KBCategory: kbother
KBSubcategory: win30 win31
Additional reference words: 2.0 2.03 2.1 2.10 2.11 3.0 3.00 3.0a 3.00a
3.1 3.10 3.11 Win30 win31 winword2 excel

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Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
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