A computer file is a collection of data that has a name (called the filename). When we want a computer to remember data, say some text, formulas, images for later use , we store it in a file .A filename is just the name that a user or program titles the file To make it easier to sort through our files.Almost all the information on a computer is stored in some type of file. data file (contains data such as a group of records); executable file (contains a program or commands that are executable); text file (contains data that can be read using a standard text editor).
The name itself doesn’t affect the contents of the file, so even if a video file is named something like image.mp4, it doesn’t mean it’s suddenly a picture file.It is the extension that matters.The computer keeps track of additional details, like when the file was last updated, the type of file, and who’s allowed to edit it. That’s called metadata: the data about the data.
Files in any operating system are stored on hard drives, optical drives, and other storage devices. The specific way a file is stored and organized is referred to as a file system
The first attempt of any anti-virus product is to repair the damaged files or sectors of the disk. However, if the anti-virus does not know the method of repairing the infection then it isolates the infected file to quarantine for a possible repairing in future. If a virus is found to be too dangerous or the file is severely damaged then the antivirus may decide to delete the infected file.
Thus the actions are generally configured in a sequential order, such as, repairing the file (most preferred), quarantining the file (if cannot be repaired) and deleting the file (least preferred).
The anti-virus uses various methods to remove the virus and repair the file to bring it back to its original form. This Removes the infection from the file but does not actually delete the file itself. This is the best option if you need to keep the file.
Quarantine computer file
Sometimes the anti-virus knows that the file is infected but does not know how to disinfect it (nor has a copy in backup). In such cases, the anti-virus puts the file into the quarantine, meaning it isolates it in order to prevent it from contaminating other parts of your computer. An infected file in quarantine, it deletes the file from its original location and makes changes to it so that it cannot run as a program.
This is the worst out of all the options that an anti-virus may resort to. When a file is totally damaged or infected by dangerous viruses then the anti-virus decides to delete it. Deleting a file may result in non-functioning of an application or Operating System.
Quarantined files cannot harm your computer but they do still take up valuable space on your hard drive.In case an antivirus can not repair it, it is best to delete it from the computer.
