Protecting an externat hard drive?

[Bob]

I use an external USB hard drive for backup. If I get a virus, this drive
could be destroyed also?? Is there any way other then removing it to protect
it from a virus?

 

[Ben Jorna]

I use an external USB hard drive for backup. If I get a virus, this drive
could be destroyed also?? Is there any way other then removing it to protect
it from a virus?

Virussus don´t normally destroy drives, just files, although there are
exceptions.
Removing the drive won´t protect it from virusses. Some virusses stay
dorment for a while. During that period you may backup you files including
the virus, thus contaminating your USB drive. When you restore your backup,
the virus may become active and damage files on all drives. Therefore you
shouldn´t be concerned about the drive, but about your files.
You get the best protection when you use anti-virus software and when you
make backups on removable media (Zipdrive, CD-RW, etc.) ans never open
suspicious attachments.

Best regards,

Ben