In terms of symtoms, what is the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial infection?

Bacteria generally cause pain, fever, swelling and colorful prurulence (yellow, brown, green, blue, yes blue [anaerobic]) and are often more serious than viruses. Bacteria usually affect a single area such as the lungs, ears, urinary tact, sinuses or a wound bed, to name just a few. The symptoms of a viral infection vary with the specific virus -- varicella causes chicken pox which has different symptoms than those of rhinovirus, which causes colds or influenza which causes flu.

Some of the symptoms of infection are the same - fever, malaise, pain, etc. However bacterial infections usually produce red, inflamed tissue along with pus. Bacterial infections will start at one particular area (a cut, a boil, a lung) and can then spread throughout the body in the septic phase. Viral infections tend to affect entire systems at once (the respiratory system, the immune system, the nervous system, etc.). Rashes and weeping sores are also common with viral infections.

high fever is more indicative of common bacterial infections, than of viral infections

Viral infections are caused by viruses. Because they aren't technically living a viral infection is harder to treat and harder to actually catch - think AIDS which needs straight methods of transmission. Where as a bacterial infection moves very fast and can do damage quickly because they are living creatures and are way easier to catch. But they are also usually easier to treat because you can actually kill them - think syphilis which can be treated and destroyed by penicillin.

Well, viral infections tend to have a faster onset, they go to bed fine, maybe a slight unwell feeling then wake up in the middle of the night with an extremly high temp of 103. Viral infections have tons of symptoms but you can't "locate" the problem, no sore throat, ears don't hurt, nothings red, no discolored nose drainage. A bacterial infection you tend to see the problem coming, each day you'll feel worse and worse and usually, if your properly trained you can locate the problem, ear infection, strep throat, sinus infection, they all are fairly easy to see, but ide say if you talking about your child, if you can't "see" anything wrong, and the onset was fast, it's probably viral