How to Tell If You Have a Computer Virus

October 25, 2016 9:33 am Published by

Viruses are one of the main things that we deal with – either removing them from infected computers, or preventing them in the first place. If you’re not a specialist or heavy tech user, it sometimes it can be difficult to identify a virus. That’s why we’ve put together a short guide on what to look for if you think there’s something wrong with your computer.

Alternatively, just give us a call and we can scan your machine and find out whether you have a virus or if there is something else causing issues with your computer.

What to Look For

You may have seen ransomware or other virus types on films, but there are many types of virus. Some are designed to blackmail the computer user, others are designed to take information from the machine, and others are just malicious without benefiting the designer.

You may have a virus if:

  • You aren’t running any programmes but the hard drive is constantly turning and the light is flashing on and off to indicate that it’s working (this is because the virus is running in the background)
  • Your computer suddenly takes a lot more time to start up each time you turn it on
  • Your modem transfer lights are blinking even when you are not running any programmes
  • You have a lot of popups coming up on your computer
  • Programmes start up or stop running without your input
  • Your computer freezes or is unresponsive
  • Your computer restarts by itself with no input from you
  • There are unusual error messages coming up
  • You cannot access the Control Panel
  • Your web browser default homepage is changed
  • Your files or folders move or are deleted
  • You notice new files or folders that you haven’t created

Some of these symptoms – such as taking a long time to start up – can mean that you just don’t have enough memory on the computer. If you are concerned about any of these symptoms, get in touch to find out how we can help.

 

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This post was written by Innermedia Ltd