Given the discreet manner in which computer viruses tend to hide in a
PC, identifying whether a system is indeed virus-infected could well be
an uphill job. However, considering the erratic way your PC has been
behaving lately, if you feel that the system might have been infiltrated
by a malicious agent, it is best to check if the computer actually has a
virus or the problems are sparked by some other issue.
After a virus invades a system it might remain indiscernible in the PC
for a long time before it actually carries out its malicious activity.
Often, by the time users run a virus removal
scan, the invader spreads considerably and already implements its
harmful activities. Fortunately, there is a number of tell-tale signs
that you can watch out for which are usually a clear indicator of virus
infection. Continue reading to know about some of the common signs of a
virus infection and if your PC has been displaying these issues for some
time now, virus infiltration is a strong possibility.
Watch out for the evident changes
In case if you notice some significant changes in the desktop or the
usual manner in which your computer operates, virus infection might
indeed be one of the reasons. If any application has been deleted from
your desktop or the position of the icons has been changed, your system
can be virus-infected. In addition to this, presence of a new toolbar on
the web browser is also a tell-tale sign of virus invasion.
Go to the Control Panel and then click on ‘Add or Remove Programs’
heading. Take a look at all the applications that are installed and
check if you see any program not installed by you. Many viruses have
this tendency of installing other applications that are likely to
trigger additional problems in the system. So, in addition to getting
the virus removed, to fix computer’s security problems you also need to
delete the additional applications.
Test the speed
One of the most obvious signs of virus infiltration is a slow computer
that is unable to deliver proficient performance. Initially when a virus
invades a computer, the system might become slightly sluggish, however,
after a considerable time the PC might become too slow to operate. In
some cases, disconnecting the Internet might boost up your system’s
speed. But if the virus infection is too severe, Internet disconnection
would also fail to make any difference to the computer’s speed. If at
any point of time you require expert assistance while mending a slow PC,
take online computer help.
Check your security application
If your antivirus software has become outdated or has been disabled, it
is evident that the security tool would be ineffective in keeping the PC
well-protected. At the same time, also take a closer look at the
firewall and the Windows updates to see whether the by any chance the
settings have been changed. Malicious viruses can disable a security
application to gain greater access into the system. For full protection,
choose a software that has spyware removal ability as well.
