There are times when your computer starts running poorly or doing strange things for no apparent reason. These problems can often be caused by your computer being infected by one of the many viruses out there. If you’re worried about your computer read through our list and check out our advice for identifying warning signs and removing the cause of the problem.
1) Sluggish performance
If your computer becomes slow, it is possible there are one or more viruses infecting your system. Viruses absorb processing power meaning your computer has less power to perform the tasks you ask of it. Spyware viruses are quite common and unwanted programs run invisibly in the background, monitoring your computer activity.
2) System start up
If your computer takes a long time to start up, there may be an issue with unwanted programs loading in the background. These programs are called malware. To check the programs that run on start up open the start menu, navigating to Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Run, type in “Msconfig”.
It is best to let an antivirus program uninstall malware programs, after which you should see your system start up sequence shorten.
3) Tool bars in your web browser have appeared
Often these are covers for spyware, with the job of monitoring your web browsing habits. To be sure there is nothing more malicious going on, run an antivirus program.
4) Pop up warnings
Ignore any pop ups that say something like “…infected, click here to fix”. This could be a trick to encourage you to run a malicious program on your system. These programs could by anything from spyware, to more serious viruses designed to steal personal data.
5) Your browser’s home page has changed
Your browser has been compromised and it is likely that malware is operating in the background, monitoring your activity or stealing personal data. Close your browser and do not open it again until you have run an anti-virus.
6) You can’t open ‘Task Manager’
Viruses can prevent you from disabling the program by manipulating registry keys to prevent the task manager from functioning. Remove the virus using an anti-virus and then run ‘system restore’ to return the system to normal.
7) Folder options have disappeared
If a virus has infected your computer, its files will lurk somewhere on your hard disk. It is common for viruses to reside in a hidden folder and can disable the folder options application to prevent you from spotting the folder.
8) Windows’ Registry Editor has disappeared
Many viruses will prevent you from editing the system registry as an act of self-preservation. Remove the virus using an anti-virus and then run system restore to restore the system to normal.
9) Your CPU is running at 100%
Modern CPUs rarely run at 100% capacity for long. If you can’t access the task manager you have a virus (see above), but if you can see the CPU running at 100% for sustained periods you probably have a virus.
10) You have downloaded a file from an untrusted website
If you accidentally download a file from the internet, it may be too late as the program could have already auto-executed on your system, installing some form of malware or virus.
There are other problems that can affect your computer, and the best advice is to run an antivirus thorough the system to check for any malware and/or viruses. If this doesn’t resolve the problem then it may be a good idea to take it into a specialist shop to have them check for problems and hopefully fix them.
Have you faced any other virus infected signs that affected your computer ?
Image Credit: supermako
16 comments
Well during these days my PC is most affected by startup virus so the only i performed is format the PC. But thanks a lot for the informative post.. i wil try all your tips once.
Sluggish performance is the first sign of a virus attack..What frustrates me the most is that i’ve the latest version of kaspersky installed and still a couple of malwares manages to skip through
Before read your post i was completely unaware about all these sings or alerts i should keep in mind. Now we are living in digital era and everyone use computers in every field of business therefore there is more need to keep our systems secure.
One time my computer restarted several times and just can’t do anything to fix it. I formatted the system to get it back. If you have virus you can see the file named regex in the task manager.
I totally agree with this sentence “If your computer becomes slow, it is possible there are one or more viruses infecting your system.” because it is a common problem to all users. Sometimes, anti virus is not an assurance to keep your computer safe.
Oh no, I don’t like all these signs… I have to bring my computer to see a virus doctor if I have any of these signs!
Dan Richard, which anti virus are you using?
Hi guys, thanks for your comments. I’m glad I managed to highlight a few issues that people weren’t aware of before. I also blog at http://www.knowthenet.org.uk if you need more information on viruses and spyware.
Aaaarrgh, I hate viruses. I am forever sorting out friends and families computers, I keep protecting them and trying to teach them what to do but they are forever hassling me. Great post, I’m going to save this to my favorites and hand it out to friends and family. Thank you, Jamie.
I think every PC user needs to know how his PC performs. So when he will see any odd situation he’ll understand if his PC affected with virus or not
We need to take care of viruses as these will for once eat up all your data and will definitely create a problem.
The annoying thing with most viruses I have found is to really clean them out you have to restore your system. Which is a time consuming and painful process. I really wish there was a way out there to really prevent them as antivirus seems to always be a tad behind the virus makers.
It is always necessary to scan our computer for viruses as it may damage our valuable data. I am free edition of antivirus. And it my programs safe.
Well the first sign of having a virus to our computer is slow working and opening the application at slow manner and booting too.
The first i do when my computer is caught by a virus is just format.. because i can’t bare it..
thanks for the tips.
Yes the virus was the Headache….but from nw on words i have a good anti virus,which protect my computer and it is runing smoothly……
I also format my computer many times,as the virus occurs…
thnks for your sugession
I hate viruses. AVG anti-virus is very great bro.
Thanks for sharing these signs. I feel good because my computer is not encountering these problems as of now:) Actually, it’s a good thing in order for us to be aware. Weekly scanning of anti virus is a great help to maintain the performance of our computer.