Does my PC have an infection?

Viruses are the work of the worlds pieces of crap. I remember, a few years back, inserting a USB stick into our home PC infecting it like nobodys business. To make matters worse we had no internet and an out-dated anti-virus system. Viruses come in all flavors people, from the worms to the deadly Trojan horses, they range from simple pranks like pop-up messages on your screen to complete destruction of programs or data. And they’re getting tougher to control with time, even posing as your antivirus program and taking advantage of the security holes caused by software vulnerabilities. You definitely don’t want one getting into your precious computer!

So, how do I know if I have one?

• Your computer stops responding or locks up frequently.
• You get strange error messages saying that, for example, you cannot access certain drives.
• Your PC runs much slower than it used to.
• Your computer crashes and then restarts every couple of minutes.
• Some applications won’t run, some files won’t open.
• Hardware devices (like your printer) no longer respond to your commands or start acting out.
• Some menus and/or dialogue boxes look odd or distorted.
• There are fluctuations in the size of some files, although you haven’t accessed them in a while.
• Your firewall warns you that unknown applications are trying to connect to the internet.
• Your internet connection stops working or becomes very slow without there being a problem with your service provider or router.
• You notice files that have been deleted, encrypted or moved to a different location.
• The language in certain applications suddenly changes.
• New icons appear on your desktop out of the blue.
• Strange sounds or music start playing from your speakers unexpectedly.
• Your CD-ROM drive tray opens and closes by itself.
• The unused space on your hard drive disappears.
• Your computer opens internet sessions or applications on its own.
• Your web browser displays pages you haven’t requested.
• Library files for running games or programs go missing.

OH MY GOD! what do I do now????


The first thing to do is turn to your line of defence: the antivirus program. If you’re using a traditional, signature-based antivirus, make sure it’s active and properly updated and scan your computer. If your antivirus program doesn’t find a virus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got none.  But there’s no need to go searching for it yourself.  Just look for another antivirus solution to run on your computer and spot the problem. If it turns out a virus did get by your antivirus, chances are it hit exactly between the updates or it’s so new, its signature hasn’t been detected yet.

As always, PREVENTION IS BETTER!!!

Make a habit out of playing it safe. Pay attention to what you download and where you download it from. Never open attachments from sources you don’t know or trust. Don’t connect other people’s USB drives to your computer, even if they’re your friends, as they could have a virus infection without realizing it.

Always have an active and updated antivirus program installed on your computer. The more effective and modern it is, the better it will protect you against the waves of malware hitting the web every day.

Make sure all your other software is up to date. Vulnerabilities in the programs you use, like your operating system, are like unlocked backdoors for viruses, so it’s crucial to have them solved by getting constant patches and updates from the software vendor.

I've done a review on a good anti-virus system that you can read here. Cheers, Sam