Signs of a Virus Infection

There are some basic signs to look out for if you are concerned about virus infection. Some are obscure, many are obvious - there are even some viruses that actually tell you they have infected your machine!

 

Some common signs of a virus infection:

 

• Your system slows down. This can be especially noticeable if your machine is connected to a network.
• You see activity on your machine that you did not cause. For example, a disc drive light constantly flashing.
• An internal e-mail server becomes overloaded and slows down.
• Data files become corrupted or are missing.
• Programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel display a message advising that the file you're trying to load is not in the correct format.
• Unexpected changes to the content of files.
• Programs do not run, or function incorrectly.

 

If you experience problems such as these, don't panic! A Virus infection is not the only reason that these things may happen.

Anti-virus software is normally used to prevent infection, but it can also be used to determine if your computer is infected.

 

Running an online virus scanner such as...

 

Panda Software's Online Scanner or

Kapersky's Online Scanner

 

...can help detect a virus infection even if your regular anti-virus has been compromised

You can use the online scanner software to find out what you have been infected with.

If your system has been infected by a virus there is still no need to panic. Most viruses can be cleaned from your system, however if there are multiple infections or you have sensitive information on your computer your last resort / best solution may be to format the hard drive and re-install your software.

Prevention

 

There are several precautions you can take to help minimize the chances of your computer or network being compromised by malicious software such as viruses and spyware.

 

Anti-virus software - There are many free and pay / subscription based software packages available. Set the software to automatically update its virus definition files. New viruses are released everyday, by setting your software to update automatically this helps insure that you always have the most recent version of the software to help detect new threats.

 

Best Free: Avira Personal Edition - Avast Home Edition - AVG Free Edition

 

Best Pay: ESET Nod32 - BitDefender Anti-Virus - Kapersky's Anti-Virus

 

Firewall - A software firewall is a program that is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized internet traffic. Windows has its own firewall built-in while many Anti-virus software packages also come with their own.

 

Free Firewalls: Outpost Free Firewall - Comodo Internet Security

 

Anti-spyware / Anti-malware - Spyware and Malware installs and gathers information from a computer without permission, and reports the information to the creator of the software or to one or more third parties. It provides the consumer with little or no control over removing the software.

 

Most anti-virus suites come with built-in spyware / malware protection. Some are active at all times, constantly scanning for threats like your anti-virus software, while others are 'on-demand' and only detect threats when the program is run.

 

Recovery

 

Warning: It is always safer to call on a computer expert to perform procedures that you are not sure about. There is always a chance that you could disable your system and lose valuable data.

 

The information provided here is for educational purposes only. You are responsible for any changes you make to your computer.

It is strongly recommended that you make a reliable backup before making any changes to your computer.

"Backup Early - Backup Often"

Steps

Run your virus-scanner, but beware, many modern viruses can circumvent (or hide from) anti-virus programs. Quarantine anything suspicious.

Make sure you are using a reputable antivirus. Some good free ones are Avira AntiVir, AVG, and Avast!

Install MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and update it. Don't scan for malware yet.

Install SUPERAntiySpyware and update it. Don't scan for malware yet.

Reboot into Safe Mode - Restart your computer and press F8 before Windows loads. Press F8 several times if you need to. Select Safe Mode from the resulting menu. Safe Mode disables much of the startup routine (including some common Malware hiding places).

Run your Malware Scanners - Run both the scanners sequentially, deleting any references found.

Enjoy your sanitized computer.

Tips

Booting in Safe Mode is especially important if the malware is difficult to remove normally.

Removing malware often takes hours, days, or even weeks. Be sure you have plenty of time available.