One of the most common questions people ask is ‘how to speed up my computer’. Users often complain that programs take a long time to load. But the problem may not be just that your PC speed is not exactly top notch. Have you considered the possibility of a computer virus? There are a range of abnormal ways in which your computer may react to a virus, but how do you tell for sure whether or not your computer is infected.
If your PC is infected, it is important to detect the threat and take the steps to remove or quarantine the malicious agent. Finding a threat or a potential virus infection may be as simple as scanning your PC with a virus detection program. Although antivirus programs abound in the market, it is important to choose the right software since some newer viruses may not be detectable by certain antivirus programs. It is therefore vital that you keep your antivirus program upgraded to the most recent version.
Antivirus programs, however, are not the end-all of virus detection. The most significant indicator of a computer virus is unexpected system crashes or frequent restarts. Sometimes this may be followed by the blue screen display which most certainly signifies a threat. Other times, you might find that external disk drives do not work or installed drives are inaccessible. Random pop up messages, strange errors generated seemingly from nowhere, and even distorted dialog boxes may signal a virus sabotage. Most of these are merely signs of a possible virus threat, but they are definitely worth looking into.
Poor computer performance is also another sign of a virus. In some cases, it might be just some spyware or adware that is causing your PC to slow down. But this is not always the case, especially if defragmenting the hard disk or adding more RAM improves the PC speed, in which case a virus threat can be virtually overruled. Regardless of whether you suspect a virus or not, regular antivirus scans and system cleanup are crucial to optimal PC maintenance.