What are signs you have a computer virus?

Viruses now days don't want you to know they are on there. If anything seems weird like random popups computer seems to be sluggish. There is no easy way to tell if you have been compromised unless you are an expert. Best thing is to run Spybot and make sure you have anti-virus and running. I run mine every night about 2am.

can be many signs, pops, homepg changes, all on its own, voices from the PC, CDrom opens on its own, runs slow, shuts down on its owns, runs like a snail and the list goes on
here is a list of free:
SIMPLE STEPS TO
DOWNLOADING
VIRUS & SPYWARE PROTECTION
(& steps for protecting PC)
For XP


AVG FOR VIRUS PROTECTION
AVG anti FOR SPYWARE, MALWARE, ROOTKITS
BOTH FOUND AT http://www.grifsoft.com or go to yahoo and enter in search box -
AVG
VIRUS PROGRAM

1. FIRST STEP GO TO YAHOO AND TYPE IN: AVG FREE DOWNLOAD

2. CHOOSE THE ONE THAT SAYS :AVG FREE ADVISOR - FREE ANTIVIRUS AND ANTI-SPYWARE DOWNLOADS (should be about the 3rd one down) CLICK IT
(avg-anti spyware is also for mal-ware and root kits- this one also works in safe mode F8)

3. ONCE THAT PAGE OPENS YOU WILL SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF PAGE FREE BASIC PROTECTION AND A ORANGE BOX THAT SAYS DOWNLOAD, CLICK IT

4.NEXT PAGE OPENS YOU WILL SEE PRODUCT COMPARISON, GO TO THE ONE ON THE FAR RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM, SEE WHERE IT SAYS FREE AND ANOTHER ORANGE BOX, CLICK IT

5. CLICK CONTINUE TO DOWNLOAD ANTI-VIRUS DOWNLOAD ONLY, CLICK THOSE WORDS

6. NEW PAGE OPENS WITH DOWNLOADS ON IT, SEE THE ORANGE BOX AGAIN SAYS DOWNLOAD NOW AT DOWNLOAD.COM AND YOU ALSO SEE 5 RED STARS, CLICK THE BOX

7. LAST STEP, NEW PAGE OPENS, CLICK THE DOWNLOAD NOW BOX AND WHEN THE NEXT BOX OPENS CHOOSE SAVE TO DESKTOP AND LET THE DOWNLOAD BEGIN, SIZE IS 31.45MB

ONCE YOU DONE WITH THIS FILE MOVE IT TO A FOLDER IN MY DOCUMENTS IN CASE YOU NEED IT AGAIN

Now for your next layer of protection download the following also but remember you can only run one program at a time, but each of these will fine things the other didn’t.

Spybot search & destroy found at www.safer-networking.org
DOWNLOAD
SPYBOT
SEARCH & DESTROY

ONCE YOU HAVE TYPED www.safer-networking.org THE YOUR SEARCH BAR IN YAHOO

1. IT WILL LOOK LIKE:
SpyBot Search and Destroy (S &D) CLICK

2. CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE - EXAMPLE ENGLISH

3. AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE WHERE IT SAYS DOWNLOAD - CLICK

4. LOOK DOWN THE PAGE TO WHERE DOWNLOADS START, YOU NEED THE FIRST ONE IF YOU HAVE VISTA AND WORKS FOR XP AS WELL SpyBot-Search and Destroy 1.5.2 CLICK DOWNLOAD

***NOTE
(For those who are looking for version 1.4 it’s the 5th one down, it does not work on Vista, but does on XP) click download

5. NEXT PAGE OPENS CHOOSE A MIRROR SITE I TEND TO USE SAFER-NETWORKING LTD CLICK DOWNLOAD HERE

6. BOX OPENS CHOOSE SAVE AND DO SO TO YOUR DESKTOP OR TO YOUR DOCUMENT FILE AND OPEN AND RUN FROM THERE
FILE IS 9.27MB

Superantispyware found at http://superantispyware.com
SUPERANTISPYWARE
DOWNLOAD

ONCE YOU HAVE TYPED http://superantispyware.com YOUR SEARCH BAR IN YAHOO

YOU WILL SEE:
SuperAntiSpyware.com- AntiAdware, AntiSpyware, AntiMalware CLICK

1.LOOK FOR BIG BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE SAYS DOWNLOAD FREE VERSION HOME USERS - CLICK

2. NEXT PAGE SCROLL DOWN, AGAIN LOOK FOR THE BIG BLUE BOX SAYS DOWNLOAD FREE VERSION HOME USERS - CLICK

3. NEXT PAGE DOWNLOAD SHOULD START AUTOMATICALLY
5.64MB VERSION 3.9.1008

****NOTE
(if it doesn’t start at once look at the top of the page for a light yellow bar, its basically a security bar, click and choose allow, it usually has to do with Active X)
If still does not open look on the page under the words Download progress:
If the download does not begin shortly please (click here is in blue)
Click it

4. DO SO AND A BOX OPENS, SAVE TO DESKTOP OR MY DOCUMENTS, OPEN AND RUN FROM THERE

And finally go to this web site for this program to clean up your internet history, cookies, browser history, recycle bin, IE Explorer, etc all the boxes can be preset and basically in 4 steps you can clean computer. It does so well that disc clean usually only will find 32-100MB after its done
http://www.snapfiles.com go to the freeware section, look for Internet Cleanup, then look for the software called IE Privacy Keeper
IE PRIVACY KEEPER
DOWNLOAD

WHEN YOU TYPE WWW.SNAPFILES.COM IN YOUR YAHOO SEARCH BOX THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE WHEN IT OPENS

Snapfiles - software reviews, download freeware and trial programs - CLICK

1. WHEN THE PAGE OPENS LOOK FOR A TAB AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE THAT SAYS FREEWARE - CLICK

2. WHEN PAGE OPENS SCROLL DOWN AND FIND INTERNET CLEANUP TOOLS - CLICK

3. WHEN PAGE OPENS SCROLL DOWN TILL YOU SEE THE PROGRAM SHOULD BE LIKE ABOUT THE 14TH ONE DOWN - CLICK THE BLUE DOWNLOAD BUTTON FILE SIZE IS 1128kb

4. NEXT PAGE OPENS IF DOWNLOAD DOESN’T START LOOK FOR A LIGHT YELLOW BAR AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE, CLICK THE OPTION TO ALLOW TO OPEN, USUALLY HAS TO DO WITH ACTIVE X

***NOTE
If for some reason still doesn’t start click the blue words click here they are in the middle of the page in tan box.

5. WHEN THE BOX OPENS SAVE TO DESKTOP OR MY DOCUMENTS, OPEN AND RUN FROM THERE.

Last but not least do Defrag at least 2 times in a row even if program says not needed, as XP Defrag program isn’t the best and needs to be run more often.

And also go to http://www.glaryulitilies.com for free registry repair programs
GLARYULITILIES
DOWNLOAD

GO TO www.pcworld.com

1. WHEN PAGE OPENS TYPE IN THE SEARCH BOX - REGISTRY REPAIR PROGRAMS - CLICK GO

2. LIST WILL OPEN, SELECT THE SECOND ONE - GLARY REGISTRY REPAIR (ITS FREE) CLICK IT

3. NEXT PAGE, YOU WILL SEE A RED ARROW AND DOWNLOAD NOW IN BLUE WORDS - CLICK 1.30MB

4. NEXT PAGE BLUE BOX DOWNLOAD FREE REGISTRY REPAIR NOW- YOU CAN CLICK HERE BUT REAL SLOW
(works on 98, XP, ME, 2000, 2003, Vista) just not 64 bit supported

5. For a faster download click where it says - mirror here

6. NEXT PAGE IF IT DOES NOT START IN 5 SEC LOOK FOR A SECURITY BAR, WHICH IS LIGHT YELLOW AT TOP OF PAGE, CLICK THE OPTION TO ALLOW

IF FOR SOME REASON IT STILL DOESN’T USE THIS OPTION:
LOOK FOR THE LINE THAT READS
CLICK HERE IF IT DOES NOT

7. BOX OPENS SAVE TO DESKTOP OR TO MY DOCUMENTS AND OPEN AND RUN FROM THERE


or to http://www.snapfiles.com and to their freeware section to find them also.
(can only run one virus program at a time on a PC but you may have as many spyware programs as you wish as long as you run only one at a time, and only one firewall)

A GREAT FREE ONE IS ZONE ALARM FOUND AT www.snapfiles.com under the freeware section, personal firewalls.

put anti virus in your system daily scan the computer.

When it doesent seem to respond to the mouse as fast or processing is slower .Go to downloads.com and get for free (adaware).It will clean most minor problems.

When you switch it on does it ever say 'Windows' anywhere, that usually means there will be something seriously wrong somewhere. Sorry, no, erm, your computer will probably run really slow, and your memory and processor usage will be through the roof for no apparant reason. Your best bet is to use an AV package to scan your PC, AVG is free and has always worked for me:

http://www.grisoft.com/avgfree

It might also be worth downloading something like Ad Aware and checking for malware and spyware.

Insane amount of pop-ups

Hi Girlygirl, yes I agree AVG has a free program to install and it's great. I love it.

If you have a virus it will get rid of it.

First time you may want to do a FULL run. Then later, once a week do a QUICK run.

Make sure you update it on a regular basis.
Good luck to you. Don't delay. Install free AVG from AVG.com.

It can be almost anything, mostly your computer slowing down. But if the desktop is changing, documents missing.. or things pop up randomly it's possible that you could be infected.

you're computer is really slow

Some signs of computer virus infection:
*sudden slow computer performance
*weird characters appearing on word processors
*slow internet connection
*slow startup

A virus always resides within a particular file or a folder.
it gets activated only when you open that file or else it does not affect your computer in any case.
the different signs may be-
1.your file contents will be deleted to a great extent.
2.may be your file would be renamed by some other name and you will not find your file.
3.some files or folders will not open if you double click on it.
4.sometimes even you might see your file ,even open it but the file would be empty.
5.your file contents would be changed to some kind of a code..

Do not misinterpret between A virus , A worm and A trojan horse...all three are different s/w's...the similarity between these three is that they all are MALICIOUS S/W's...

When your system is running really slow, your antivirus will not work or programs are getting errors alot.

When your computers slackens down,when many windows start poping up and when a program takes a long time to open.

Good question. Thanks for the great answers.

Your mouse keeps sneezing ;0)

If your computer has been running slow or just not performing as well as it did when you first purchased it, you owe it to yourself to find out the cause of your problem. One possibility is that have a computer virus. Viruses can wreak havoc on your computer's performance, and it is important that you know what you are up against. Here is a "computer virus" definition, along with 5 signs you have one.

What a Virus Is:

A computer virus is a program that can copy itself and spread across one or more computers when they are connected to a network without the knowledge of the user. Viruses can be particularly tricky to remove from your computer because they can self-modify or change over time as they copy themselves.

Fortunately, viruses can only spread across multiple computers if an uninfected computer is connected to a network, or if the computer gets connected to infected media such as a USB drive or a CD.

Do you suspect your computer might be infected with a virus? Look for these tell-tale signs:

1. Computer is running more slowly than usual:

If your computer runs slowly upon start-up, you may have a virus. Common signs are having to wait a long time to perform simple tasks such as checking e-mail or opening files. In really serious cases, your mouse pointer may even lag as it moves across the screen.

2. Locks up or crashes frequently:

Does your computer frequently just stop working or otherwise lock up, causing you to have to restart your computer? This phenomenon is also called freezing or freezing up. If your computer locks up often and/or suddenly, a virus could be the culprit.

3. You cannot access your disks:

If you are having trouble accessing your internal hard drives or external disk drives, your computer may have a virus. For example, if you click on your directory and cannot gain access to your disks, this is a tell-tale sign you may have a virus.

4. You cannot print items correctly:

Printer performance an also be affected by the presence of a virus. For example, if your printers are not accessible or if the printing results are not satisfactory, this could be a sign of a virus at work.

5. Your anti-virus software is disabled for no apparent reason:

Most computers ship with anti-virus software pre-installed. The best anti-virus products should be more than sufficient in keeping your computer protected. However, you know you have a serious problem if your anti-virus software itself seems to be repeatedly disabled upon start-up or when you try to run a virus scan. The most dangerous viruses can actually try to block your anti-virus software from working properly (for obvious reasons), which effectively renders your computer open to all potential invaders.

Viruses are not the only things that can cause performance problems for your computer. Other common causes are malware, adware, spyware, and registry problems. If your computer is not performing properly, you should explore all possibilities, including these other common causes of degraded performance.