THIS topic will help computer users with devices which are irritating them due to a number of issues to be discussed.
You are wondering why your computer is malfunctioning and irritating.   It is so irritating when your computer is not performing exactly the way you want it to.
What I mean is the things that you have always been doing all of a sudden become slow, windows start to pop up when you have not opened them, programs begin to give you errors or your internet bundles get finished within a short period of time.
You might not be aware of what is causing the computer to malfunction.
Business houses hire Information Technology (IT) professionals who manage the systems with specialised tools and are able to notice any activities on the network and computer devices. Unfortunately, some home users remain vulnerable to virus and malware attacks.
The significance of this article is to help the readers assess and determine the condition of their computer device and apply recommended actions to minimise the risks of being attacked by viruses. You do not need to be an expert to appreciate the performance of your computer but to be aware of the threats and take preventive measures.
I want you to know that you are the best and in the first line of defence to virus attacks by what you allow and deny on your computer system.
A virus is a set of instructions or software that destabilises the performance of your computer. It is a program designed to malfunction or create malicious activities on your computer sometimes with or without your consent. Generally, users ask how these entered their computer.
You may also want to know how your computer was infected. You want to know how to clean and protect your computer. Simply if your computer connects to internet, Universal Serial Buses (USB), and connectivity devices then your computer is exposed to malicious programs. Without an updated antivirus, chances are high that there could be a virus on your computer.
Let me put it into this metaphor similar to what they say “if you had sex with someone in the past without using a condom, go for an HIV test”. I will say it this way in another way “please if you have connected any devices to your computer system, run a full virus check-up or scanning”.
If you have connected your computer device to any public network or maybe you visited an untrusted internet café, I recommend you read this article to the end because that is where you will find some possible solutions to your computer problems.
Therefore, the most secured computer is the one which is not connected to anything, it has no USB drives, no network card, and no other peripherals or no external device connected to it.
However, the user of this kind of a computer will still have issues of not benefitting more from other different resources. To answer on how your computer got a suspected virus.
You might have infected your computer by using a USB, downloading an infected attachment, visited infected website, installed malicious software or you do not have updated software patches.
There is generally nothing wrong with performing such tasks on your computer, what is wrong is when you do not know what you are connecting to or where you are connecting to and what you are downloading.
If your computer happens to have been exposed to the above either knowingly or unknowingly, chances are that there might be a virus in your computer.
This proves my point to liken my idea to HIV testing. Depending on how your computer behaves, I have a list of signs to help you determine the status of your computer by comparing with what is listed below.
Knowing the symptoms and getting the treatment at an early stage have proved to be fruitful than starting to deal with the problem when it has caused more damage. However, the old adage says that prevention is better than cure.
Let us look at the symptoms, but still I emphasise on prevention. Take proactive measure not to allow a virus enter your computer. Some viruses may not have a cure but only to contain them or possibly to format your hard drive which may also result into data loss.
Signs your PC might have a virus
• Your computer response gets slower, even on few applications open.
•You receive pop ups unexpectedly and unexplained error messages.
•Your computer crashes frequently.
Your computer will restart itself.
•Some programs will unexpectedly begin to open or close.
•You notice messages in your outgoing or sent email folders that you didn’t send.
•Sometimes you may receive delivery failure notifications from contacts you did not communicate to.
•Your computer will be taking longer to start up and shut down.
•You will notice an unexpected loss of hard disk space or flash storage.
•Your Web browser frequently closes for no obvious reason.
Blocked access to some computer security websites.
You will notice short cut icons.
How to remove a virus from your computer
If your PC has shown the signs listed above, there may be ways to resurrect it.
Use updated antivirus or anti-spyware software to scan your hard drive to find and clean it. Sometimes, some types of malware will block your antivirus software to run. I recommend licensed versions in this case.
There are many different packages on the market such as Microsoft security essential, Norton, AVG, McAfee, Kaspersky, Eset, and many others which you can choose from depending on your budget and preferences.
Be reminded that some antivirus do not give one hundred percent guarantee protection.
Often, virus or boot malware hides from security software by creating a malicious rootkit. Again I recommend a licensed detecting package because I believe there is nothing like something for nothing sometimes something free has a hidden cost.
Set your personal computers firewall to its maximum-security level. This will require you be notified, track the traffic before applications accesses internet.
Any repeated requests from the same application might be a sign the application is a virus.
Scan to identify a malware, check all for associated suspicious files and remove it.
You are not going to like this one, but here goes: If you have discovered your computer has a virus and you want to make sure you are completely clean, you should completely format the hard drive or portable drives and re-install the all systems software.
Make sure your important files are backed up first.
After you back up, clean and restore your system and verify to make sure that all data is correct with no signs of vampires.
Staying clean if your computer has a virus, it is likely because you opened a malicious file or installed an application you weren’t sure about.
To reduce the risk of your computer being compromised again, keep your antivirus software running with updated patches and adjust your firewall at required level.
Check emails with file attachments carefully; you can notice it was not meant for you by the improper spellings titled, language, and other grammatical errors.
Delete spam email messages without opening them.
Do not download applications if you have any doubt about the source.
If you can take these basic preventive measures though not in any particular order, then you will have more time to enjoy working on your computer without any irritations.
The best antivirus which can secure your computer device 100 percent is not yet realised if at all is there. The best way to protect your computer is to have the necessary competence; I do not mean to become an expert but preventing your activities from inviting attacks.
Viruses do not just invite themselves into your computer, they will only be allowed in by certain actions being performed on your computer either knowingly or unknowingly.
The basic solutions provided in this article will only become true if you applied them. You are the target to permit viruses into your system but the knowledge shared remains your responsibility to minimise and prevent your computer from virus attacks.
The Author is an ICT Expert|Consultant.
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