WARNING SIGNS THAT YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED!

Beware the signs of a potentially malware-infested PC:

Slower-than-usual performance

Lots of pop-ups, and other weird issues.

It’s possible your system has been infected by a virus, spyware, or malware.

This happens every day: You’re working on your computer and start noticing annoying pop-ups displayed on your computer. And, it takes too long for your files or computer apps to load. 
You wait and wait . You might ask yourself:

 “Does my computer have a virus?”

Unfortunately, the answer might be “yes” and your computer could be already compromised with viruses or malware that are slowing down its activity and performance.

This is one of the signs that show your PC might suffer from a malware infection. There are more of them you need to be aware of and understand, so you can quickly take action.

I will show you the warning signs of a malware infection and what can you do about it.

“My computer applications run slow lately and it takes longer than usual to start”

If you’re dealing with this, it could indicate the presence of viruses on your computer. It’s frustrating to try to use a slow computer. It is a known fact that one of the malware’s main symtoms is to slow down your operating system, whenever you’re navigating on the Internet or simply accessing your local applications.

Scenario 2: “I keep getting annoying ads that are opening randomly or strange messages on my computer’s screen”

Unexpected pop-ups which appear on your screen are a typical sign of a malware infection on your computer. This form of malware is known as spyware and is designed to collect and steal users’ sensitive data without their knowledge.

The main issue is created not only by the numerous pop-up windows that affect your Internet browsing but also because it is quite difficult to remove them from the system.

These pop-ups are not only frustrating, but they usually come bundled with other concealed malware threats and could be far more destructive for our systems. They could be disguised as legitimate programs and actually track your web browsing data or monitor your online activity to collect passwords and other personal information.

We strongly recommend to NEVER CLICK on a suspicious pop-up!

Try one of these free spyware removal tools to get rid of those annoying pop-ups or strange messages.

Here is an article with the best FREE anti-virus and anti-spyware tools available. 

For malware infection: run a complete scan on the system with a good antivirus product.

Also, to better keep your computer away from malicious threats, make sure you use these security measures:

Do not click on pop-up windows

Don’t answer unsolicited emails or messages

Be very careful when you are trying to download free applications from various websites.

Scenario 3: “My laptop keeps crashing when I do XYZ..

It simply freezes, then a blue screen shows up”

It crashes many times and got that popular BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

Then it restarts and says that Windows was recovering from an unexpected shutdown. This also may be a malware issue.

My recommendation is to run an anti-virus product, preferably from a bootablr CD, DVD, or USB key. Use an automated cleaning session using a specialized program like CC Cleaner which is free and will  automatically scan missed and unused registry keys while doing a backup of your data before the actual cleaning.

First of all, install the CCleaner program, click the Registry icon (as displayed in the image below), select the items you want to delete, then Scan for issues and a list of potential issues will be generated. After the scanning is done, you can review the list and click on Fix selected issues to solve the outstanding Registry issues. You will be asked to backup changes.

 “My homepage has changed and I don’t remember doing it myself”
If you noticed this unusual behavior or a new toolbar showing out of nowhere, or you’ve been redirected to a different web address than the one you’ve initially accessed, they could be signs of a malware infection. It usually happens when you visit a website and you accidentally click on a link or a pop-up window. This triggers the unwanted software to download and install on your device. Its effects are not only annoying, but also malicious. 

What to do? Run a complete scan with your security software as soon as possible. Why? Because these type of threats don’t go away easily.

It is also important to rely on another layer of security on top of antivirus to better fight against online threats and proactively block them. If your programs or your system crash constantly or the infamous BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) appears regularly, it’s a clear warning that your system is not working properly and you should look into it.