Often, older computers run painfully slowly. Our last post had a few great tips for speeding up your PC, but if none of them work, it’s time to consider whether or not you’ve been hit with a virus. Many viruses don’t declare themselves or completely break your computer. Instead, they use your computer and the personal details they can find for criminal purposes. We’ve come up with three helpful tips to help you figure out if you need to contact IT support.
1.
Is there an increase in internet traffic across the network? If your computer is accessing the internet when you know you haven’t been using it, overnight for example, that is a definite indication of malicious activity on your PC. If you’re suspicious, make sure you install monitoring software so you can check to see what your computer or network has been doing while you’ve been away.
2.
Does your computer crash or freeze frequently? Worse, do all the computers on the network do it? Many people think that crashes are down to a hardware or software problem, which is most likely to be the case, but it’s also worth considering whether or not your computer has been infected when normal fixes don’t do the trick. If you can’t find any other reason for the crashes, consider having your PC checked by your favourite IT company or the IT support at your business.
3.
Is anything else suspicious? If your credit card is used by others yet you’re sure your data hasn’t been leaked in other ways, it may be spyware on your PC. Perhaps your phone bill shows calls that no one made, or your phone has sent far more text messages than you sent out. If you’ve had your phone on you the entire month, this is truly suspicious and it’s worth running an antivirus computer to try and find the virus.
If your antivirus software hasn’t detected the virus, it may be worth contacting your manufacturer. If your computer’s warranty is up, it may still be worth consulting an IT firm. A fix may be less expensive than a new computer, after all. Next time I’ll have a few tips for the adventurous user who wishes to detect the virus himself, but if you’re at loose ends, I hope this guide will help you start working out what’s gone wrong with your PC.