Posted on February 12th, 2010How well do you know your computer? Are you able to tell when it is processing information by the sound that it makes? Are you able to predict how long the hard drive light is going to flash when you press a certain button? If you are, then that means that you have a pretty good rapport with your system. This is pretty normal. When you use any tool, such as a hammer, long enough, you are able to tell some of the quirks and tendencies that go along with it. This is the same for people who use their computer for a long amount of time. They are able to tell when something is wrong with it. It might be that the program took too long to start up. Or that the document is taking too long to close. No matter what it is, you can tell that something is off with your computer, even if you are not a technician.
If a computer is acting funnier than normal, you should really use an anti virus program to check and see if anything has been able to get into it. A person that is more experienced with being able to tell if a virus has infected a computer or not, would be able to get a good ideal about the problem through reading certain signs. But if you are the average computer user, then you might not be able to tell exactly what’s wrong. You will just have a feeling that something is off. Running an anti virus check on your computer will help you put aside these fears. You may have the misconception that all viruses will cause major damage to your system if it is infected. This is only the case with some infections. Others will sit there and quietly gather information about you. After a set amount of time, it will then release that information to the person who created the malware. From there, they might sell your information to criminal organizations or use it themselves.
There are a couple of different ways that you can tell if something may be running, without your knowledge, on the computer. This doesn’t mean that it is a virus, but if they show any of these signs, make sure that you run an anti virus just to double check. The first sign is that your Internet/Network data transfer light may be flickering rapidly. If you are not using the browser or any other kind of Internet related program and your light is moving rapidly, then something may be wrong. Again, double check to see if there are any other programs that you have been running. If they are not, then you should run a scan. Another sign that something may be wrong, is if you just started up your computer, and it seems to still lag after everything is loaded. When you have loaded all of the start up programs, the computer should run with no problems. If it is lagging, then there might be a problem. Again, this is another good case to scan your computer with an anti virus.
If you have even the slightest concern that your computer has become infected, then you should check it with an anti virus right away. There is no reason not to. If there is something that is lingering in the background and gathering information, you won’t know about it until it is too late. Also, before you check for this virus, make sure that your anti virus is updated. You do not want a new virus to be able to slip through the cracks.