Does My Computer Have The Flu and How Do I Treat It?

I don't know, does your computer have virus symptoms? Use this information to diagnose and prevent infection of your own computer. Or, you could ask using "please".  :?)

Common malware infection symptoms may include:

• Your computer seems significantly slow.
• Home page in web browser changed automatically.
• Strange problems within Windows – things just don’t seem to work normal.
• Unknown icons on your desktop.
• Excessive pop-up activity.
• Unusual messages that display warnings on your screen and prompt you to immediately purchase random software to clean-up the problems.
• The connection lights on your high speed modem blink excessively, even though your not using the internet.
• Common items such as the start button, mouse pointer, desktop icons, etc disappear from the screen. 

Preventative steps include:

• Install a proven security software suite.  When shopping for security software make sure that it includes firewall protection.
• Run a complete virus scan on the computer weekly.  This operation is performed through your security software, many of which also offer the ability to schedule automatic scanning.
• Make sure that the virus definitions for your security software are up to date.  Most security software is setup to automatically update the definitions, but some require user initiation of updates.
• Be sure to renew your security software subscriptions.  If you purchased your security software, the subscription is typically valid for one year, at which time the subscription must be renewed, or the software will fail to work properly, thus leaving your computer system vulnerable to malware attacks.
• Run Windows Updates. This can be setup to happen automatically or manually. Either option is the user’s choice, but the updates need to be downloaded and installed. These updates can close the door to many potential threats to your computer’s operating system and programs.
• Be careful and cautious with Internet use. Clicking on every “free” offer that is available will put you at risk for malware infections. Freeware software not only gives you “free” use of the software, but can also initiate “free” excessive pop-ups and other malicious activity that the user is commonly unaware of. It is always good practice to purchase needed software from a trusted vendor.
• Caution should also be practiced when opening email. Only open email or except attachments from trusted sources, and delete any items that you are unsure about.

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