8 Common Signs of a Computer Virus Infection

It happens all the time: You’re peacefully browsing the web, checking your email, or trying to get some work finished… when out of nowhere something strange happens with the PC! Is it something normal that you’ve just never witnessed? Is it just a harmless quirk with a program? Or could it be a malware/virus working its way into your computer?

For a lot of people, even those very experienced with operating computers, this can be a real tough situation. Computers are so deeply ingrained in our lives that having the PC in an unworkable state, or out for repair can really throw a wrench into the works.

Even if you’re already confident with your antivirus software, it can also be difficult to justify starting a resource intensive scan if you’re in a rush to get something done, or if you need to pack up your laptop and head out.

That’s why we get asked about warning signs that might indicate something more sinister like a malware or virus infection as opposed to the occasional bizarre PC hiccup. Considering how often this comes up with customers, we thought we’d share a list of some symptoms that indicate it’s time to have one of our technicians perform a free remote diagnostic.

Missing security software –

This one is quite common, but it can be hard to notice unless you actually check because most antivirus solutions tuck themselves neatly into the cluster of other icons in the system tray [This is the area next to the clock in the lower right corner]. A virus is looking to infect your PC as thoroughly as possible, so it stands to reason that its first target would be the antivirus you already have installed. If something suspicious occurs, take a second to ensure your antivirus is still intact and enabled. Then, if possible, start a scan.

Being redirected while browsing –

A redirect means that your browser is being sent to a place that you weren’t necessarily trying to navigate to. While this can be perfectly normal in some cases, it’s also a telltale sign that you’re infected. Judging the site you’ve been sent to is the best way to know if it was a legitimate redirect. For instance, a redirect to a strange software sales page, advertisement page, or adult page typically means your computer has been compromised.

Having a different homepage –

This one can be tricky. A lot of times options to change your homepage will be included while installing programs, or visiting certain websites. In cases like those, there isn’t reason to consider a malware infection. Just like the redirect issue mentioned above, the new homepage should be used to gauge whether you should just revert to your old homepage or take action by giving us a call for a free remote diagnostic.

Being unable to access some or all websites –

Situations where you can’t access the internet can occur for many different reasons. Malware or virus infections are certainly a common culprit. They can be designed to alter system settings to prevent internet access. Many times there are workarounds for this issue that our technicians can walk you through over the phone before connecting remotely to handle the virus itself.

Missing icons –

This is another popular symptom as of late. If you notice that your desktop icons, files, shortcuts or programs within the start menu are missing you should take action immediately. While it might seem as though your files and programs have been deleted, it’s far more likely that the virus has either moved or hidden them. You shouldn’t assume this to be the case though. Getting this issue addressed as quickly as possible will help to ensure that we’re able to restore your missing files and shortcuts.

A program or pop-up claims you’re infected –

It might seem obvious, but this isn’t necessarily an indication that you’re infected. Perhaps the most popular method being used to infect computers these days is by scaring the user into running or installing a ‘rogue’ antivirus. They use pop-up messages to get your attention about virus infections, and then offer a solution through their bogus software, which is itself a virus. It’s important that you recognize the types of messages your legitimate antivirus provides so that you aren’t duped into infecting yourself. If you receive any such message, or if you’re not sure about your antivirus’s legitimacy, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free remote diagnostic.

Unable to run programs –

Many viruses are designed to protect themselves from being removed. One major way they do this is by limiting which programs you’re able to run. In most cases, the virus will target advanced programs or commands [like Windows Task Manager or MSConfig], however there are times when virtually everything is locked down.  Despite the dire nature of this symptom, there are workarounds our technicians can use to connect remotely and restore your PC to its functional state.

Random computer shutdowns –

This symptom is pretty hard to ignore. If you notice your PC is randomly restarting, specifically when trying to perform virus scans or web browsing, you may be infected. As with many of the issues we’ve listed here, random computer shutdowns can be caused by a lot of different things. We definitely recommend our free remote diagnostic to determine exactly what the cause is.

These are just a few things to keep in mind if you notice unusual behavior from your computer. As we’ve mentioned, many of these symptoms may not be indicative of a virus infection, or really anything more than a glitch, but identifying a threat as early as possible is important. Your diligence can save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run. Plus, with our free remote diagnostics, you have nothing to lose! So be sure to contact us with any questions about suspicious behavior from your PC!

By searching the term ‘zerg rush’ through Google’s homepage, you’ll be redirected to a simple yet addicting mini-game that sends an army of their stylized “O’s” swarming towards your search results from every direction with the intent to destroy them! By repeatedly clicking [or tapping, if you have a touchscreen] the invaders, you’ll eliminate them and earn points.

Don’t be discouraged though, they never stop coming so it’s only inevitable that your search results will finally succumb to the onslaught. At least the O’s offer a bit of class by finally forming “GG” [short for ‘Good Game’] after your last result is destroyed.

In the upper right corner, you’ll see your score as well as your APM [or actions per minute]. These scores can then be shared via Google+ if you’re a member.

In case you’re curious, this is a clear tip of the hat to the PC game, Starcraft [which we at Logical PC Solutions love]. We’ve been wearing out our mice all morning with this. So far… the record here is Score: 88 APM: 214. Tell us how you did!

 CCleaner Direct Download

If you’ve had your PC worked on by Logical PC Solutions, you might have noticed a new program on your desktop called CCleaner. We always take a bit of time to explain the benefit and functionality of any programs we install, but here we can take a much closer look at this wonderful [and free!] application.

So What Is It?

CCleaner is a free utility which primarily exists to remove temporary files that Windows and many installed programs generate. This enhances privacy, security, and the overall speed of the PC in many of its common tasks. Piriform, who is the developer of Ccleaner, is constantly adding improvements and increasing compatibility to include more and more programs. They’ve also added a robust customization feature to help you retain any temporary files or cookies you may need. You can even omit an entire program from its cleaning sweeps if you so choose.

What Are Temporary Files?

Temporary files are typically created as a reference point for programs to access data from the past with the aims to increase speed of future actions. Web browsers take the most advantage of this, by temporarily saving images, web pages components and cookies directly to the PC. Ever wonder how your browser remembers your email login? That’s a temporary file in the form of a “cookie.” Files like this can be added to an exemption list [as mentioned above]. This will allow your browser to keep the login information, and still allow you to remove other undesirable temporary files.
As these files accumulate, using up space on your hard drive, they can drastically decrease the computers performance. They may also contain information about websites you’ve visited, or other personal information. You can see why this is a tool can be so helpful and why we love to have at it our disposal.

There’s More?

In addition to its temporary file cleaning functionality, CCleaner also includes several other valuable tools. Let’s take a look at a few.

Registry Cleaner…

The registry within Windows is a massive database that contains configuration information [among other things] for the operating system and any additional programs. It’s vast to the point that manual cleaning is both dangerous and unrealistic. That’s where Ccleaner comes in.
The registry cleaner is fast, and thorough. Once a scan is completed, you have the option to remove any or all of the old, unused, or broken registry entries. If you’re nervous about potentially damaging your operating system or programs, Ccleaner also provides a prompt to make a back-up of the registry prior to any cleaning operations.

A quick note about registry cleaners…

Any time you manually, or automatically [as with a registry cleaning application] modify the registry, you run a VERY slight, but present risk of damaging your PC. While the LPCS team has never experienced this in the thousands and thousands of PCs we’ve worked on, we understand that nothings perfect. If you don’t feel comfortable handling registry cleaning yourself, our certified professionals can assist you with this operation by utilizing our Remote Support Services.

Tools…

Ccleaner also provides some shortcuts to pre-existing Windows functions.

“Uninstall” contains the same basic functionality as Add and Remove Programs [XP] or Programs and Features [Windows 7, Vista]. Here you can view a list of installed programs, the publisher, the date they were installed, the version and in some cases the size. You’re also able to uninstall any of the listed programs, and even remove the entry if an installation is broken.
“Startup” provides access to the programs that are scheduled to start each time Windows boots up. Having too many of these can drastically increase the amount of time your computer takes to fully boot, but disabling or deleting the wrong entries can cause issues. It’s recommended that you consult with one of Logical PC Solutions certified technicians before making adjustments here.
“System Restore” provides a list to all available system restore points assuming you have that functionality enabled within Windows. Here you have the option to delete any or all but the most current system restore entry.
“Drive Wiper” is an advanced data/free space wiping tool. Once a file is deleted within Windows, the ‘location’ of that file is removed and it is no longer accessible under normal circumstances. Eventually it will be overwritten many times and thus truly “deleted”. Drive Wiper allows you to hasten that process by wiping all free space on a given hard drive. This typically takes a substantial amount of time depending of the number of passes you select, but where privacy is concerned it may be worth the wait to you.

Closing Thoughts…

We hope you’ve enjoyed this detailed summary of the benefits and features Ccleaner offers. It’s worth mentioning that while this product is free, it’s clear that a lot of hard work went into its design, and even more is going into its continued development. We encourage everyone to donate to the Piriform team on their website www.Piriform.com if you’ve been enjoying Ccleaner.
As always, if you require any assistance with Ccleaner or any other computer related issue, please consider our awesome Remote Support Services or contact us directly.

 CCleaner Direct Download

We still consider chrome to be one of the safest browsers available but we wanted to give a quick heads up about a new vulnerability to the Chrome Browser.

It’s recently come to light that hackers and cybercriminals have targeted the official Chrome Web Store as a distribution outlet for compromised Chrome extensions. These extensions are primarily advertised on Facebook, and once installed; provide unhindered access to the victims account.

While the reported extensions have been written in Portugese, Facebook and Google are preparing for the inevitability of English translations.

As always, the team at Logical PC Solutions urges everyone to think critically before following any links or downloads from Facebook. It’s also important that users realize web browser extensions can potentially access any and all traffic through the browser that it’s installed in. This includes invalidating attempts to change the password to remove the hacker’s access.

If you feel that your browser or PC is compromised, please feel free to take advantage of our free remote diagnostics and affordable Remote Support services and contact us today!

Apple and some over-zealous Mac users are primarily responsible for pushing this misconception. While the rates of infection are generally higher with PCs, the actual reason for this is the market share between Windows and Apple’s OS. It’s estimated that in the US only 10-11% of computers are using an Apple OS, with Windows coming in at nearly 87%. From the perspective of virus and malware authors, this imbalanced market share makes Windows-based viruses a far more attractive endeavor.

2. Viruses damage your computer’s hardware.

While it’s certainly feasible that a virus could damage or destroy the functionality of a computers software foundation, the chances that they are able to damage the physical components is exceptionally low. There have been some cases where a virus was able to alter hardware settings to levels that could potentially cause damage, but again, this is extremely rare, and not even possible on the bulk of PCs in circulation. More often, unrelated hardware issues are uncovered during diagnostic procedures when the virus is being professionally removed.

3. Multiple Anti-virus programs are beneficial.

While it may seem reasonable to assume that multiple anti-virus programs would enhance a PCs security, this is almost NEVER true. In most cases the presence of multiple anti-virus programs will actually cause the PC to be less secure in addition to causing degraded performance. Even trace amounts of left over files from a previous anti-virus can cause issues. There are some security programs that can be used in conjunction with an anti-virus suite, but it’s recommended that you consult an IT professional before installing any such program.

4. Having an Anti-virus is enough to be secure.

This may be the biggest misconception of all. While having an up-to-date anti-virus is paramount to a PCs overall security, it is only 1 piece of the puzzle. Additional steps, such as keeping the operating system up-to-date, avoiding P2P/File-sharing programs, and employing safe web browsing habits are also necessary to keep the PC secure.

5. Free Anti-viruses are inferior to retail versions.

While some of the more feature-rich anti-viruses are only available with a subscription plan, there is also a large pool of free anti-viruses on the market for consumers to choose from. Many people assume that a retail product offers inherently better protection from viruses, but the truth is that many of the free programs come out ahead in comparative studies. Finding the right anti-virus for your needs isn’t quite as simple as looking at a price tag. We recommend consulting an IT professional if you’re unsure of which product is right for your PC.

Virus Removal made simple

If you currently have a virus infected computer, or just a slow computer and want to speed it up, check out our services tab for pricing, or virus removal tab for more information on our virus removal process.

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