Tech
What to do if your PC gets a virus
Do you believe your PC has a virus? If your computer is infected, you must know how to get rid of the virus. However, before we jump into explaining how to rid your PC of a virus, let’s look at what precisely a computer virus is and how to tell if your computer has one.
What is a Computer Virus?
Computer viruses or malware are malicious software programs that, like the common cold, are designed to self-replicate. To self-replicate means to make copies of itself. So essentially, the way a computer virus works is it creates copies of itself on any drive connected to your PC. This is how the virus spreads throughout your whole system. Once your computer has been infected, it may slow down or stop working correctly.
How Do You Know If Your PC Has Been Infected?
There are a variety of signs that indicate that your PC may have a virus.
- Is your computer slow? Does everything take longer than usual?
- Are there apps or programs on your computer that you don’t recognize or remember downloading?
- Are the apps or programs on your PC behaving strangely?
- Is your computer overheating?
Computer viruses are pretty much always invisible, and the only way to know for sure whether you have one is with antivirus protection. The best antivirus software will include a virus scanner that runs automatically in the background of your PC. It will then alert you whenever a virus is detected. However, if you haven’t had a chance to install antivirus software and you suspect that your computer is contaminated, you should follow the steps listed below.
How to Remove a Virus from Your PC
Download and install an antivirus program
You will need a virus scanner or a complete internet security solution to help in the virus removal process. There are many free options out there but make sure to read the reviews first to ensure that you’re getting a quality program.
Disconnect from the Internet
Due to the fact that many viruses use an internet connection to spread, you should disconnect from the internet to prevent further damage.
Reboot your Computer Using Safe Mode
You must protect your computer while removing the virus. Therefore, you should shut down your computer and then boot it up again in “Safe Mode.”
This is relatively simple to do. First, turn your computer off, then turn it on again. When the screen light comes on, press F8 to bring up the “Advanced boot options” menu. Select “Safe Mode with Networking,” but do not connect to the internet.
Permanently Delete Any Temporary Files
While in “Safe Mode,” you need to delete any of your temporary files using “Disk Cleanup.”
To do this, you’ll need to search for “Disk Cleanup” in the Windows search box. A box will pop up with a list of drives. Choose the drive you want to clean-up, (in this case, “Temporary Files”) and then select OK.
Run a Virus Scan with Your Antivirus Software
It’s now time to run a virus scan using the antivirus software you downloaded in step one. All programs are different, so you will need to navigate your program’s menu to find the scan option.
Remove or Quarantine the Virus
If your antivirus program finds a virus, it may have affected multiple files. Therefore, you will need to select “Delete” or “Quarantine” to remove the infected files and get rid of the virus.
Rescan and Reboot Your Computer
After you’ve removed the infected files, you need to rerun the virus scan to be sure it’s truly gone. Then, you need to reboot your computer. However, you do not need to boot it up in “Safe Mode” this time.
Change Your Passwords
Although there is no longer a virus on your PC, it’s possible that while your computer was infected, your passwords were compromised. Therefore, to protect yourself from a future attack, you should change all your passwords.
Update all your Software programs, Browsers, and Operating Systems
The most common way for hackers to infect your PC is by exploiting flaws in old code. For this reason, you want to make sure that all your software, browsers, and operating systems are up to date with the latest versions.
Conclusion
There are many ways for a PC to get infected with a virus. Fortunately, it’s not the end of the world. If you have an antivirus program, you’ll be alerted to the issue, and you can then take steps to resolve it.