Computer virus symptoms are not set in stone, but instead are constantly evolving. These symptoms evolve in different stages over the course of a couple weeks or even days.
But when you are dealing with potential computer virus symptoms, you need to consider that a particular symptom may not happen as a result of a virus.
For example, if you are constantly sneezing, it doesn’t mean that you have a cold; it could also mean that you have an allergy of some kind.
The same goes for computers. If your computer system is running slower than normal, it could be a virus symptom, but it could also be a result of having too many programs running at a time.
Keeping that in mind, here are the most common symptoms that can warn your computer system has a virus.
1. Slow Performance
If normal computer actions are taking much longer than usual, it should raise a red flag. It’s important to assess what types of files are being processed and what the file size is. However, some viruses multiply and reproduce your computer’s files resulting you disk usage being overloaded. You should also make a note of a potential virus if it takes you longer than normal browse from one document folder to another.
2. Crashing
If you notice your computer is crashing out of the blue, you need to be careful. After it restarts, it may not seem to run normally. If your computer restarts every few minutes by itself—beware of a virus. This one symptom can indicate an infected system.
3. Unusual Error Issues
Error messages can include anything from unwanted ad messages to viruses disguises themselves as anti-virus warning messages. These anti-virus ads are disguised to make you think about what computer virus you have and take the precautionary methods to protect your device. Sometimes this is how the virus actually enters your system in the first place.
4. Slow Startup
Now, this computer virus system needs to be assessed carefully. We as humans grow impatient quickly. You need to think about how long the usual startup process typically takes. You should be worried about a virus if your computer just seems to sit there and not even go through the start-up motions.
The better alternative to computer virus symptoms is to prevent them in the first place. Some ways you can keep your computer system safe are:
- Having a proper antivirus program installed on your computer;
- Renewing your antivirus software on time;
- Ensuring you have the latest virus definitions; and
- Making sure antivirus updates are running automatically.
If you are unsure what you need to protect your network system from viruses, get in touch with our Toronto office to see how we can help you.