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Best AntiVirus Software Review
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Best AntiVirus Software Review Learning Center
How to Identify a Virus
Knowing how to identify virus behavior can be the best method of preventing and eliminating virus threats.
Do you suspect that your computer may be infected with a virus? If you know what to look for, there are a few telltale signs that your computer is infected, and we're going to show you what they are and what you can do about it. The most obvious sign that you have a virus is poor or slow computer performance. These indicators include long boot times, slow internet explorer launch, slow internet or general slowing of all your computers processes. If it is taking longer than it should to run simple tasks, it's definitely something you want to look into. A good defrag of your computer's hard drive is a good first step, and you should also make sure you aren't running out of storage space either. Another indicator that you may have a virus is the appearance of new toolbars in internet explorer or Firefox. If you have not downloaded a tool bar that appears in your browser, it's likely it was installed by another program, possibly a virus or similar malware. Other annoying virus indicators: random links or icons on your desktop that you can't identify �“ especially if you haven't installed any new software -- or a popup window stating that you have a virus can indicate that you may have a key logger recording every keystroke you make. The important thing to remember about those two indicators is they will lead you to websites that say they are antivirus programs when they are just more malware. If your computer is running slowly and there are not any obvious signs of a virus you may want to check your processes. Bring up your task manager and check for new or unusually-named processes. Some will be hogging system resources, some will not, but through the wonder that is Google you can research each and every process and find out exactly what the process is for, and its threat level. Sometimes viruses masquerade as legitimate processes. Often viruses run as a process that's named similarly to legit processes, like Llass.exe (lsass.exe is the legit process), Svhost.exe (svchost.exe), and so on. Going in and manually trying to remove processes and programs that you suspect of being viruses is extremely dangerous if you don't know exactly what to remove. You could end up seriously harming your system if you delete the wrong file or end the wrong process. Although it is possible to remove a virus yourself, there are millions of viruses out there, and the odds that you can properly identify and remove them without antivirus software are almost nonexistent. You're better off dumping your 401k into the lottery. The bottom line: leave it to the professionals. Antivirus programs know what to look for and how to remove a virus without damaging your computer. I highly recommend purchasing any one of the antivirus programs listed on TopTenREVIEWS' antivirus review page. If the prices are steep, there are decent free antivirus programs available. Install your antivirus program and run a virus scan. It's simple and it doesn't take a lot of time. If your computer is so badly damaged that you can't run an install wizard, simply restart your computer in safe mode and you will be able to get around whatever ails your system before you cure it. An infected computer can be more than annoyance. It can really wreak havoc on your life in today's digital world. Keep your computer clean and running healthy.
TopTen Product List
1
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
2
Kaspersky Anti-Virus
3
Panda Antivirus Pro
4
F-Secure Anti-Virus
5
AVG Anti-Virus
6
Avast! Pro Antivirus
7
G Data AntiVirus
8
BullGuard Antivirus
9
Avira AntiVir Premium
10
ESET NOD32 Antivirus
See All AntiVirus Software (25) »