What to do if I Suspect a Virus Infection

Issue/Question

  • I suspect that my computer is infected with a virus

Environment

  • MCC owned Computer
  • Windows

Resolution

A computer virus is a malicious software program that spreads from one computer to another and can affect computer performance in a variety of ways. Viruses are often distributed through e-mail, an instant message program, or even by going to certain Web pages and clicking on links. Viruses can corrupt and delete data on a computer, sometimes even deleting everything on the computer's hard drive.

Some typical symptoms of virus and spyware infections are:

  • Pop-ups
  • Overall computer slowness
  • Desktop backgrounds randomly changing
  • Programs being installed on the desktop without your knowledge
  • Error messages popping up with misspelled words or poor grammar
  • Messages popping up informing you that your computer is infected
  • Messages popping up asking for you to purchase a rogue anti-virus program

If you are expierencing any of these issues, click here to view instructions on how to run a virus scan on your computer.