- How can I tell if my computer has been infected by a virus?
Your system may have a virus if you notice odd or unreliable behavior with your computer. This doesn't "prove" that your computer is infected, but it does indicate something that needs attention and perhaps intervention. Often the search for an infection leads to finding corrupted or damaged files or applications, or even incipient system problems, which have nothing to do with a virus infection. You know your computer better than anyone else, and if it begins to operate in a way that seems "wrong" to you, you should start investigating.
- What are common symptoms to look for?
Symptoms of an infection vary depending on the type of virus you have, but there are some general guidelines. A common symptom of a boot sector infector is problems with booting: the system doesn't boot or displays odd messages when booting. Your software may note a change in the boot sector or memory map.
Symptoms of file infectors can be executables that used to work but are now failing to load correctly. Your antiviral package may indicate that something "goes resident" in memory and stays there after running an application.
A macro virus infection is usually not as subtle as file infectors or boot sector infectors. With a macro virus all your documents may only offer you the option to save them as templates. You may notice "extra" macros that did not come with your word processing package and that you did not create.
As soon as you note a symptom, investigate! You may not have a virus, or even a serious problem, but don't take chances.
- If I think my computer is infected who do I tell or who can I ask for
help?
If you think a computer you are using is infected, contact your local support provider. If you are in a lab, report it to the lab attendant on duty. If none is on duty, leave a note. The quicker infections are discovered, the less they can spread and do damage. Don't be embarrassed or afraid to let someone know; the most important thing is to fix the problem.
