Is Your PC Infected With A Virus? Here Are Some Ways to Know

Your PC Infected With A Virus

Melbourne is a city known for its cultural diversity, street art, cobblestone lanes, interesting buildings, premium universities, and coffee shops. It is billed as the coffee capital of Australia. However, only a few people know that it is also a technological hub of the country. If you want to build a career in tech and IT, Melbourne is one of the best cities to move to, apart from Sydney. Businesses are tech-friendly, and so people are probably more aware of innovation than the rest of Australia. 

One statistic that might be surprising is that Australia is right up there in terms of PC, smartphone or tablet ownership. The country ranked 10th in the world in PC usage rate, with more than 8 in 10 Aussies using Windows or Mac, which was actually higher than the US rate of 74% and the UK’s 75%. 

The same is true with Melbourne, as well. However, only a small percentage of them are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the PC. For instance, they rely too much on commercial antivirus programs to detect malware and viruses in their machines. But what most people do not know is that they do not thoroughly clean your computer. They can only spot the malicious programs already embedded in their database.  

But there are ways to know if your computer might be affected by a virus. If that happens, it is recommended that you take it to a centre that offers PC repairs in Melbourne, immediately even if your antivirus software does not detect anything. 

  1. Your PC performance slows down without cause — When your PC suddenly slows down without any apparent reason, a virus or malware could be the culprit. It would be highly suspicious, especially if you just purchased your unit. 
  1. It takes forever to boot — If it takes you ages to power up your computer and for the desktop display to show up, it is another sign of infection. Of course, if your system has always been like that, you might need to upgrade your hardware.
  2. Pop-up windows — Unsolicited ads that pop up after you boot or when you are browsing the Internet are a sure sign of infection. For the most part, they can be eradicated using antivirus programs.
  3. Your browser keeps changing — When your Chrome, Safari, or Firefox keeps changing without you prompting it, the issue could be an unwanted program in your PC. 
  4. Strange noises — Another sign is when your hard drive is spinning furiously without you making any sort of commands on your computer, or when it makes continuous noise even when there is no program running. 
  5. Shrinking storage space — When you suddenly could not save files because your storage is already full, then it is best to run an antivirus program to fix the problem. There could be a lot of hidden files that are clogging up your storage.

The beauty of sending your machine for PC repairs in Melbourne is they can give a complete health checkup of your unit. As a result, they can make a correct diagnosis. For instance, viruses might be the least of your problems since it might already be a hardware component issue. Maybe it is time for an upgrade, for example. Nevertheless, it would be good as new when the service provider returns the machine to you.