A Few Things To Know Before Scanning Your Computer For Viruses And Malware

A computer, laptop or any other device not only stores numerous files but, several viruses and malware in it. If these malicious items or programs go unnoticed or ignored for too long, your device can stop responding after some time. In case you are thinking about how these viruses have found your PC, there are several ways. Sometimes, your computer or laptop can pick up infectious files while carrying out usual website activities. It can include downloading or sharing music, pictures, videos, documents, etc.

For some users, the viruses can affect their PCs when they visit an infected site. Even if you click on a malicious link attached to your emails or open a spam mail, your device can get infected. Don’t ignore the third-party toolbars, software, games or other system utilities, which can invite the viruses in. Thus, when a system is under attack of these online or offline threats, it is recommended to try some technical fixes using an antivirus. In order to resolve the issue of computer infections, the first step is to scan your device thoroughly.

In this article, you will get to know how to properly scan your computer for malware and critical viruses. It will also cover a few frequently asked questions that most PC users ask regarding scanning their systems for virus and malware items. So, let’s start with their queries and discuss the possible solutions regarding scanning computers or phones.

List Of Questions Asked By Computer Users Regarding Virus And Malware Scanning

Since most of these viruses and malware are designed to harm your PC, it is essential to scan it periodically. There are several methods and programs that allow users to scan their computers and identify malicious as well as infectious files. However, if you do not install a proper scanning tool, the viruses can affect your hard drive. It can also lead to the deletion or corruption of important data, programs, and even system files. So, if you want to know more about the scanning process on computers, phones, and other devices, go through the following points.

How To Identify Your Computer Is Infected With Malware?

Many PC users have this question “does my computer have malware?”. So, if you also have a similar query regarding virus or malware, go through the following information. In order to confirm whether your computer has got malware or virus issue, check if the device is showing the following symptoms.

Signs That Your PC Is Having Malware Or Virus Problem

• The computer has slowed down extremely and programs are crashing repeatedly.
• While browsing, you are seeing annoying or inappropriate advertisements on your display.
• You are getting pop-up messages too often while running any program or doing any task.
• There is a sudden increase in the rate of internet traffic and pages are redirecting to unknown sites.
• Your desktop is flooded with unfamiliar icons, which you don’t remember installing on your computer.
• You have not even given any input and the homepage of your browser has suspiciously changed.
• There is some issue while opening the Control Panel or uninstalling programs on your computer.
• Many shortcut files are appearing on your desktop and even in system folders, which you can’t remove easily.
• The antivirus programs or firewalls are not responding or dns server not responding or detecting certain programs that look suspicious.

So, next time when you ask yourself “how do I check my laptop for malware?” remember these above symptoms. Also, follow the next point to troubleshoot malware or virus issues from your computer or laptop.

Steps To Deal With Viruses/Malware From Your Computer

If you suddenly observe that your system is too slow, try to check if heavy apps are causing this issue. There can be malware and critical virus-related problems, which can slow down your computer. So, the best way to resolve this problem is by opening the Task Manager, if you have a Windows PC.

Hence, hit the buttons for Ctrl, Alt, and Delete altogether and view the running apps on your computer. Sometimes, you can simply identify the malware app by its name otherwise, see the installation date beside it. In case you don’t recall downloading any mysterious software, delete it from your PC.

While removing the possible malware and viruses, you mustn’t ignore the browsing data also. Hence, open the ‘Settings’ on your browser and select the option of ‘clear your browsing data’.

To fix frequent crashes, check whether the registry files are corrupted on your computer. In order to scan these damaged files on your PC, you can follow the next section and its relevant discussion.

What Is The Proper Method To Scan Your PC For Viruses?

For those users who have doubts regarding “how do I scan my computer for viruses?” go through the following steps.

Before you hit the button for ‘Scan’ option on the Windows Firewall or any other antivirus program, back up important files. Also, try to select a regular backup schedule so that system roll back is easy during virus attacks.

In order to choose a particular antivirus software, you can start with the free trial version of the program. Once you get familiar with the scanning tools and fixing options, you can switch to the premium version.

Make sure to close all the programs and extra windows to make the scanning process free from interruptions. While running the virus scanner, make sure that the internet connection is turned off on your computer.

Scan all sensitive segments on your PC that can be infected with virus or malware. So, select the removable media, hard drives, system memory, browsers and emails to scan viruses. If you are using a third-party virus scanner, check its quarantined items to remove malware or virus as well.

Can You Operate Your PC When Virus Scanning Process Is On?

Many computer users keep asking “can I use my computer while scanning for viruses?” which is quite thoughtful. Nobody wants to hamper their ongoing task just because a virus scan process is in progress. However, your PC still has a slight risk of retaining an infected file, if you access it during scanning virus. So, for performing the scan in right method, you must close all running apps and reboot your PC.

After this, you can run the virus scanner when you don’t have too much work on your computer. Another reason to skip any task during scanning is the processor’s speed. Sometimes, the scanning process can take longer than usual, which can slow down other running apps. Hence, if you are having a computer with low free space or slow processor, try to avoid using it while scanning viruses.

How Frequently You Should Scan Your Computer For Viruses?

To understand how often should you scan your computer for viruses? you must know the possible threats and its causes. If your PC is infected with virus or malware due to browsing on the internet, it is better to scan it a few times every week. However, if you insert a flash USB drive in your system quite regularly, it’s the best to run the virus scanner once a day. Otherwise, if there is no serious issue on your computer, you can scan it on weekly basis.

Can You Use A Computer To Scan Viruses On Your Phone?

There are many PC users who ask “can I scan my phone for viruses with my computer?” since their Android devices also get infected. However, the truth is, your phone and computer have a different set of hardware, even if they belong to the same brand. Also, both these devices support completely different program format. Hence, the type of virus and its effect differs in case of your PC and phone. In the case of your computer, the virus program can replicate itself in order to spread from one PC to another. Whereas, there is no such replicating ability in phone viruses, even if it seems to be infected by some malware.

In recent few years, technical advancement has come up with a few virus scanners that work on both computer and phone. So, you can find some antivirus tools that are compatible with mobile as well as computer platforms.

Also Read: Know What to Do If You Have Been Scammed Online

Steps To Scan Phone Viruses On Your PC

Another way to scan your phone using a virus scanner on a computer is also possible using USB ports. So, attach the data cable of your mobile device to the PC and wait until it detects the SD card.

Most users stores various documents, images, videos on their external or removable storage (SD) devices. Hence, you can open the folder corresponding to phone’s memory card on your computer. After this, select an effective scanning tool for virus or malware and scan your mobile’s memory device.

Similarly, you can also open the folder for internal storage on your phone and scan it using the virus scanner. If the virus formats are identified by the scanning tool successfully, you can fix it or remove them from the PC.

So, these are all about scanning the computer for viruses and malware. Hope this article gave you a clear idea in this regard.