Most common questions used to investigate
Do you get unexpected pop-ups while using your computer?
Do you have antivirus software installed on your computer?
Is your computer slow?
Have you suddenly run out of storage space?
Do your programs crash unexpectedly?
Are some files missing all of a sudden on your computer?
Common conclusions
On-Screen ads through pop-ups are a sure sign that your computer is infected with malware. The idea of these ads is to lure you to click them so your sensitive information is passed on to the wrong people. Sometimes, the pop-up will tell you that your computer is infected and would want you to click on a program or install it. This is nothing but a malware that can infect your computer and glean sensitive information from it. Though your computer may be infected, this is not the way to clean it.
If you have antivirus software, the chances for infection are minimal. Still, if you have a doubt, you can always run a scan that comes with this software and this will detect the presence of any virus. This is a sure-shot way to know if your computer has a virus or not.
A slow performance can be due to many reasons and the presence of a virus is one of them. This is particularly true if the speed or performance of your computer drops drastically within a few hours or days. Computers can deteriorate and this happens over time or when you install an intensive application. If the performance drops suddenly with no change in the usage pattern, your computer is most likely infected with a virus.
Storage space does get used up over time, but it can't reduce drastically. You'll know when the storage space is down and you'll get a ton of warnings when your available space goes down. If you haven't installed any new application or downloaded any large file, there is no reason for your space to get consumed, unless a virus is dumping loads of unwanted files in your system. This is why when you suddenly run out of storage space, you can point the cause to a virus.
If a bunch of programs open or close unexpectedly, your computer has a virus and needs a thorough cleanup. Also, if your computer crashes all of a sudden and you see odd error messages that make no sense at all, there is a virus infection in your computer.
If some files are suddenly missing from your system, malware is probably deleting them. Most likely, these are system files and by doing so, it is pushing you to buy a particular tool that will fix it back for you. Though this may not be visible right away, look for apps that don't open or for some functionality as they are all signs of missing files.
Look for other signs to determine if your computer has a virus.
References
Related Problems
