virus on computers

duckcfc

I'm the type that isn't up to scratch with computers but I'm now willing to learn. I've been getting viruses through the years on my computers and always gave tgem to a friend to remove. One thing thou, most times he gives me them back, they still aren't 100%. When I ask others how to do it, they advise me to run an anti virus which I do. Only thing is, its never enough. When I go back to my friend who usually cleans them, he hits me with sure that anti virus won't work because of bla bla bla.

All I want is to rid my computer of these things so I can get some work done. I run anti malware and an anti virus but still its slow! Can anyone help

ED E

Turn your account into a limited account. Give somebody else the admin account and don't give yourself access to it. Then a virus can only do limited damage as it only has as much rights as you do.

Not getting infected just means following some simple concepts, you can sign up to a computers class to start getting yourself up to speed.

challengemaster

Is it slow because you actually have virus/malware on the system, or are you just using an old piece of crap? No amount of cleaning will make a slow computer fast if it's inherently slow

Digital Solitude

Is there any stonewall reason you need windows?

Switching to a simple Linux OS would save you worrying about viruses, and probably speed up your PC a little.

T-Bird

You need to format and rebuild system, install a security suite etc. Look where you download your files from if your getting any "free" ones.

You can spend hours trying to remove malware, but the longer it's left the harder to get rid.

Custardpi

If you're running a Windows PC then a combination of Windows Defender/MS Security Essentials & the occasional sweep with Malwarebytes should catch pretty much anything your average user can throw at it so long as they're kept updated. Other programmes such as Ccleaner can also be useful for clearing the junk out of your system - old temp files, registry entries etc. Your browsing habits should also be looked at - do you click a lot of "interesting" links on Facebook & the like? Do you take care when opening attachments/clicking links in emails? When installing software (particularly freeware) do you check whether there are extra pieces of software being installed with it - these add ons can sometimes cause problems for browsers or the computer in general e.g. tracking software. I struggle to recall the last time I had a virus on my computer (at least 5 years ago, probably more) & I'd be far from a tech wizard.

duckcfc

Custardpi wrote: »

If you're running a Windows PC then a combination of Windows Defender/MS Security Essentials & the occasional sweep with Malwarebytes should catch pretty much anything your average user can throw at it so long as they're kept updated. Other programmes such as Ccleaner can also be useful for clearing the junk out of your system - old temp files, registry entries etc. Your browsing habits should also be looked at - do you click a lot of "interesting" links on Facebook & the like? Do you take care when opening attachments/clicking links in emails? When installing software (particularly freeware) do you check whether there are extra pieces of software being installed with it - these add ons can sometimes cause problems for browsers or the computer in general e.g. tracking software. I struggle to recall the last time I had a virus on my computer (at least 5 years ago, probably more) & I'd be far from a tech wizard.

I don't even know if it is a virus. Its just the laptop slows right down after awhile once its been back to normal. I get a few weeks out of it OK then slows down. Its not top of the range laptop but its decent enough for me. Its a Lenovo, bought over a year ago. I have been using it for browsing, watching videos, sending emails and invoices, storing pics etc... My storage space isn't even a qtr full either.

My kid uses it for downloading sometimes and I think this might be the problem however once it gets fixed and before she downloads again, it can slow again

Once this happens, I'm usually clueless at how to fix it.

Morf

Browsing around Virus & Malware Removal forum could be quite illuminating for you if you wish to learn a bit more about minimising amount of viruses etc.