If you used to think that because there was anti-virus software on your computer, you didn't need to know about virus removal, you may find that you need to re-think that idea. Unfortunately, two out of every five home computers have been infected by a computer virus and about one million households have lost money or otherwise been negatively affected by phishing. Therefore, it's a good idea to both update your existing software frequently and to also run scans frequently on your own to look for new infestations. Even if you do so, it is possible for your computer to still be infected and you need to know how damaging a virus can be and how your computer might try to inform you of its presence, as explained below:

Addressing The Problem If You Suspect Or Confirm The Presence Of A Virus Or Other Infection

It is essential for every person who owns, rents or otherwise uses a computer to understand how much damage a virus can do to your computer in a brief period of time. If you use a laptop and use it on public, free, or otherwise uncontrolled internet access, you should pay particularly close attention to your anti-virus, anti-spam, etc, software, as uncontrolled Internet is often a haven for viruses.  Among other issues,  a virus can retrieve your personal information from the hard drive, including banking information, personal data, photos, etc. In addition, it can copy and spread itself to other computers, even if you only sent someone a single email from your computer two years ago, permitting everyone you know to be in similar danger.  

Therefore, if you suspect that your personal computing device has been invaded by one or more viruses, it's crucial to immediately disconnect it from the Internet. Inform others in your household that they should also avoid using that Internet source until the situation has been resolved and refer to the owner's manual of your anti-virus software to determine what your next step should be. In many instances, professional assistance is required to contain the virus and reverse or minimize the damage through laptop repair.

Knowing What To Watch For

Given that you probably use your home computer at least a few times a week and likely have a few websites that you like to visit each time, you probably know how long it takes to load and access those sites. If that time period increases dramatically and the delay cannot be attributed to many other users accessing your internet, you may have been infected with a virus.

Another issue to watch for is your computer freezing up or if redirects a known web address for one that is similar, but not the same. Either of those activities could occur because someone, somewhere is attempting to hijack your personal information. A less well-known, but still problematic, issue can be seen when the computer simply quits responding to your input. In addition, if you find yourself tempted to do a hard reset more often than you, or the computer manufacturer, would prefer...it might be because your computer has a virus.    

In conclusion, computer viruses are a problem for most computers in use today and there are numerous options to prevent or remove them.  While that software is important, it's also important to know what the signs of computer viruses are. Since no software is perfect and new viruses are created on a regular basis, you need to protect your computer by knowing what the signs of a computer virus might be, as explained above.