Is It a Virus or Is Your Computer Just Running Slow?

"My computer is so slow, I think it has a virus." We hear that a lot. Sometimes it's true. More often the cause is something ordinary: too many programs starting up, a full drive, or an aging hard drive. The difference matters, because the fixes are completely different, and one of them is urgent.

Here's how to tell which one you're dealing with, and what to do about each.

Signs your computer is just running slow

Normal slowdowns creep in gradually over months. The common causes:

Signs it may be malware

Malware tends to show up as behavior that changed suddenly, or that you didn't cause:

• Your browser home page or search engine changed, and keeps changing back after you fix it.
• Pop-ups appear even when the browser is closed, or ads show up on sites that never had them.
• New programs or browser extensions you don't remember installing.
• Your antivirus is turned off and won't turn back on.
• Friends get emails or messages from you that you didn't send.
• Files renamed with strange extensions or that won't open, sometimes alongside a note demanding payment. That's ransomware. Shut the computer down and call for help right away.
• The fan runs hard and the computer stays busy even when you aren't doing anything.

That last one can go either way. A busy computer sitting idle might be a stuck update, or it might be something running in the background that shouldn't be. It's worth having someone look.

The fake virus warning is a scam, not a virus

One of the most common calls we get starts with a loud warning on screen: your computer is infected, call this number for Microsoft Support. Sometimes there's an alarm sound and the browser goes full screen so you can't close it.

That warning is a web page, not a real alert. It's a tech support scam. The people on the other end of the number want to remote into your computer, "find" problems, and charge you to fix them, or get into your bank account.

• Never call a number shown in a pop-up. Microsoft, Apple and your bank don't put phone numbers in error messages.
• Never let a stranger remote into your computer. If someone calls you out of the blue saying your computer has a problem, hang up.
• Close the browser. If it won't close, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select the browser in Task Manager and click End task. Or hold the power button to restart. When the browser opens again, don't restore the previous tabs.

If you already called and let them in, treat it as a real compromise and follow the steps below. Scammers often leave their own remote access software behind so they can come back later.

What to do right away if you think you're infected

1. Disconnect from the internet

   Unplug the network cable or turn off Wi-Fi. This stops your data from being sent out and keeps the problem from spreading to other computers on your network.

2. Stop typing passwords on that computer

   Some malware records keystrokes. Don't sign in to banking, email or anything else until it's been cleaned.

3. Change your passwords from a different device

   Use your phone or another computer you trust. Start with email, since it's the key to resetting everything else, then banking, then the rest.

4. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)

   With a code from an app or a text message required, a stolen password alone isn't enough to get in.

5. Call your bank

   if you entered card or account details anywhere suspicious, or let a scammer remote in.

6. Don't pay anyone

   who contacted you first offering to fix it.

Remove it, don't just disable it

Plenty of people find a suspicious program, uninstall it or switch it off, and call it done. The trouble is that modern malware rarely lives in just one place. It plants pieces in several spots so it can come back: a scheduled task, a background service, a startup entry, a browser extension, a second copy in a hidden folder. Remove one and another puts it back on the next restart.

Proper virus removal means finding every piece, removing it, confirming it doesn't return after a restart, and then closing the door it came in through: missing updates, an outdated browser, a reused password, or remote access software a scammer left behind. With ransomware or a deeply compromised system, the cleanest answer is sometimes to save your files, wipe the drive and reinstall Windows from scratch.

For the businesses we manage, we put an enterprise-class security platform on every computer. It watches what programs actually do instead of relying only on a list of known viruses, and it can stop a threat and cut the computer off from the network. Our cybersecurity page covers the rest of how we protect small offices.

Speeding up a slow computer

If it turns out there's no malware, most slow computers can be brought back to life:

• Trim the startup list down to what you actually use.
• Uninstall programs and browser extensions you don't need.
• Free up disk space, or move photos and videos to an external drive or the cloud.
• Upgrade an old spinning hard drive to an SSD, and add memory if the computer supports it.
• Make sure Windows and your browser are fully up to date.

If the computer is too old to run a supported version of Windows, it may be time to replace it rather than tune it up.

Not sure? Give us a call

Call us if you see signs of malware, if you let someone remote in, or if you've cleaned things up and the problem keeps coming back. Many problems can be handled in a remote support session using GoTo Assist. A legitimate remote session should only ever start because you reached out to a company you already know and trust.

If you're on Hilton Head Island or in Bluffton and can't tell whether your computer is infected or just tired, we're glad to take a look. Call (843) 422-2201 or send us a note through the contact page. If you think something is actively wrong, disconnect from the internet first, then call.