If you think your computer may have a virus, or you want to know the easiest way to find out every time a virus enters your PC. But you don’t want to install very heavy or dubious programs. Then this article will look great on you, here we will show you how detect or identify viruses on your PC and Laptop using Windows Defender. A program that is already installed with your Windows operating system from the factory.
How to know if you are infected with a virus
Our personal computers present certain symptoms that if you know how to recognize them you will know for sure that it is a computer virus infection. Despite having different tools or programs that allow you to be free from these attacks. Personal computers are not 100 percent secure.
Therefore we want to show you what those are symptoms that make infection evident by some malicious malware that tries to steal your information. Damaging your computer, data or files, in this way we recommend you to be aware of the following abnormalities.
There are messages or communications that report the failure
In most cases, the antivirus that you have installed on your PC or Windows Defender will issue a warning message, indicating the existence of a fault. Or that you are trying to open a malicious file, therefore it is necessary that you be attentive to the different alert messages that you may receive from your security systems.
Virtual threats manifest through slowness
One of the most common symptoms that can be observed with the naked eye is the slowness with which our PC suddenly unfolds. When we have been attacked by a virus, it performs operations in the background, making it work very slowly. Although we must rule out that this problem is not due to the lack of performance of the RAM memory.
Applications do not start correctly
Having problems with the applications or programs installed on the PC is another indication that can make us think that we have been infected by a virus. In these cases we can see that when starting an application this does not open or respond in an unusual way. Malware is a type of computer virus that attacks certain programs by causing them to crash.
When there is an internet connection, windows that you did not request open
This symptom is very characteristic when we have acquired a virus, it is responsible for opening or direct us to web pages that we have not requested. Therefore it is important that you be attentive to this type of problem, since these sites are created with the purpose of scamming us.
What to do if I have a virus and how did you remove it?
If you confirm that the symptoms that your personal computer is presenting are indeed due to a computer virus, it is important that you remain calm in the first place. As there are some corrections that you can apply to eradicate it completely from your device.
But remember that it will always be necessary for you to have an antivirus to avoid greater evils. The next step you must take to prevent the virus that infected your computer from continuing to spread is disconnect from the internet network.
Scan from Windows Defender
Viruses were created to damage the files you have on your computer, some can also spy on the information contained in your files or even completely disable your operating systemThese use methods such as emails, applications you download from the internet and advertisements on the pages.
Then they enter your computer and infect it, the virus gradually affects the folders and files that are opened, then it installs itself in the RAM memory and from there it has the ability to infect the PC completely.
On the other hand, antiviruses seek to detect and get rid of these annoying informational viruses. Antiviruses are capable of blocking and repairing files that have been infected, each antivirus has a different function so it is important that you choose the correct antivirus for your computer.
That’s why we’ll show you Windows Defender and how you can use the right way to get rid of all viruses that may contain your PC and so that it does not erase internet downloads.
Windows Defender is a very complete antivirus, programmed by the same Microsoft company. This antivirus guarantees us excellent protection against the different types of viruses that can infect your computer, like any good antivirus, its database is updated several times a day, so we will have the protection of this antivirus throughout the day.
Windows Defender has the advantage that it’s totally free and you don’t need to install itAlso, it does not contain ads and it is not necessary to pay to get a Premium version. To enjoy Windows Defender you must have Windows 10 version installed and the antivirus will arrive once activated with the operating system.
Restart the computer in safe mode
To carry out this procedure, you will need to do the following, press the shutdown button on your PC. Now press the power button again and then repeatedly press the function key F8. This action will allow the ” menu to be displayed on the screen.Advanced boot options‘.
In our case we are going to select the option ‘Safe mode with networking‘and for this we will use the arrow keys to move through the menu. Finally, you must press the Enter key so that the PC restarts in safe mode.
There are numerous problems that a virus can cause to our PC, if it has been infected by said malicious program. And that can affect any area of our system, therefore and it is most recommended that you carry out a update your entire operating system. As well as the browser and the software, in this way risks will be minimized in the future.
How to detect viruses with Windows Defender
If you want to manually detect a virus with Windows Defender, we will show you how you can perform a quick scan and a thorough exam, to detect and eliminate viruses that your PC may contain:
- As a first step you must open the window of “beginning”.
- Then you must place the option of “setting”Found with the icon of a nut.
- The configuration page will open, among all the options at the end the option of “update and security”You must click.
- Then, on the left side a panel with several options will appear, you must place the option “windows security“, Which has a shield, from there you can”open windows security”.
- After the security window is open, you should go to “protection against viruses and threats”On the left side of the panel.
- There are all the options, in this window you will be able to find the information about the current threats, it will also give the date of the last time an examination was made and the threats that have been found.
- Below you will find the button “quick test”, This test is simple, it does not last long, since it briefly analyzes the files of your computer in search of any virus.
- If you want a more exhaustive examination you can place the option that says “exam options“Where you can place the option that says”full exam”.
- Then you give it examine now and the computer will take a while to examine each and every one of the files that your computer contains, looking for any viruses and threats that any of your files may contain.
All viruses and threats that Windows Defender can detect offline during Quick Scan and Full Scan will be quarantined and removed immediately by the same program and so you should not worry about removing them manually.
From now on without a doubt, do not miss the opportunity to get the most out of it. You will want to use this excellent tool to protect your PC and analyze USB memories automatically.
What damage can it cause to my PC or laptop?
Viruses can reach cause very serious damage to our devices, ranging from strange behavior, presence of images or messages. System stop, deletion of some or all files. Although these damages can be classified by their level of affectation ranging from minor damage to severe damage.
These minor damages would not cause major complications in your system, but in the programs or applications that you have installed. In order to get rid of this type of virus, all you have to do is uninstall the application and reinstall it. And in cases of major damage they reach format hard drive and infect backups.