Many inexperienced or uneducated users are not aware of the dangers that lurk online. This can range from suspicious emails about a package never ordered, trying to download or watch free movies online, or simply not protecting their information. These examples can do many things that can affect the system of a computer such as a virus being planted or allowing a hacker access. By not using strong passwords just because they believe the company will protect their information or they would prefer something easier to remember falls into the uneducated category.

To check and see if a computer is safe you can have a program downloaded to run checks on the computer system. Upon start-up, a program can run to see if an error has occurred, or if any viruses have snuck onto the system without noticing. Many applications can do this task such as CCleaner, McAfee, Norton 360 Antivirus, etc.  Keeping a computer up to date is also good practice and bugs or an out-of-date system can allow someone to hack into the system. Also, keeping backup files of all important documents is best in case a computer needs to be set up with the old backup if the restart does not get rid of the bug or virus.

A bug or virus can show many signs such as:

  • Multiple pop-up windows
  • Error messages
  • Slow performance
  • System crashes
  • Hard drive overworking over small programs.

While there are many ways these viruses can show, sometimes they are less subtle. If suspected a computer has been infected a full scan of the system is vital as it can help. Deleting temporary files on a computer can help in the long run not just for malware protection. Starting your computer in safe mode to restrict certain aspects so one can work without interruptions from pop-ups or a corrupted operating system.

Telling if a computer is safe is good practice, but taking the right steps to prevent it is just as important. Being proactive with anti-malware software, being cautious using public Wi-Fi, and not downloading anything from a third source such as movies or any software.