There are hundreds of thousands of viruses that can infect your computer by email, viewing the wrong web site, or several other possibilities. On top of that, there are many other bits of malware and adware that worm their way onto your system.

Some ISPs these days offer to filter email and help control that risk, but it is up to the user to keep the computer protected, not the ISP, whose whole responsibility is to provide internet service.

Some of the more nefarious viruses try to push themselves off as antivirus programs, telling you that your computer is infected (which it is) and that they will clean it up for a fee (they won’t). When you pay money to these (fake) services, all they clean out is your bank – the virus remains.

Not all viruses are so obvious, though. Nowadays, there are a lot of viruses that just work in the background. Some capture your data and send it off to the virus’s author. Some cause problems in your files. Some can even wipe out your hard drive, and all of these can happen without any prior notice.

What can you do? First, be sure you have a good antivirus installed. We recommend Windows Defender – a free antivirus that is included with Windows – or Malwarebytes, which costs a little bit but is well worth it. It is also imperative to keep your antivirus updated.

If you are already infected, your computer needs to be cleaned up first. While it may be possible for you to do this yourself, it will be much simpler to allow an expert to handle it, as we have tools that allow us to clean up the system without infecting anything else.

If you need your computer checked for viruses, or cleaned off, call us at 256-520-7327 to set up an appointment.