5 Sneaky Signs of a Virus on Your Laptop You May Not Immediately Notice

Posted on: 17 June 2015

No one wants to face a virus on their system as a virus can not just wreak havoc on the hard drive of your computer, but leave you with lost files, costly damage, and leave you with a lot of headaches you never thought you could face when you rely so much on technology.

You may think you would know what a virus looks like on your computer, but the hackers that create these computer-infecting bugs are much more sneaky than you ever dreamed. Here are five signs that could indicate you have a virus, but you may not catch right away.

1. Rerouting to New Pages without Your Command - You are reading through a site and suddenly a new tab pops open as if you had clicked a new link. This is often mistaken for some type of pop-up ad, but it is more likely that you have contracted a re-routing virus. This virus will automatically route you a different destination than what you choose.

3. Pop-Up Ads and Banners - Pop-ups are all over the Internet, as they are figured in the code of certain webpages as ads to attract business. However, ads in unlikely places or new screens popping up frequently can mean there is a virus. These pop-up ads will not be blocked when you change your Internet options and may even refuse to close when you try.

4. Frequented Websites Look Different - One of the ways a virus will entice people to click on specific things is to alter the appearance of web pages. If you start noticing that the websites you frequent have a different appearance, you should be on high-alert and do not click anything that looks unfamiliar.

5. Slight Changes in Sound - Many people have no idea of the extent a virus can work its way into their system. However, it can seep into even the most basic operating components, such as the sound card of your laptop. While eventually this will lead to sound card failure, which means you will not hear sound in even the installed media player, the initial symptom can be something as slight as an altered tone or volume setting that you did not change.

If you suspect that your laptop has a virus, never hesitate to take your system in to a laptop repair professional like Computer Exchange. The longer you have a virus, the more damage it can do to all components of your computer, and there is a greater chance that the system will be damaged beyond repair.

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