One of the most common reasons that a person seeks computer repair is when their device is infected with malware. Unfortunately, people usually notice this and head to their local repair shop in places like Eagan and Lakeville, Minnesota only when it’s already too late — when the malware has already destroyed many of your important files. This could be one of the most devastating circumstances that any average person can experience. So how can you prevent losing such important files and avoid this misfortune?

Basically, these are non-physical components of a computer – better known as software –  that mean to damage files or the gadget itself, steal information, stalk, and basically mess you up. They’re often made by hackers who want to make money through illegal means or to harass a certain target. What’s more, is that this malicious software is difficult to remove without advanced knowledge of cybersecurity basics. And yes, those free antivirus programs are mostly rendered useless with this kind of malicious software. It usually takes a bonafide computer technician with access to legitimate anti-malware software to ensure the proper removal of such malware.

And now that it’s clear what malware is, the next step is to look for the signs of infection on your device. The fact that it’ll cause trouble would mean that symptoms will show the moment the malware begins its work. Once you notice these signs, then the best thing to do is to immediately call a computer repair expert.

Here are 3 major signs to look out for:

   1. Your device is suddenly too slow. 

Do you ever wonder why your computer suddenly takes too long to start up one day, even though you haven’t performed any changes on it nor have you consciously used up huge storage space for some new file or application? It’s suspicious if this new level of slowness happened at random. Well, have you connected to the Internet recently, taken files from an external source, or downloaded any item? If you have, then the culprit may just be malware.

In Eagan and Lakeville, MN alone, a growing number of desktop and laptop owners suffer from this agonizing problem. And computer repair services that specialize in malware removal have been proven to be greatly needed in these areas.

   2. You experience unexpected pop-up windows and suspicious browser redirections.

Malware by mdaniels7 under commercial use license

Pop-up ads aren’t exactly a foreign idea to computer users, especially when you connect to the Internet. But once those pop-ups start to rage on your screen more often and once multiple windows begin to fill your screen completely, it means your computer system might have been invaded by malware. There’s also a high chance that the links carried by those pop-up ads are trying to fool you into giving the malware permission to collect your data or to perform automatic processes for you. And with your data in their hands, they can proceed to extract your assets, such as money and investments.

   3. You’re missing some files, but running out of storage space.

Have you ever experienced opening a folder, expecting your documents to be there just as usual, but instead you find a shortcut for the folder you’re already in? You check the properties of the folder just to check if it’s really empty, but the information says that it has consumed a large amount of your system’s memory. Well, this might be a symptom of malware at work. Some are known to delete, move, or even encrypt files so that there’s no way for you to access them even though they’re technically still there. This type of malware is also known as ransomware, as they take your files hostage until you give your attacker what they want.

Now, if you ever begin to experience these symptoms, don’t wait too long before you seek the help of a professional. Sure, there are antivirus programs with free anti-malware protection, but sometimes those are simply not enough. This is especially if you hadn’t noticed that your device has already been infected. So if you’re around the areas of Eagan and Lakeville, Minnesota, then feel free to drop by our computer repair shop at 11975 Portland Ave Ste 136 Burnsville, MN 55337. For any questions or inquiries, contact us via phone at 952-895-8039 or via email at info@microtech.org. You may also browse through our Services Page to learn more about what we can do for you or browse our About Page for more information on what our business is all about. Trust only Micro Tech Computers, Inc. for a comprehensive computer repair in Eagan and Lakeville, MN that includes malware and virus removal and resolves the resulting damages.