Symptoms of a Virus-Infected Computer

At Computer Pc Medic, of Fort Collins, we see a lot of computer virus/spyware infections.  Here are some common symptoms we see:

1. Your computer is significantly slower or you are getting blue screens.
2. You can not connect to the Internet.
3. A professional looking antivirus screen displays and appears to be scanning your computer. It tells you your computer is infected and you need to buy a product from them. (DON'T DO IT!)
4. There are strange popup message boxes flooding your desktop.
5. A message box says your computer is having hard drive failure or not enough memory.
6. You can not start any of your application programs.
7. Your attempts to go to a specific website are met with a redirection to another website.
8. Your computer will not boot up to the operating  system.
9. Desktop icons, personal data, and most recently used programs and files lists are missing.  The "Start Program" folders might also be empty.
10. You can't get into the "Task Manager".
11. Your antivirus program is disabled and can't be enabled.
12. The computer locks up.
13. Your firewall has been turned off.
14. Your antivirus has been turned off and any attempt to turn it back on, fails.