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5 Signs That Indicate You Need A New or Updated Antivirus
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Antivirus is software that works in the background to protect your computer from various types of viruses. Its job is to search, detect and remove malicious software (like worms, trojans, adware, etc.)
Different types of viruses can cause different threats. They range from less dangerous and annoying activities, to quite dangerous ones. Additionally, by regularly scanning files (setting the software for once per day being recommended), the antivirus will also let you know about potentially infected files on the computer itself.
However, if the antivirus is not working properly, then you might not have the protection discussed above. There are some signs to look for that could indicate that your antivirus has to be updated or even replaced.
Antivirus is software that works in the background to protect your computer from various types of viruses. Its job is to search, detect and remove malicious software (like worms, trojans, adware, etc.)
Different types of viruses can cause different threats. They range from less dangerous and annoying activities, to quite dangerous ones. Additionally, by regularly scanning files (setting the software for once per day being recommended), the antivirus will also let you know about potentially infected files on the computer itself.
However, if the antivirus is not working properly, then you might not have the protection discussed above. There are some signs to look for that could indicate that your antivirus has to be updated or even replaced.
Slow Computer Performance
All computers begin to slow down after time and use, but if your computer starts to slow down noticeably over a short period of time, this could be a sign of an antivirus problem. This slowness can occur while operating your computer or when starting it up. One thing to look for is if your antivirus itself is slow in loading up when you start your computer – this warrants checking the status of your antivirus software.
Virus Alerts and Computer "Crashing"
If you have checked the status of your antivirus and it seems ok, but you keep getting virus alerts and warnings, this is a sign of it not working properly. Also, if your antivirus said that it removed a virus and it keeps showing up, is another sign. Many things can cause your computer to occasionally crash, but if it happens too often it can be because of a problem with the antivirus. More so if the antivirus itself keeps crashing.
Existing Antivirus Doesn't Stay Updated
It is very important that you keep your antivirus up to date. To help assure this, it should be set to automatically update itself at least once a day. You should periodically check and confirm that this updating is actually taking place. If you see it isn’t, that is definitely a problem. If resetting the auto update or manually doing an update doesn’t work, it is likely you need a new version of the software, not just an update.
Operating System Updates and Conflicts
As important as your antivirus is, your computer system’s operating system (OS) is even more important. Nothing will work right if it isn’t coordinated with the OS. Many times your OS gets updated and then you might see a problem with your antivirus. This is likely due to a conflict between the updated OS and your antivirus. A manual update of your antivirus may fix this. If it doesn’t, then you probably need a new version of your antivirus or a different one.
Unknown Apps, Missing Files and Other Strange Behavior
Other signs of antivirus problems are when you find things on your computer that you didn’t put there and / or things that are supposed to be there are missing. This is especially true if you find apps or programs that you did not download or install. This is also true if you see files or programs missing or not being able to open them.
Another telltale sign that your antivirus is having trouble is if you are getting bombarded with all sorts of “pop-ups” or you are being diverted to websites or apps that you did not ask for.
