What is Csrss.exe?

Csrss.exe is a legitimate Windows process with the full name of Client Server Runtime Process and is critical to the system. This process is present in all modern Windows versions, and it is not uncommon to notice several instances running back to back. Such a phenomenon is normal and is not considered a sign of viruses. The system runs one upon the startup, and terminating it leads to BSoD.

This process in Windows 7, 8, and 10 is responsible for console programs, shutdown processes, starting another vital process – conhost.exe – and other critical system functions. It uses a few resources in normal mode, so there is no reason to terminate it. It is needed for System shutdown, Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) support and other system functions such as Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Break signal processing, user switching, and mounting and unmounting disks. As a legacy function, csrss.exe is responsible for opening the console window, but only to the extent of launching the conhost.exe process.

Csrss.exe BSOD – How to Fix?

Sometimes, after unsuccessful manipulations with the Csrss.exe file or other system files, the Windows may become unstable or not start. The corruption of important Windows system files can cause this. The solution is as follows:

Go to the Troubleshooting menu – Advanced Options – Command Prompt in the recovery environment. At the command prompt that launches, execute the following command:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

After entering the command, press Enter and wait for the process to complete. This may take some time, but be sure to wait until the end, as it is required to finish the system files’ repair. After that, close the command prompt and restart your computer.

Csrss.exe High CPU & GPU Troubleshooting

If you encounter abnormal GPU and CPU consumption by the csrss.exe process, you should first check the file location. To verify it, right-click on it and select “Open file location“. It should be located at “%SYSTEMROOT%\system32“.

Next, right-click on the file and select “Properties“, then the “Details” tab. This file’s Product Name should be “Microsoft® Windows® Operating System“. Also, the Copyright section should be “© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.”

If it is the original csrss.exe file, it may cause a high CPU/GPU load due to incorrect operation of the functions it is responsible for.

The Client Server Runtime Process’s excessive GPU consumption was previously a recognized problem in one of the Windows cumulative updates. However, Microsoft addressed the issue through various updates and hotfixes. You may still be using an older Windows version with this problem. If so, go to the Windows updates section and click “Check for updates“.

The next step is to update your GPU drivers. If you have an Nvidia, open Geforce Experience, and under the “Drivers” tab, click “Check for updates” and follow the instructions. If you have an AMD GPU, check the Radeon software for updates. It is vital to download drivers from official websites. Please avoid using low-trust sites or third-party installers like driver packs.

If the problem persists, run an SFC scan. To do this, run Command Prompt as administrator and paste the “sfc/scannow” command into it.

If the process csrss.exe still loads the device after all the manipulations, you can create a new user profile. To add a new user profile to your PC, go to Settings (gear icon) and select Accounts. Under Family & Other Users, click Add another person to this PC. Choose “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” and then select “Add a user without a Microsoft account”. Fill in the details and click Next. Remember to grant administrator privileges only to those you trust.

Note: This guide is relevant for users of Windows 10. Windows 11 lacks the option to add a local account and asks you to use a Microsoft account.

Is СSRSS.exe virus?

First, any claim that the “csrss.exe” file located in “C:\Windows\System32\” is a virus is false. Low user knowledge along with unintelligible process names make system process names an excellent option for hiding malware. Usually, the malware tries to infect or disguise itself as critical system processes of the operating system. Also, many viruses use the name of that process or executable file to disguise itself so as not to make you suspicious. Each session creates a separate process, allowing the simultaneous running of several dozen processes.

Nevertheless, it is a good reason to worry if the csrss.exe high CPU and GPU load is constant. But even in this case, there are two options for abnormal process behavior: malware and user profile corruption. The original executable “csrss.exe” file is stored only in one place – in the “C:\Windows\System32\” directory. If only one OS is installed on the device, substituting or overwriting this file in the standard directory is almost impossible.

That being said, finding the files named “csrss.exe” in other directories on your PC is a sign of malware activity. To remove the threat, launch GridinSoft Anti-Malware and select a full scan. Please wait until it is complete and perform all the suggested actions.

The post What is Csrss.exe Process? Troubleshooting Guide appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Is Rsenginesvc.exe Virus?

As I wrote above, rsEngineSvc.exe process is a part of RAV Antivirus (Reason Core Security Engine Service). It is a program from ReasonLabs and supposedly serves to protect against viruses and various threats. In fact, RAV Antivirus appears when the user clicks on a malicious link or installs a cracked program.

Normally, rsEngineSvc.exe should not cause any significant troubles. Nonetheless, its appearance is barely a desired thing for the user. The behavior of this “antivirus” is also obtrusive, with pop-ups and startup scans that you cannot disable. This, combined with higher-than-usual resource consumption, should be a good reason to remove rsEngineSvc from your computer.

RsEngineSvc.exe High CPU and Disk Usage Explained

Typically for any antivirus, RAV, that contains the rsEngineSvc.exe will perform scanning operations. During this routine, it is natural for most antiviruses to use CPU power and create a sensible disk load. However, due to the lackluster development, rsEngineSvc.exe (Reason Core Security Engine Service) is much less efficient, which leads to excessive usage of system resources.

The problem is particularly sensible for the systems with hard disk drives. HDDs are typically slower, slow enough to be overloaded by a single program that uses one intensively. Such discomfort, combined with less than controllable behavior is yet another reason to remove rsEngineSvc.

It is important to emphasize that the load created by rsEngineSvc.exe is not malicious, e.g. it does not mine cryptocurrencies or performs other illegal activities at your expense.

Can I delete or uninstall rsEngineSvc.exe?

To remove rsEngineSvc.exe from your system, I’d recommend Gridinsoft Anti-Malware. Since RAV Antivirus commonly arrives bundled with other programs, it is expected that your system to be flooded by other PUAs. And to get your system clean from any unwanted programs, using proper anti-malware software is essential.

How do you prevent rsEngineSvc.exe or other PUPs from installing?

To prevent the installation of rsenginesvc.exe or other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), you need to be careful when downloading and installing freeware from the Internet. Additionally, exercise caution when visiting suspicious websites and opening malicious emails.
Here are some tips to help you protect your computer from PUPs:

• Use a reliable antivirus software such as Gridinsoft Anti-Malware and update it regularly. This will help you detect and remove PUPs if they get on your system.
• Be careful when visiting unknown or suspicious websites and do not click on pop-ups, banners, or links that may lead to PUP download.
• Be careful when downloading and installing freeware from unreliable sources, and always choose custom or advanced installation mode to decline additional offers or PUPs. Some programs may install other programs along with themselves without your consent or knowledge, so it is important to read all terms and agreements before installing any software.

The post rsEngineSvc.exe Process: Reason Core Security Engine Service appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

What is Antimalware Service Executable?

Antimalware Service Executable is an internal process related to Windows Defender. It is responsible for your system’s antivirus protection – unless you have the other security program on your PC. If you open Task Manager, you will find the process in question in the list of background processes. The executable file associated with the msmpeng.exe process is exactly the executable file of Windows Defender. It sometimes causes a lot of disturbances on msmpeng.exe high CPU usage, since the computer is quite hard to use in that state. Let me explain why that happens.

Regardless of whether it was a blatant flaw of Windows developers or Defender was deliberately designed with the future computer powers in mind, the fact remains: the Windows security program can be extremely annoying sometimes. And most often, this irritation aims at the Antimalware Service Executable process because of its behavior. Since the Defender is an integral part of Windows, it might start a scan at that very moment when you least need it. It depends on your CPU power, of course, but in most cases, Antimalware Service Executable high CPU usage may cause a considerable decrease in the performance of your PC. When it does its monitoring procedures, opening your browser to check your mailbox may become quite a headache.

Any anti-malware program takes significant CPU and RAM amounts during the scanning. That’s why it is useless to try to decrease it – you’d extend the scan time without achieving real success. Our hints in this article are to reschedule the msmpeng.exe activity and customize the time when Defender will be active for it to be less bothersome. When you expect, the Windows Defender activity, it will be much easier to decrease the negative effect of Antimalware Service Executable high memory usage. The more radical solution we suggest is switching to a lighter security program instead of a cumbersome Defender. We do not recommend you disable Antimalware Service Executable since leaving your system unprotected is worse than having sporadic performance issues.

MsMpEng.exe Process

MsMpEng.exe process is an executable file of Microsoft Defender. The Antimalware Service Executable service launches it on the system start unless the user chooses another option. However, seeing exactly the MsMpEng.exe process running in your Task Manager is a bad sign. By default, if you don’t use a third-party process exploring utilities, this name will not appear. Instead, you will see the name of the corresponding service we mentioned above. The most common case for seeing the MsMpEng.exe in Task Manager is the presence of malware that uses this name as a disguise. Usually, such a masquerade is used by coin miner trojans.

Antimalware Service Executable: Rescheduling processes

The most resource-consuming and, therefore, the most irritating process executed by Windows Defender is a full scan. However, it is not a useless tool. If you wish to stick to Windows Defender as your security solution, it is smart to schedule full scans for some time when they will not interrupt your work. That’s how you do it:

1. Open the Task Scheduler through the Search. Type “Task Scheduler,” and click on the first result.
   
2. In the left pane, click Task Scheduler Library and then move to Library→Microsoft→Windows→Windows Defender. You will see Windows Defender Scheduled Scan, Windows Defender Cache Maintenance, Windows Defender Cleanup, and Windows Defender Verification in the middle pane as you open the Windows Defender folder. All these four services need to undergo the following procedure.
   
3. We will start with Windows Defender Scheduled Scan. Double-click on it, then click the Conditions tab and uncheck all options to clear scheduled scans. To schedule some new scans, which is desirable for security reasons, add some in the same window – in the Triggers tab.
   
4. Create a new schedule for the full scans of your system. Consider conducting a scan at least once a week as a security requirement. That is just a piece of advice, though. You can set an appropriate time of the day for scanning your PC when the process will not bother you.

Don’t forget about the remaining services shown in the Windows Defender folder! They appear in the background as well and still affect your performance. Do the same actions to those parameters.

Excluding Defender from the scan list

By default, Windows Defender scans every object on your device’s storage. As it runs onto itself, the performance of your PC especially degrades. Moreover, other software issues might occur, causing the aforementioned msmpeng.exe high CPU usage. It is reasonable to put Windows Defender on the scan exclusion list so that the program doesn’t even try to scan itself. To add Windows Defender to the scan exclusion list, do the following:

1. Open Task Manager. Find Antimalware Service Executable in the processes list. Right-click on it and select Open File Location in the drop-down menu.
   
2. In the opened window, you need to copy the full path of the Antimalware Service Executable. Click on the address bar with the right mouse button and press “Copy path”.
   
3. Now launch Windows Defender. You can use the Start Menu search bar to input Windows Defender right there and open the first found item. In the opened Windows Defender Security Center, go to Virus & threat protection → Virus & threat protection settings. Scroll the settings down to Exclusions and click Add or Remove exclusions. On the opened screen, press Add and Exclusion, select Folder, and paste the path from your clipboard. Click Open, and Windows Defender will not scan the folder where Antimalware Service Executable is located.
   

Disable Windows Defender

As was mentioned, we don’t recommend disabling Antimalware Service Executable since it plays a significant role in your device’s security. However, if you want to cut the Gordian knot at once and deactivate Windows Defender, here is how to pull this off. Since it is a Windows built-in component, you cannot remove Defender as if it were an arbitrarily installed application. You can only deactivate it. Should you proceed, remember that turning off Windows security will leave your device bare before the possible threats. Make sure you think of a substitute for Windows Defender – having a lame horse is better than walking.

To deactivate Windows Defender, do the following steps:

1. Open Run by pressing Win+R. In the dialog box, type RegEdit and click OK.
   
2. In the opened Registry Editor, take the following path using the navigation pane on the left side of the window: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
   
3. If you see the DisableAntiSpyware registry entry, double-click it and set its value to 1. If you can’t find this registry entry, right-click the right pane of the Registry Editor window and, in the dropdown menu, select: New → DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this entry DisableAntiSpyware. Double-click the entry and set its value to 1.

Installing an alternative solution

Users shouldn’t leave their systems unprotected. As soon as you deactivate the Windows default security program, you will need a substitute for it to stay safe. We suggest that you give GridinSoft Anti-Malware a try. This versatile program features all state-of-the-art functions that Windows Defender could boast about. Scheduled deep scans, on-run protection, and Internet security are all there. However, thanks to the developers’ initial intention to make the solution quick and lightweight, Anti-malware does not obstruct your work process even when in the most active phase.

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Why do I need to clean my PC?

First, let’s talk about hardware cleaning. The components you have on your motherboard are not just a plate with pieces of silicon on it. Each detail has the recommended temperature range. Some parts may be sensitive to extreme vibrations or mounted in a certain position. But most of these things are basic and easy to follow, in contrast to the main enemy of each cooling system – dust.

If you have a pet at home, you likely know how much fur they lose during the spring or autumn months. Pets that live indoors, for example, may molt the whole year, so taking and hugging them is a simple way to make your clothes covered with their wool. And then imagine that all cooling mechanisms (at least two fans) suck all this wool. It sticks to your GPU/CPU, and the power supply covers the motherboard and disk drives. That struggles the heat sink, forcing the cooling fans to rotate faster and increasing the risk of fan failure – no heat sinks are designed to withstand the dust wrapped on its shaft.

Using a vacuum cleaner, you can easily clean all the dust you have inside the computer case. You can usually open the computer case with a single screwdriver. Ten minutes of simple dust cleaning procedure will endure the lifespan of your computer. This action is recommended to be performed three times a year for a simple user. Perform it more often if your PC is used heavily for gaming, 3D modeling, or other resource-intensive activities.

Cleaning the system

Most modern operating systems have their own embedded tools for system cleaning. However, Windows does not have automatic cleaning facilities. Moreover, the embedded tools for system cleaning cannot remove all junk files. Browser logs, error reports, cookies – all these things are stored on your disks but have no application. Here is the description of how to get rid of them and distinguish them from ones that may be used in the future.

First of all, let’s take a look at how to clean the junk files left by the system. Windows leaves a lot of garbage while operating. Each update you install also creates a backup copy for the case if you dislike the changes and want to roll your system back. However, current Windows releases can barely contain something that will force you to roll back. It is recommended to remove a backup file, which may take more than 10 GB of your disk space.

Open Control Panel (Search → type “Control Panel”). Go to System and Security, and choose the Free Up Disk Space option (at the bottom). Choose C: drive, and after the preliminary scan, click on “Clean up system files”. After pressing this button, this cleaning mechanism will show you the programs’ junk files and the garbage generated by your system. Then, you can clean it with one click. This procedure may take a while, especially if the backup file is large (>10 GB).

If you’ve been typing online searches like “how to make my computer faster” and not gotten very far, you can speed up your computer with these tips.

Clean up the browser cache

Cache is used by web browsers to increase website loading speed. It is kept in a separate file, among other web browser files. It is a useful feature that allows you to save traffic when you use metered connections and makes the websites open faster when you use a slow connection. Nonetheless, cache size may grow to hundreds of megabytes after several months of use. Another unwanted consequence of caching is that some websites will not show you the updates since the browser loaded the page from the cache.

Each browser has its way of cache cleaning, but in major, this option hides in the Settings.

Turn on swap file

Disk space is used by operating systems, not only as a storage device. While running the programs, Windows sometimes gets into a situation when the application asks for more RAM than the system currently offers without closing other programs. In such a situation, Windows, macOS, or Linux will offload the files of currently unused apps into a swap. Swap is a separate memory pool on your disk, explicitly created for keeping the data of new programs when another program needs more RAM.

Enabling the swap file may significantly increase the performance of the systems with relatively small amounts of RAM (<8 GB). If you use programs that consume a lot of RAM - 10-15 GB, it is recommended to enable the swap file, too, even if you have 20+GB of RAM.

Keep your disk drive clean

By default, Windows has the dynamically allocated swap file enabled. As I have described in a previous paragraph, swap files can make your computer run faster. Dynamic swap files have a single disadvantage – in case your disk is full, the swap has no place to expand. Hence, you may hope that your system will offload the unused apps, but oops – there is no free space for that action. Leaving the amount of free space close to your RAM amount will be enough to avoid such situations.

Another useful function that requires free space is hibernation. Your PC copies the data from RAM on your disk and then suspends it in this mode. In that mode, the desktop or laptop does not consume electricity, but you will be able to operate the programs exactly after the system starts, right from the place where you stopped.

Don’t forget to install Windows patches and driver updates

The developers of each operating system are interested in having more users. They are doing their best to optimize the system to avoid sudden lags, freezes, or other problems that harm the user experience. Installing a fresh patch on your Windows may increase your performance significantly. Using the scaling, you may feel the difference: install the post-release Windows 10, use it, and then update it to the last Windows 10 version. You will surely be amazed at the speed-up.

Drivers can make the situation better for a certain element of your computer. Some drivers add new functionality, but some fix critical problems or improve performance. Installing a new driver for your GPU, you may see a 15-30% increase in FPS in various games. 3D modelers may suffer from bugs fixed only by driver updates. New is likely the best!

Important note: don’t use third-party driver installers for driver updates. 90% of these programs are potentially unwanted and may carry severe hazards for your system.

Read also: How to fix slow PC?

The post How to Clean Up And Speed Up Your Computer? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Reboot your PC

Start with a restart. Even if you’ve done it several times already, just as a matter of procedure, do it again. Nothing? Ok, let’s try other things.

Check background tasks

Some of the programs on your PC work in the background, often without even communicating with you. And that is OK. Antivirus programs, for example, ought to turn on automatically upon system booting. But there is software for which there is no need to work in the background. However, despite slowing down the computer, some programs automatically put themselves on a startup list which means the system will launch them once it boots.

Here is Windows 10 instruction on how to check the programs listed for startup launch:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to access the Task Manager.
2. Go to the Startup tab. You will see the list of programs that start at once after Windows boots. In the Status column, you will see “enabled” and “disabled” values. The former means that Windows will launch this program upon startup.
   You can disable any program from this list, or even all of them, to check whether background tasks cause the deceleration of your PC. You will be able to enable them back again whenever you like. If you’re not up to that, you can disable only the programs about which you are suspicious.
3. You can click any entry in the list with the right mouse button and choose Properties in the dropdown menu. In the properties window, you can see the exact name of the program by googling, which you can learn what exactly this program does.
4. To disable the startup launch of the program, right-click the entry right in the list and select Disable.

NOTA BENE! If your antivirus software is performing a scan, this takes a lot of resources. Giving the CPU other tasks at the same time may result in low performance. Let the scan complete, and then see how quick your PC is. If the problem remains, proceed to the next possible anomaly source.

Update the OS and drivers

Your computer might be working slowly because of the outdated hardware drivers conflicting with the latest system software or vice versa. If it is so, the best solution is to update everything. Windows 10 updates automatically, but users can postpone updates or specify a date to install them. It is unlikely but possible that your hardware drivers were designed to work on the system update you haven’t yet installed. However, the opposite situation is pretty much possible. Windows 10 only adds the latest device drivers to its significant updates. But the latter hardly include drivers for rare and specific devices. Therefore, it is reasonable to manually check for device drivers on the manufacturers’ official websites.

Or you can use special applications provided by hardware manufacturers to update drivers automatically as graphic cards and printer producers do. But not always there is such support.

Use Start Menu search and seek Windows Update, where you will see whether any updates are waiting for installation.

Reboot your PC after all the updates.

Free HDD space

Swapping is a process of loading data that exceeds the size of physical RAM into virtual RAM – a file on the HDD called swap file (also: page file). Its size can amount up to 4 times larger than that of the real RAM. The lower limit is 1,5 of the RAM.

Now you see why the OS needs some free space on the hard drive for smooth operation. Check whether your HDD is full. Of course, we’re talking about the same hard disk where your system is.

Clean up Temp files

Creating, storing, using, and deleting temporary files is a process that accompanies your computer’s execution of complex programs. There is a folder in the operating systems for these temp files. Some of the files stay there for a long time, and that’s okay.

Temp files piling up can cause a visible deceleration of the PC. The more so if there is a hard disk drive overload.

Follow this instruction to remove temporary files:

1. In the Start Menu search bar, type %temp% and hit Enter.
2. The temporary files window will open.
3. You can delete all of them. If some programs use any of these temp files right now, Windows will notify you, and you’ll be able to skip that very object. The rest of the files will be created again if they are needed.

If the temporary files were the reason for your PC slow down, you will feel the improvement right away.

Disable/remove browser extensions

If your computer becomes slow specifically as you use the Internet, the problem may lie in browser extensions. Users are often unaware of how many useless extensions they install into their browsers while surfing the Web, mindlessly clicking consent buttons without even looking at the proposition. You can either turn unwanted extensions off or even delete them. Considering many extensions are PUPs alright, maybe the second option is preferable.

However, before removing any extensions, make sure you are not browsing with many browser tabs open and active. Some users don’t care about it, while the open tabs can banally overload the PC.

To remove extensions in Google Chrome, press Chrome Menu (three dots icon at the upper right corner) and choose More Tools in the popping-out menu. In the next menu, select Extensions. Find an extension you want to disable or remove and do it. Flip the blue switch to disable the extension, press Details to learn more about it, and, finally, press Remove to get rid of it.

Do the anti-malware scan.

Many types of malware are capable of slowing the computer they target significantly. The most prominent example is a Trojan horse that uses your system’s resources to mine cryptocurrency.

Related reaning: Coin Miners – What is it? How to know that you are infected?.

Open your antivirus program control panel and run a deep scan. Since there is such malware that only some of the existing security programs can detect, it is advisable to use a different counter-malware software alongside your antivirus to achieve a better effect. We recommend GridinSoft Anti-Malware, a safety program that can function as a powerful scanner utility as well as your primary system antivirus.

Rule out CPU cooling problems

Central processing units can lower their frequency to reduce heat in the chip. It is called “throttling.” Poor ventilation within the system unit can trigger this safety measure.

Remove the cover from the system block and see whether hair, dust, and dirt obstruct normal airflow. Clean the interior of the system unit accurately. If you’re not sure what is allowable during cleaning: check with this article on cleaning a system unit.

Attentively examine cooling grids and fans. Consider replacing a CPU fan if it is out of order. By the way, graphic cards feature cooling fans as well. If your PC decelerates running video games, check the graphic card fan as well.

Check the hard disk

Although software causes of the computer being slow are more probable, we should not ignore the possibility of the hard drive malfunction. What can we check in a hard drive, and how? If it is damaged and if it is fragmented. For both examinations, we can use standard tools featured in operating systems. Both procedures take time.

To check HDD for errors, run CHKDSK.

1. Type “cmd” in the Start Menu search bar and open the found item, the Command Prompt.
2. Press the right mouse button on the found Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. In the command prompt, type the command:
   chkdsk C: /f /r /x
   
4. Press Enter.

This command launches a disk check attempting to fix any error or bad sector on the hard drive. CHKDSK will mark hard-damaged sectors so that they are not used again. If you’re up to scanning another drive, type its drive letter instead of “C.”

If your PC is Apple, use Disk Utility to do the same thing. Take this path:

Launchpad (Dock icon) – Other – Disk Utility

The second thing to be checked is disk fragmentation or, in other words, the extent to which data is scattered across the hard drive. It takes much more time to operate with a fragmented disk. To defragment the HDD, use the Windows in-built optimizer.

1. Search for Defragment and Optimize Drives in the Start Menu search bar.
2. Open the found utility and, in its window, select one of the drives and press the Optimize button near its entry.

Check hardware

If nothing worked, it is time to check the hardware then. There are three PC components whose defects might cause the symptoms you’re trying to cure: CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

To do the maximum from home, you can use Ultimate Boot CD, software created to detect hardware issues by measuring the time it takes your PC to do some specially designed tasks.

The UBCD is downloadable nowadays; it is not necessarily on a CD.

A device wherein the UBCD finds a defect should be replaced or fixed.

READ ALSO: How to Fix High CPU Usage.

Reinstall Windows

An operating system like Windows is a highly sophisticated program. As you use it and interact with it, it becomes more and more customized, thus deviating from its most optimal state.

Normally, these deviations are minor, but sometimes they get truly significant due to software conflicts that are hard to track. If the UBCD detected no hardware problems, but still there is something wrong with the computer’s running speed, it might be reasonable to cut the Gordian knot by reinstalling the system. If you choose to install the system anew without keeping your files, you will lose your data. However, since you can still launch your PC, just back up your files and proceed.

Here is the Windows 10 Reinstallation Manual.

The post Slow PC: Tips to improve PC performance in Windows appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

1: You might have to check your Recycle Bin

The first thing you should do is check the Recycle Bin of your laptop. Everyone who knows how to use a laptop knows that when you delete items, they automatically get stored in the Recycle Bin. That does not mean that they are not taking up space on your laptop. So, just click on the Recycle Bin icon and empty it to free up some space. However, even if you do not do this yourself, your laptop will do it for you because Windows automatically deletes items in the Recycle Bin after a lapse of 30 days.

2: You can use the “Disk Clean up” utility

This built-in space-cleaning tool or utility helps you delete useless files to make space for useful ones. This clean-up tool comes in handy when you want to delete the files that belong to a previous Windows update. It includes various delivery optimization files, temporary internet files, etc. To accomplish the task of effectively using this tool simply click the Start button and go to “All Apps”.

When you open it, you will find “Windows Administrative Tool”, click it and then click on the “Disk Clean up” option. Hence, your mission is accomplished. But, there is more; after you click on the disk clean-up option, you will be asked to choose the target drive.

Then you will have to wait for a few minutes until your computer carries out some calculations. You will be presented with various file groups on your laptop screen from which you will have to choose the ones that you want to erase. Do not worry, there is no chance of getting the wrong file deleted because, your Windows will also provide you with a set of explanations consisting of what each file group means and contains.

3: Are you sure that you use every software installed on your laptop?

People install various apps and software that they only use once and then they forget about it. Even if they do not forget about them, they keep them in case they might need them again when they know that it is highly unlikely. So, instead of deleting your music, or your precious pictures which consist of priceless memories, just uninstall that useless software.

You can install them again if you might need them. These unwanted and unused software not only take up space themselves but, they also take up extra space every time they update. Needless to say, during those background updates, you will likely experience unpleasant performance depletion.

To uninstall this useless software, follow the steps given below:

1. Go to Control Panel
2. Open All Control Panel Items
3. Open Programs and Features

The “Programs and Features” option will provide you with the amount of space that certain software has been using on your laptop and will also allow you to uninstall that program.

4: Windows 10 allows your PC to hibernate. Disable that feature

Another tip for hard drive cleaning is to disable the hibernation feature on Windows 10. At this point, you must be wondering how disabling the hibernation feature helps in cleaning the hard drive. Well, the hibernation feature allows you to save data in the hard drive which allows your PC to shut down completely without losing any of your unsaved data. Although, that is a plus point if you are running too low on memory then you should try this tip since, the hibernation feature takes quite an amount of gigabytes on your laptop or PC.

To disable this feature, search “Command Prompt” and then right-click on it to “run as administrator”. Follow below:

Start > Command Prompt > Run as administrator

A window will appear on your screen. Now, all you have to do is to type the command given below:

powercfg /hibernate off

This way you will be able to successfully apply this tip and free some gigabytes on your hard drive.

5: Try using an external hard drive

If you do not want to lose your pictures, project, or other files and you have tried every method given above and still you are short on space then you must transfer your less immediate files to an external hard drive. The method is very simple, either cut and paste those files on the external hard drive or use the “Move to” feature to do so. These external hard drives include:

• Microsoft OneDrive
• Google Drive
• USB Device
• Detachable Memory Cards
• Drop Box etc.

6: Declutter and make space

Most of us get lazy and keep cluttering our PC or laptop with unimportant files which take up a lot of extra space. So, take some time out of your day and go through every file of yours to delete the unimportant ones completely. Do not forget to empty your recycle bin after doing so.

7: Check for any duplicate files

Over time as our laptop or PC clutters with various files, we tend to own or accumulate some copies or duplicate files. To free space on your Windows, you need to get rid of those duplicate files. Unfortunately, Windows does not provide its users with an easy way to get rid of such files so, for this purpose you will need to install third-party software.

Now, this is the only tip where you have to install software but, it can also be done without installing one. However, without the software, this task will not be very time-efficient and will turn out to be quite tedious. The name of the required software is “Duplicate Sweeper” and it allows you to get rid of duplicate files without any hassle.

8: Clear your browsing history

Yes, we talked about cleaning the temporary internet files in tip number 2 but, that did not include cookies, cache, and the data being saved due to your browsing history. So, remember to clear it out by going to the settings menu of your internet browser.

By using these eight hard drive cleaning tips, you will surely be able to earn a lot of free space on your Windows and will not be bothered by any of those full memory notifications. However, if none of these tips work for you then you also have the option to transfer your important files to a USB device and reset your PC or Laptop which will make it as good as new.

These simple tips will help you to clean the space on your computer in a few minutes. Be mindful online!

The post How to clean space on your Windows computer? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Why do PCs reboot without any reason?

There are plenty of reasons for PC unpredictable restarting. All of them are pretty serious, so solving them is likely essential to save your computer and your data. To understand which problem is yours, you need to check each possible case until you find one that is yours. To make the process structured, we will divide it into two parts – hardware and software-related checks.

Hardware-related problems

These things are the most dangerous. While software issues usually do not affect file safety, hardware ones do. It is essential to figure out the problem properly and deal with it as soon as possible.

Power issues

One of the most widespread reasons for the sudden PC rebooting is power supply problems. It may be damaged, worn, or overloaded, but the effect is simple: some of your hardware parts do not receive enough power and then shut down, causing the PC to reboot. To figure out if that is the case, use online services that allow you to calculate the power your computer consumes¹. Then, you can compare the number with your power supply max power emitted. If the power supply can emit less power than your PC can consume, the problem is right there.

Damage or wear of the power supply is harder to detect. Only the serious damage to this PC part can be seen: an outbalanced cooling fan, damaged cables, and so on. It may be even worse, but in worse cases, you will not be able to start your computer. Bring your power supply to the service if you managed to do all the next checkups and did not fix the problem.

Overheating

The era of “cold” CPUs passed long ago. Now, only ARM-based chips used in smartphones and some other mobile devices can be cooled passively – without fans, heat sinks, etc. Computer hardware, on the other hand, can heat up significantly. Problems appear when you use a compact system unit or a laptop. Both of them tend to have problems with heat sinking, especially when the hardware is working at high temperatures. You may check the current temperature of your hardware elements in Task Manager and third-party apps that can check the data hardware sensors. Normal temperature for CPU/GPU while running something heavy is ~70-80°C². Lower is better. Higher is not.

The reasons for overheating are different. Generally, if you did not install any new hardware but discovered that your computer is overheating, it is a good idea to open the system unit and clean the detail up from the dust. It is a perfect habit to clean your computer at least once a quarter – just like washing your car. If you have changed your hardware, and the problem appeared, you will need to update your heat sinks. In some cases, you may even need a water cooling system.

Overclocking

That is a case that touches on both overheating and power issues. Overclocking is a process of increasing the CPU clock rate by increasing the bus multiplier. Most modern Intel processors do not offer such an ability – only ones with K/KF letters in their index. On the other hand, AMD CPUs can easily be clocked regardless of the model (at least, the vast majority of them). Not only may the processor be overclocked – but GPU power can also be increased in such a way. But the negative effects are pretty much the same

Overclocking causes an increased power consumption and increased heating. The correlation between power use and clock rates is not linear: it is rather similar to parabolic graphs. Generated heat, however, is strictly related to power usage. Nevertheless, an overclocked PC may suffer from both power issues and overheating. Try to decrease the clock rate – it will likely help you.

Disk issues

It is a rare source of a problem, but it still can appear, especially if you use HDD. In contrast to SSD, HDD can die slowly, getting one bad sector after another. One time, the bad sector can appear in the cell where some crucial system info is stored. When the system tries to get this info and fails, it may trigger rebooting. However, a much more common case in that situation for modern computers is BSOD.

To prevent any issues with your HDD, check it with disk scanning tools. The scanning process takes about 1.5-2 hours, and it is recommended not to use your computer during the scan. You will be able to see the problematic sectors on your disk, along with ones already bad or inaccessible.

Software-related reasons for PC rebooting

In a positive case, the reason for constantly rebooting a PC is related to the software you have on your computer. Most of these reasons cannot even be called a problem – it is just an unregulated need. However, there is still a way to fix that.

System updates

Operating systems nowadays receive weekly updates. Windows has a regular updating schedule: at least 2 minor updates during the month and a cumulative update every quarter. Moreover, half-yearly patches may bring new functionality to the OS. Sometimes, when you do not update your PC for a long time or have reinstalled Windows from an old image, you may get into a situation where the system tries to install all possible updates. And most of these patches require rebooting.

It is recommended to wait until the system receives all the required updates. They are released not just to annoy you. Important bug fixes, closing security breaches, new functions – all these things are vital. But when you need to access your PC here and now and have no time to wait – schedule the installation of the update or temporarily disable them.

Third-party software updates or other actions

Same as the OS, third-party programs may also require the reboot of your PC. Oftentimes, they offer the user the choice – to reboot now or later. But there are rare cases when they have a timer on rebooting or do not give you a choice. In that case, try to install all updates and control the installation manually – to be sure that you don’t miss any windows³.

Malware-related issues

Rarely, malicious programs may cause your computer to reboot. In some cases, these reboots are caused by the extremely high CPU/GPU load. Such a load may happen when you are infected with coin miner viruses. But most of the viruses spread nowadays do not have such side effects. They are concentrating on making money on you, this or another way. And making such disruptions in this “farming” is not the best solution.

I hope that this guide will help you to resolve the problem you have. For sure, I cannot describe all the particular cases that may cause the PC rebooting problem. But this guide represents all common cases that will likely solve the problem you have.

The post How To Fix a Computer That Randomly Restarts appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Before you think of purchasing a new PC here are four tips that will help you speed up a PC.

How to speed up a PC:

1. Regularly clear any junk records and even programs

Install a system cleaner in your PC that will aid you to delete any unnecessary files surviving in your computer. The system cleaner goes a notch higher and clears any junk files within your browsers and any other programs that often gather cache files. The underlying factor is that internet files that are temporary and rendered useless can cause hanging problems making your PC unresponsive and slow if they are left to hang around. Notably, the junky files utilize huge volumes of space in your hard drive for no apparent reason. If the desktop is also filled up with icons, remove them since the computer takes long to load the icons and any other existing folder every time it is refreshed. Be sure to remove any unused program because they not only consume reasonable amounts of space but also they run from the background making your computer even slower.

2. Consolidate the PC hard drive

Defragging your PC is very important as any empty spaces that are left behind in the system are filled or permanently removed from the hard drive. The existence of empty spaces within your PC makes it longer to process files making it slower for folders to get opened, slower for programs to run and drag your computer making it sluggish.

3. Fix any system errors in your PC

Errors can be caused by some reasons like forcefully shutting down the computer, uninstalling software updates and even rebooting the computer while it is still running an update. The errors are prone to halting important computer programs such as updates. When the errors lock up, they make your PC slower.

4. Lastly, often upgrade your computer software

I understand that software is a major reason to computers being slow, but it actually won’t take long before there is need to upgrade the software. The components of the hardware should, therefore, be regularly cleaned. If the hardware needs to be replaced use a system information utility to determine the features of your hardware.

The post Top 4 tips to speed up a slow PC appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Myth #1. Malware Only Infect Computers and Laptops

Under the term “computers and laptops” people likely mean desktop operating systems – macOS, Windows and Linux. Sure, these three are the most popular ones among malware developers. Windows and macOS accounted for >85% of all malware injection cases. However, that does not mean that malware for mobile devices – ones that use Android, iOS or WP. Some of the malware¹ types even aimed particularly at mobile operating systems – banking trojans and spyware² trojans, for example.

Malware for mobile devices is slightly harder to inject, since almost every device vendor creates his own shell around Android. The lack of unification makes a lot of things harder, and malware is not an exclusion . Meanwhile, iOS is highly protected, and blocks any possible attempts of tracking or sniffing. It is very important to know the right information and how to remove malware from your computer?

Myth #2. Spamming Email Can’t Harm Your Computer

Spam³ in the email messages became something usual in the last 5 years. Even if you make every effort to prevent the email leaking to the fraudsters’ databases, you can receive such messages. They are about intrusive advertisements, but sometimes may contain  something that attracts your attention – link to the external site, or an attached file. Such messages are oftentimes disguised as some routine reports, delivery notifications or invitations. Spamming email can’t harm your computer is one of the most popular cybersecurity myths.

But how, exactly, can these things be dangerous? Inside the attachments, you will find a script that triggers the malware downloading. Links will rather lead you to phishing pages, but there is still the possibility to get malware through the critical vulnerabilities. This or other way, you will not be happy to see your computer full of malware. And don’t expect to see some not-so-critical stuff like adware or rogue – such a tricky way is used generally to distribute spyware and backdoors.

Myth #3. Cybercriminals Don’t Aim at Small and Medium Business

Obviously, this cybersecurity myths means cybercriminals who spread ransomware, spyware and such stuff. For sure, some categories of malware, such as APTs, require too much effort to deploy. It is just unprofitable to attack small companies with it – you will not extract enough data to pay back the money you spent. Some ransomware groups are also   considered to avoid the companies that belong to certain sectors – primarily governmental companies, educational institutions and critical infrastructure organisations. But it is still far from at least supposing that you are safe.

Ransomware groups, both small and worldwide-known, have small and medium business as their bread and butter. While large companies have enough money to invest into full-fledged EDR solutions with custom setup for their specific needs, smaller companies are forced to purchase cheaper applications, or even stay with “regular” anti-malware software. It is much easier for hackers to attack small and medium businesses, and they never ignore this ability, even though larger companies mean larger potential profit.

Myth #4. Computer Viruses Do Not Affect the Speed of The PC

Some malware is designed to be as stealthy as possible. Things like backdoors and spyware rely on their stealthiness to remain undetected as long as possible. They turn on silently in the background, mimicking the system process, and consume miserable amounts of CPU/RAM. You will not likely even notice them, until something (antivirus app, for example) will point at it. Nonetheless, these malware types are met not so often. They have a lot more noisy contemporaries, that are tenfold more widespread.

Cryptominers and ransomware are able to make your computer almost unusable. Both mining and file ciphering take a lot of CPU resources, and using the PC during those processes running in the background is pretty problematic. Things like adware or rogue antiviruses may look less dangerous by the effects, but slow computers may suffer from same-scale freezes and performance drops. Since the last two are often created by amateur programmers, they may unintentionally create a memory leak – so you will suffer RAM runout with time. Welcome to the times of Windows 95, with time-BSODs and reboots after installing each new device!

Myth #5. You Cannot be Attacked on Facebook or Other Social Networks

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – all these social networks are extremely popular nowadays. And all major spam campaigns happen right there – in comments to someone’s post, in advertisements or even in your DMs. It is possible to prevent the spam into direct messages – by just closing DMs for strangers. However, some spamming campaigns suppose the use of hijacked accounts in order to send spam messages to people from the friend list. It is sly, but efficient – and cybercriminals never were known for any kind of morality.

Cyberattack in social networks aims at phishing⁴ (more often) and malware installation. The latter supposes the redirect link that triggers the malware downloading, with the assurances that you will download a very useful tool that is extremely popular these days. Another sophisticated approach is malicious links in advertisements. Paid promotions in Facebook and Instagram are poorly moderated, so it is very easy to add a bait picture and a link that will lead the victim to malware downloading. 

Myth #6. Antivirus is Enough to Keep Your PC Safe

Will your mobile phone break apart after falling from 3 feets? I think no, at least it will barely have any serious damage. But when you repeatedly throw it into the sky, into the wall, and then wash it in the shower – you will definitely kill it, even though it is dust- and waterproof. Antiviruses are about the same thing. They may have great protection rates, perfect heuristic engine, but when you nuke it with hundreds of different malware samples – one may just slip through. That is not wearing – antiviruses are just not omnipotent. 

Gridinsoft Anti-malware software may show you the protection efficiency that is close to 100%, when it works in a well-protected OS and the user follows the basic cybersecurity principles. Vulnerable and outdated operating systems makes antivirus software ineffective against any advanced malware. And the user who follows the advice to disable antivirus to install the hacked application makes it absolutely useless. Using Anti-malware software right is a key to make it enough to keep your PC safe.

Myth #7. Individuals Must not Be Afraid of Spyware and Stealers

Spyware and stealers are used widely in cyberattacks against corporations. In those cases, a purified well-done malicious program acts to extract as much confidential information as possible. It looks illogical to use such a precise weapon against the masses. And this thesis is right – but there is the other side of the coin. Spyware, stealers and similar nasty stuff exists not only in the form of “professional malware”. You can see it inside of unwanted programs and as a mass-market malware as well. 

Apps that track geolocation of your significant others, activity trackers, no-name navigation applications – all these things may literally be a piece of spyware. They will have real functionality, and you may even enjoy it – but that cannot cancel its malicious nature. Yes, individuals don’t have valuable data that can be sold on the Darknet. But it is still possible to get the information that may cost a lot. The main buyers for that data are advertisers of any sort, spammers, and crooks who need to establish the botnet⁵ .

Myth #8. Cyber Threats are Only External

Cybersecurity as a science says a lot about the malware present in the current computer world. A lot of attention is paid to the spreading methods, but for some reasons they ignore one of the hardest-to-avoid distribution methods. Besides the RDP brute forcing, exploits in Photoshop and Exchange, and email spamming, there is a so-called insider threat, which is always here. Insiders are the personnel of your company who in fact work for your rivals, or even for cybercriminals who try to attack your corporation. 
The insider implementation is pretty hard, and may take years to reach the required level of integration. At the beginning, the new worker is not allowed to access the information that may really be expensive. But then the restrictions became weaker, especially if the imposter has high neuro linguistic programming skills. Having access to the company’s network from the inside gives the crooks the ability to do whatever they want. So yes, the exact threats are outside the company. But there may be an employee who brings them in – intendedly or by the reckless. 

Myth #9. Viruses Can Be Easily and Immediately Identified

That myth may be considered as partially truthful, however, there are too many possible variations that make it difficult to state so. There are a lot of factors the successful detection depends on. We are talking about the malware type, the stage it was changed in compared to the previous malware variants, and the quality of Anti-malware software you use. Different antivirus vendors offer updates more or less often, which also makes difference in quality and operativity of the detection.

Depending on the type of malware, you can have different detection ratios, primarily because of the overall similarity of the malware behaviour and the codebase it uses. If we imagine that the anti-malware program has only on-demand scans, it will likely detect malware that has more patterns in “classic” signatures. Those are spyware, backdoors and so on. Adware⁶ and browser hijackers are easier to disguise and obfuscate, since they don’t dig so deep into the system. If we are talking about the malware that is the obfuscated and reshaped version of the original one, everything depends on the heuristics – exactly, on how well the security tool may spot the malware bearing only on its behaviour.

Myth #10. The Backdoor Virus Does Not Affect the Operation of the Computer

Backdoors, as you may suppose from their name, provide a back door for the cybercriminals. What do they decide to do with the system they can fully control – only God knows. If they injected the malware into your computer just for lulz, they may try to scare you by moving the mouse pointer, opening and minimising the tabs and shutting down the system. That is funny, but uncovers the backdoor presence. Much more often is when you will not see any visible signs of the backdoor activity. That happens when crooks inject it for profit.

Backdoors prefer silent activity because of the continuous operations they are typically used for. For the first time (1-2 weeks after the injection) the backdoor is absolutely silent. It gathers the information about the system, typical activity hours and login credentials (if possible). Then, to provide maximal invisibility, backdoor creates the second administrator account, and hides it using the basic Windows functionality. That action carries pretty notable effects – another user requires disk space and hardware capacity when running. Therefore, you may see the indirect signs of its presence.

Myth #11. Botnets DO NOT Launch a Spam Campaign and Do Not Attack Social Networks

Another cybersecurity myths to watch out for. Exactly, botnets cannot launch a spam campaign by themselves. They are just computers, controlled from the single centre which is handled by cybercriminals. And the latter can do that – that is one of the purposes of the botnet. Spamming campaigns are pretty hard to commit manually. Even when you hire numerous users to send this spam, it is more expensive and less massive. Botnets are a perfect solution for this purpose. Another cybersecurity myths that confuses users.

The second part of this myth is busted exactly because of the nature of spam campaigns. They are very effective when applied on masses. The peak efficiency is reached in… social networks, when a single bot’s message may attract the attention of dozens of people. Hence, hearing the word combination “botnet spamming” actually means that this event takes place in either social networks or on email.

Myth #12. Sophisticated Security Tools Keep Your Business Safe

That myth is very close to being true. Anti-malware vendors from all over the world offer EDR solutions that allow you to protect the whole networks, including servers and IoT that is running in the company. And that could be the end of the story, if we miss to remember about the human factor. So-called zero-click attacks, which happen even without the interaction with humans, are pretty rare nowadays. Therefore, crooks of any scale and skill mostly rely on the mistakes of the personnel.

Both ransomware distributors, who purchased the malware sample by the affiliate programme, and one-in-kind masters who manage to inject their self-made APT into the corporate network generally rely on the recklessness inside of the company. System administrators were too lazy to establish a secure RDP connection for all employees; tired secretary opened the email with a strange attachment – they didn’t disdain anything for reaching their target. Sure, EDR may throw a monkey wrench into their plans, but it is still not a panacea. People very often believe cybersecurity myths – this is not correct. 

Myth #13. Regular Scanning is Enough to Keep Your Computer Clean

Again, the partial truth. Most of the classic anti-malware programs are designed to provide the peak protection with on-demand scans. All vendors warn the customers that using only proactive protection is not enough to keep the device 100% clean of malware. However, there is the other variable thing that was missed in all previous statements. We mean detection databases, exactly, their updates.

Most of the anti-malware software vendors offer a free version of their programs. They may be used free of charge, and you could even delete the viruses using them. However, there is a single problem – none of them provide the database updates. Free app versions may still receive the patches that are not related to the detection databases, but the ability to effectively spot and remove malware decreases week to week. Read trusted sources so as not to believe cybersecurity myths.

Myth #14. Ordinary Users are Completely Protected From PC Hacking

A very common cybersecurity myths that should not be believed. Ordinary users, who are the major mass of the overall PC market, are the main target of cybercriminals. They exploit the inattentive, reckless and the wish to spend as little as possible. For sure, the average level of cybersecurity knowledge among the biggest part of Gauss curve increased significantly over the last 10 years. However, that is still not enough to stop using anti-malware software and give no motivation to cybercriminals to attack individuals. It is important to remember that cybersecurity myths are fake, not everything should be believed.

Until there is a market of hacked software, film camrips and hacktools for different software, there will be the chance to get malware together with (or even instead of) the product. And the main trait of the aforementioned majority is, apparently, greed. People don’t want to give their money for the legit product, and then give this money for PC fixing. It is required to rip this vicious circle before stating such things.

Myth #15. Phishing DOES NOT Attack Confidential Information and Personal Data

That myth is likely based on the statements about the new appliance of phishing. Cybercriminals who manage the malware distribution nowadays add their malware as an attachment to the email, and trick the users to open it under different sauces. It is a phishing, crystalized and cleaned of any variations. But for some reasons people forget about the “classic” phishing, with counterfeited websites and forms to fill with your credentials.

Classic phishing did not go into eternity, as some people may suppose. Some say it is in hibernation now, but there are still enough phishing pages on the Internet. And you still must keep vigilance to avoid being fooled. Yes, the approaches of the classic phishing became much less effective – thanks to the new security measures used in web browsers. But be sure – they will find how to be back, and you will not expect it. It is very important not to believe cybersecurity myths, but to rely on true information.

The post 15 Cybersecurity Myths and Denials appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

What is Computer Viruses & Why is it Dangerous?

A computer virus is a type of computer program that when executed modifies the other existing programs. What it does is that it replicates itself and inserts its own code. The areas of the program affected in such a way by the malicious program are said to be infected.

Some computer viruses can steal your data, alter it or encrypt it to demand a ransom for it. The other kinds of malicious programs like cryptominers render your machine completely unusable. Not to mention that there exist quite an aggressive form of malware who once gets on the machine completely destroys the data with no recovery possible.

IMPORTANT FACT: Malware is a term for any type of computer software with malicious intent that does great harm to your PC. Among the most dangerous are: Coin miner, browser hijackers, adware, spyware, etc.

How to Detect a Computer Virus: Pay Attention

Despite the myriad of computer viruses existing out there in the world you will know when you get infected with some of them. Because in case of a computer infection everything that doesn’t work properly may hint at it. But more precisely it is the following:

• Browser lags or makes unwanted redirects;
• You noticed that from your account has been sent emails that you clearly remember you didn`t write and send;
• You also noticed that the hard drive seems to be working overly when you even don’t do that much;
• New applications (toolbars, etc.) appeared without you actually downloading them;
• Unexpected pop-up windows started to annoy you increasingly;
• The system began frequently to crash and message error;
• You started to have missing files;
• You also started to have shutting down or restarting system;
• Your computer performance significantly slows down ( It takes to much time to start up or open programs;
• Antivirus programs or firewalls don’t work or work problematic.

Prevent Computer Viruses: Useful Tips

Of course the old rule says it’s better to prevent a problem than deal with it. In case of computer safety and security the same rule also applies. The bad security hygiene makes the way for the various kinds of viruses to infect your computer and interfere with its work. For the responsible user, cyber security hygiene is one of the top priorities if not the first. Make yourself a note to always keep up to the next points:

#1. Have additional security solutions. Apart from having your main antivirus and firewall, consider buying another antivirus or firewall. Just in case the main security solution fails you will always have the backup of your security tools;

#2. Make it a habit to do regular backups of all important data you have on your computer. You can store it securely in the cloud or on the hard drive. In case of a compromise you won’t get your data completely lost;

#3. Use a firewall. If you have some antivirus solution it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a firewall. But both PCs and Macs have pre installed firewall software so make sure you have that activated on your computer;

#4. Use antivirus software. There’s not that much to say that`s basically the most essential thing in your cybersecurity. Don`t leave yourself without  an antivirus solution at all.

#5. Use strong passwords. Strong password will consist of symbols, letters, numbers and is at least eight characters long. And don`t reuse your username and password because once a hacker obtains them they can access all your accounts you have the same username and password on.

#5. Keep Everything Up to Date. Just saying, if you have the latest version of the software it means you have a little possible percentage of being hacked. Companies like Oracle and Microsoft regularly do their updates in order to eliminate the bugs that hackers have been already exploiting.

To show an example: If you have bought your operating system like 3 years ago it can be vulnerable against any new viruses developed in this age gap.

How to Remove a Virus: Check for Viruses On PC

So if you suspect that you have a virus on the computer take the steps below immediately to remove the threat:

1. Update your antivirus. Before you do a scan check if your antivirus solution has the latest update. Software vendors regularly do the updates adding to the list new discovered in the wild or in lab threats. If you have not done it yet your antivirus solution may not detect the virus that has infected the computer.
2. Disconnect from the internet. It will be a good idea to disconnect your computer from the internet as some viruses use the connection to do its malicious work. Once you have done it you can proceed further.
3. Do the reboot of your computer into safe mode. In the safe mode you can remove the virus without it returning again. Because in some cases malware tends to return. But this mode leaves only the essential programs to work while disabling all others and of course it will stop the virus.
4. Delete any temporary files. Some viruses initiate when your computer boots up. You may get rid of the virus if you delete the temporary file. But the advice will be not to rely on the deletion and proceed further to have the full proper deletion process.
5. Delete or quarantine the virus. After a scan is finished you can delete or quarantine the found file. Having done the step, run another scan to make  sure there’s no malware left.
6. Reboot your computer. Simply turn your computer on. It doesn’t need to be in Safe Mode any longer.
7. Change all your passwords. If you fear that your passwords may have been compromised, change on all accounts the passwords.
8. Update your software, browser and operating system. By doing so you will ensure that hackers could not exploit the same vulnerability again.

Types of Computer Viruses: What Users Should Beware of

Out of the variety of viruses there are some most common ones. The possibility that it’s this particular virus has got onto your machine is very high. Because they are widely spread it won’t take too much effort to get rid of one of them.  But don’t underestimate them the sooner you detect a virus and erase it the better. So once you know the cause of the problem it should be the matter of time to successfully deal with it:

1. Trojan Virus. At first site a seemingly legitimate looking program but once on the victim’s machine will secretly do its primary job to steal, disrupt or damage the user`s data or network. Trojan can’t replicate itself. A victim should start the execution of it.
2. MedusaLocker virus. A malicious software that is classified as ransomware. It encrypts files and keeps them locked until the ransom is paid. All the encrypted files receive “.encrypted” extension.
3. Macro Virus. A computer virus written in the same macro language as Word or Microsoft Excel. It works with these software applications and doesn’t depend on what OS the victim has. If a macro virus infects a file it can also damage other applications and the system.
4. Resident Virus. A kind of computer virus that hides in memory and from it can infect any program it has been tasked to infect. It loads its replication module into memory that’s why it doesn’t need to be executed to do the work. It activates every time the operating system loads or does a specific function.
5. Multipartite Virus. This virus infects the boot sector and executable files simultaneously. Most viruses infect only one thing either the boot, system or program files. Because of such a double functionality the virus causes much more damage than any other.
6. Browser Hijacker. A malicious software that will change browser`s settings, appearance and its behavior. Browser hijacker creates revenue by dircting users to different websites and constantly showing pop up windows forcing users to click. Apart from such “innocent” things the virus can also collect the victim`s data or do the keystroke logging. Remove it as soon as you notice any changes you didn’t actually remember to make to your browser.

Find The Best Computer Wirus Protection

It won’t be wrong to say that any antivirus protection is still protection. But of course the question is how good that protection is. The best thing to do in order to know which antivirus software has the quality of protection is simply to try it out.

In this way you will see the work of the product in action and will decide for yourself if what this or that antivirus software vendor proposes is enough for your needs.

The search for the ideal antivirus solution won’t be hard if you know what the thing should do. The antivirus solution searches, detects and removes the malware. It’s the basic three-part system of any program that calls itself an antivirus solution. Additionally, most antivirus software have the feature of removing or quarantining the offending malware. Also an antivirus solution works on two principles: either way it scans the programs upon their uploading or checks those already existing.

Now that you’ve secured yourself with knowledge, try to secure your computer with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware. Not a bad start in testing out the various antivirus solutions in the search for that special one. 

The post Warning Signs That Your Computer Is Infected: Does Your Computer Have Viruses appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.