How can you tell if your computer is infected?

I will describe some symptoms and indications of Virus infection:

• Your computer has unwanted pop-ups informing you about computer infection. You aren't offered a safe way to remove the malicious files without paying;
• You are redirected to certain websites to purchase fake security software;
• You aren't able to access web site which offer antivirus software or any other security software;
• You aren't able to use windows update to patch your system;
• You can't access any Microsoft web sites;
• Your search engine redirects you to web sites that have no connection with the thing you were searching for;
• Running programs are closing by themselves;
• Your browsing is slower then before, your internet connection is slower due to traffic that's  made by your computer but not by your genuine programs.
• Limited or no access to Registry Editor(regedit), Task Manager (taskmgr.exe), Command Prompt (cmd.exe),
• System configuration utility (msconfig), Group Policy Editor(gpedit.msc), Folder options, Internet Options and other features is denied;
• In some cases you are denied to boot in Safe Mode or Safe mode with Networking;
• You will notice decreased system performance because system's resources are used by hidden malicious software;
• You can hear sounds in your speakers even if you aren't playing any music or movie files;  You system may restart without any warning;
• Your installed programs stop responding frequently.

Note: These are common signs of infection, but these signs may be caused also by hardware or software issues, that have nothing to do with a computer virus.
In most cases once the computer is infected the user is denied access to various tools which can help him to disinfect the computer. If you find yourself in this kind of situation you will need to retake partial control of computer functionality to install a security software and run a full scan.

Recommended PC Maintenance Schedule

To keep your PC and network up and running all the time, just follow this recommended maintenance schedule.  Let Your Neighborhood PC Guy perform any of the following services for you.

Data Backup — Every Month

• Data protection helps keep all your files safe.  Whether its pictures from a past vacation, important records or your MP3 collection, it’s imperative that you back up your files every month.  Let me help you transfer your files to a safe device or online service.

System Security Check — Every Three Months

• My System Security Check keeps you protected from outside threats.  To ensure your machine is properly protected, get a System Security Check every three months through a complete System Analysis.  Your Neighborhood PC Guy will find out if your security protection software is doing its job.

PC Tune-Up — Every six months

• Let your PC perform at its best.  Get a PC tune-up every six months and keep your system safe and clean from uninvited visitors like viruses & spyware.

Wireless Network Security Check — Every six months

• Protect your network.  Just because your network is working doesn’t always mean it’s secure.  Your Neighborhood PC Guy will run a diagnostic on your network to check your settings, configurations and security features.

Prepping Your Computer for Disposal

Ready to give your old computer the heave-ho? Before you do, remember that computers often hold all kinds of personal and financial information that thieves could find valuable—passwords, account numbers, license keys or registration numbers for software programs, addresses and phone numbers, medical and prescription information, tax returns and other personal documents.
To ensure your hard drive doesn’t become a gold mine for thieves, there are things you must do before you shut down for the last time.

Save important files. Back up your files to an external hard drive or online backup service, or transfer them to a new computer. Drives as large as 1TB cost a little over $125 and there are good free and low-cost online backup options, such as Dropbox (2GB free), Carbonite (unlimited backup for $54.95 per year) or SugarSync (30GB for $49.99 per year).

“Wipe” your hard drive clean. When you delete a file, the file name is removed from the list of available files and the computer knows it can use that space to save new data. The old file data is still there, though, until it is overwritten. And the data can be retrieved with a data recovery program. To remove data from your hard drive permanently, it needs to be wiped clean—preferably overwritten multiple times with a dedicated hard-drive wiping program. For Windows PCs try Eraser (free) and for Macs try ShredIt X (free).
Ideally, you'll want to completely reformat your hard drive, as well. But if that sounds a little daunting to you, at least try to follow the additional steps we recommend below.

Uninstall your programs. Some programs, such as Microsoft Office, may contain personal information such as your name and address or other details. While others, such as iTunes, only allow you to install on a limited number of computers. So be sure to deactivate iTunes and uninstall any programs before disposing of your PC.

Delete your browsing history. Most browsers save information about your browsing history and, if you set them to, even your user names and passwords for sites you visit. So it is critical that you delete this information from your browser before disposing of your computer. For Internet Explorer, you click on the Safety tab and then Delete Browsing History. Make sure all of the check boxes are selected so everything gets removed. Repeat this for any other browsers on you computer—Firefox, Safari, Chrome.

Consult your employer about data disposal policies. If you use your computer for business purposes, check with your employer about how to manage business-related information on your computer. The law requires businesses to follow data security and disposal requirements for certain information that’s related to customers.

Once you have a “clean” computer, consider recycling, donating or trading it in – and keep the environment in mind when disposing of your computer.