PC problems? Troubleshoot them in 10 steps
Summary: Being methodical when you troubleshoot PC issues can save time and frustration — and it also gets users back to work more quickly, says Jack Wallen
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Look for virus issues
8. Look for virus issues
I find that 50 percent of support calls turn out to be caused by viruses. Since viruses display a variety of symptoms, how can you quickly determine whether a virus is the cause? I know support techs who have spent hours trying to track down a virus on a machine that wasn't actually infected.
There are a few questions I like to ask. The first is, "What behaviour is your computer displaying that makes you believe it has a virus?" The answer to that question will dictate where you go from there. Other questions to ask are:
- Has your computer drastically slowed down recently?
- Are strange or unwanted pop-up windows appearing at random times?
- Were you recently on a website you don't normally visit?
- Did someone else use your machine?
- Did you recently open an email attachment?
- Has a strange security window recently started popping up?
These questions will guide you in the right direction in diagnosing a virus infection.
Image credit: talksrealfast/Flickr
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