Beginners Guide to Computer Malware Infections

Your computer is behaving strangely. Perhaps it's crashing, taking you to unfamiliar web sites, or you are unable to run your virus scanner. There are numerous signs that your Microsoft Windows system has been infected with malware. Several basic steps can be taken to locate malware. But first you must know what malware is.

Even if you've never seen the word "malware" before, you probably are already somewhat familiar with it. Malware, short for malicious software, encompasses several types of unwanted programs that could be running on your computer. Viruses are infectious programs that generally spread from user activity and cause negative effects to low levels of your system, such as physically damaging your hard drive. Trojans are similar to viruses and spread by hiding within otherwise legitimate files and are often used to provide a backdoor entrance to your system. Spyware tracks your activity and often reports it to a repository somewhere on the Internet. Adware inserts unwanted ads, usually into your web browser.

So how do you know if you've been infected by malware? Well, whether you have noticed any signs or not, it's a good idea to regularly inspect your system for malware. The most basic check is to bring up your Task Manager by pressing Control-Alt-Delete. In some versions of Windows you may have to click on the Task Manager button after that. Then simply bring up a list of processes and look for anything unusual. Naturally you might not know what belongs and what doesn't, so use your web browser to search for the ones you don't recognize. The more familiar you get with your system's processes, the less time this will take.

If you didn't find anything suspicious in your process list, but still believe you've been infected, there are a few more checks you can do. Open the registry editor (Start->Run->regedit), navigate your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and examine the values under the three subkeys "Run" "RunOnce" and "RunOnceEx". It's normal to have things in the "Run" subkey, but you should become familiar with what belongs there so you can identify what doesn't, as these are items that run when you start up your computer. Once again, search engines are invaluable to help you identify what these items are.

Now you've made it through the two basic checks for malware and still think you're infected. There are two very good tools you can get from Microsoft's web site that are essential to identify hidden malware: Process Explorer and TCPView. The combination of these two utilities can help you find malware on your system even when it shuts you out of your antivirus and anti-spyware programs.

While none of these steps should be regarded as a replacement for security software, it is a good idea for everyone to become familiar with them. With these steps you can effectively supplement any personal security products that are already in place to protect your system.