How to not get a virus on your computer

If you're unsure of which operating system that you are running, see Is my PC running the bit or bit version of Windows. When you are prompted, press a key to select an option to use to start your computer, such as F12, F5, or F8, depending on the kind of computer that you are using. Use the arrow key to scroll to the drive where you installed Microsoft Defender Offline file. Microsoft Defender Offline starts and immediately scans for malware. Confirm that the Windows firewall is turned on.

See Turn Microsoft Defender Firewall on or off for instructions on how to do that on modern versions of Windows. In the Search box, type firewall, and then click Windows Firewall. In the left pane, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off you may be prompted to enter your administrator password. Only download programs from sites that you trust. If you're not sure whether to trust a program that you want to download, enter the name of the program into your favorite search engine to see whether anyone else has reported that it contains spyware.

Read all security warnings, license agreements, and privacy statements that are associated with any software that you download. Never click "Agree" or "OK" to close a window that you suspect might be spyware. Be wary of popular "free" music and movie file-sharing programs, and make sure that you understand all the software packaged with those programs.

Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account. An administrator account can access anything on the system, and any malware run with an administrator account can use the administrator permissions to potentially infect or damage any files on the system. For more information about how to protect a computer against viruses, see Protect my PC from viruses.

Want to chat with a live person? Our Answer Tech trained professionals are ready to help: Answer Desk. Security information and training. For computer virus and security-related support for locations outside North America, go to the Microsoft Support website. This computer is infected by spyware and adware. Click Start , and then type Windows Update in the search box. In the results area, click Windows Update. Click Check for Updates. Follow the instructions to download and install the latest Windows Updates.

Restart your computer. When you see the computer's manufacturer's logo, repeatedly press the F8 key. Click the Shortcut tab. Click Open File Location. A computer virus is a malicious program—or form of malware—that's designed to disrupt your computer and spread to other devices. It attaches itself to a valid program, alters the code, then replicates itself to infect other files or systems.

A virus can destroy data or cause your machine to stop working. Your computer can get a virus in many ways. The most common ones are:. Think your Mac or PC may have a virus? Look for these 10 telltale signs:. Macs have built-in protections for viruses and malware, so it's uncommon for them to become infected. So uncommon, in fact, that they don't have an option to run a manual virus scan.

It is illegal if you spread it to the public and cause harm with it, you may be caught by local police or in extreme cases, by the FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation. Not Helpful 7 Helpful 9. Yes, the latest updates for Windows 10 are safe.

They are from Microsoft, and they do not contain viruses. In fact, downloading them actually keeps you safe from getting viruses. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. My computer keeps randomly crashing with a blue screen. I have scanned viruses with a antivirus and it says it's fine.

I think I have corrupted files. How do I know there are corrupted files on my computer? You can run an SFC scan. Open start and type "cmd" into the search bar. Then, right click "Command Prompt", and click on "Run as administrator". Then, click "yes" on the prompts. Let the scan run. If it finds any corrupted files, it should fix it automatically. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. You can scan it with your antivirus software.

To scan it, first make sure that autoplay is disabled this article describes how to do that , then plug it into your computer. Next, right click the drive and select the scan option. Wait for the scan to finish and delete anything that it finds. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Keep a recent backup of your personal files. This will come in handy should you get infected with a program that deletes your files, or prevents you from accessing them.

Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. If you are fixing simple errors like a blue screen, simply shut off your computer and reboot it after 10 seconds.

Don't do any surveys that look suspicious and never, ever give any money away to something that looks unusual. Don't change your browsers security settings. Browsers come with security settings already preset. If you don't know what your doing, then it's best not to change it. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1.

Pay attention to security warnings. If you get a notification that says that something is unsafe, then go back. If you don't keep a good backup of your files, you risk losing everything when a virus or spyware hits.

Scan your computer once in a while. Helpful 46 Not Helpful 4. You Might Also Like How to. How to. Expert Interview. More References 3. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: June 3, Article Summary X To avoid getting a computer virus or worm, avoid clicking on banner ads and popups, especially ones designed to look like anti-virus software.

Nederlands: Computervirussen en wormen voorkomen. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Is this article up to date? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

Owen Bentley Nov 23, Anonymous Mar 2, Rated this article:. Ann Sweatman Jul 24, Anonymous May 13, Thank you for this info. Although most are created by advertisers, they can also contain malicious or unsafe code. A pop-up blocker can prevent some or all of these windows from appearing.

The pop-up blocker in Microsoft Edge is turned on by default. If you're using Microsoft Edge, make sure SmartScreen is turned on - SmartScreen in Microsoft Edge helps protect you from phishing and malware attacks by warning you if a website or download location has been reported as unsafe.

For more info, see What is SmartScreen and how can it help protect me? Pay attention to Windows SmartScreen notifications - Be cautious about running unrecognized apps downloaded from the Internet. Unrecognized apps are more likely to be unsafe. When you download and run an app from the internet, SmartScreen uses info about the app's reputation to warn you if the app isn't well-known and might be malicious.

Keep Windows updated - Periodically, Microsoft releases special security updates that can help protect your PC. These updates can help prevent viruses and other malware attacks by closing possible security holes. Windows Update helps to make sure that your PC receives these updates automatically, but you may still have to restart your machine occasionally for the updates to install completely. Use your internet browser's privacy settings - Some websites might try to use your personal info for targeted advertising, fraud, and identity theft.

All modern browsers have privacy settings that you can enable to control what sites can see or do. For more information about configuring the privacy settings in Microsoft Edge see Configure your privacy settings so they're right for you. UAC can help keep viruses from making unwanted changes.