Spyware, Viruses, & other computer problems

Computer slow? Crashing or freezing up a lot? Internet slow?
Your computer's probably infected with spyware, adware, or viruses...

Most of the time when a computer is slow, freezes up a lot, or has a lot of pop-ups, it's because of spyware, viruses, or file sharing software. These things can be really nasty, and almost everyone has some of them on their computer.

Spyware & Adware

Many free programs, especially file sharing programs, install additional programs called spyware or adware on your computer. These programs can have all sorts of bad effects on your computer, including making it really slow, making it crash, making your Internet connection slow, or making some programs not work.

Plus, spyware & adware can do bad things to you. They can monitor your computer activity, steal your personal information (& use that to steal your identity), or "hijack" your computer & use it to send out spam or viruses.

We strongly recommend that you scan your computer for spyware, even if you aren't having problems. For more information, see the handout Spyware, Scams, & Other Online Hazards. For removal instructions, see the handout Removing Spyware.

Viruses

Students in the res. halls are required to install the College's McAfee VirusScan and keep it up to date, which should keep you from getting most viruses. If your computer does become infected, you'll need to use VirusScan to scan and clean it. For more information about viruses and instructions for using McAfee VirusScan, see Computer Viruses: McAfee VirusScan 8.5 (Windows 2000, XP, & Vista).

File Sharing Software

File sharing programs usually configure themselves to always be running in the background, so they can use up your computer's system resources & make it slow. They may also cause problems with other programs you use. Using file sharing software also violates College policies. For information, see the handout File Sharing Software, Spyware, and your Computer.

Other Computer Problems

Assistance and Questions

If you have any questions or need more information, please call the Help Desk at (920) 403-HELP (4357), contact us via e-mail at helpdesk@snc.edu, or stop by the Help Desk in Cofrin 101. The Help Desk is for St. Norbert College students and employees only.

Sometimes spyware infections can be so bad that even all of these tools can't completely clean & fix your computer. If you've tried scanning for spyware and viruses, but still have computer problems, you may need to take more extensive measures. The best thing to do in these cases is to restore your computer to its original configuration using your restore disks or other restore method provided by your computer's manufacturer. If you don't want to or can't fix it yourself, you may need to get an expert to help you:

• College-owned computers: Tech Support will clean infected College-owned computers. Contact the Help Desk at xHELP (4357) to request this service.
• Student personal computers: Tech Support can usually repair your computer for you for a fee. For details, see the Computer Setup and Repair Policy.
• Employee personal computers: Contact the Help Desk at xHELP (4357) and ask to speak to the professional on duty for suggestions.