Computers can have complex problems...

Computers are a big part of my life. I cannot go a single day without using my computer whether it is to check my e-mail, instant message with my friends, check Face Book, do research for a project, check the news, or so much more. If a problem occurs with my computer, I always develop a plan right away in order to solve my problem.

This past year, I slowly realized that I was having problems with my laptop. This was my problem. I started analyzing the facts: my Internet was moving slowly and I had many pop-up windows. I took what I learned from my facts and did research on the computer.

I first thought it was a virus. I scanned my computer using Norton Internet Security; however, nothing was found. I tested the Internet after the scan and the same problems were happening. I tried deleting my cookies and again it did not help.

I then entered my specific problems through the Google search engine to see if I could come across a solution. I then remembered that I had recently downloaded a few new free programs on my computer to watch video through different programs. I remembered hearing the word malware. I searched the word “malware” through Google to find a definition. The following definition was found: “Malware is a general term for software programs that have been designed with or can be used for malicious intent. These include viruses, worms and Trojans.”

I then went back to Google and typed in “anti-malware”. The first entry that came up was “Anti-Malware at www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php . I continued on to this site. A free application was offered to scan my laptop to find unwanted malware and remove it from my computer. I checked the site to make sure it was reputable. Then I downloaded the application, and ran the scan. The scan found a few Trojan viruses that had been downloaded onto my computer. I was then able to remove them from my computer. After this process was completed, I checked my computer and Internet to make sure everything was working properly. My check resulted in everything working flawlessly.

In order to solve the mystery of why my computer was acting crazy there were a few steps I had to do. I had to separate what was not working from what was working in order to isolate the problem. Then I was able to do research to analyze my problem. I used a tool, Google, to help me do research from other sources because I did not have an answer personally. It is always important to find other resources whether it is Google, outside experts, or the library to find answers that you may not know. I then took the research that I found to develop a plan. I enabled the plan which in turn was able to solve my problem. I also made sure to “check my work”. I did this to make sure nothing else was harmed or changed because of my plan. If it changed something else in the process it could have created a new problem.