What To Do If Your Antivirus Is Not Working?

Time and again, we reinstate the importance of using an Antivirus. Why? Simply put, it keeps your device free from any malicious threats. This also means, no matter how new or how sophisticated the malware is, your Antivirus will be able to track it in real-time and stop it from damaging your device or its data.

But, have you ever thought – What if your Antivirus stops working?

Trust us, it isn’t a made-up situation (nor are we scaring you). If your Antivirus stops functioning, without your knowledge, your PC will be exposed to dangers.

In this post, we’ll take a 360-degree purview of when this situation can occur and even more importantly, steps that you should take to steer clear of such a situation.

How To Know If My Antivirus is Working or Not?

Apart from the monthly and a few other reports that your Antivirus app shows you, it mostly runs in the background. It goes without saying, you might have to put some effort to know if your Antivirus has stopped working or not.

And trust us going that extra mile would just be another defense against impending threats. So, first and foremost, you’ll notice signs that there is something wrong. Some evident signs that signify that there is a virus include –

• PC has suddenly become slow.
• Antivirus has been removed from “System Tray”, a “^” icon that you can see at the bottom right corner.

• Files and folders are disappearing or unwanted/ unknown files keep appearing.
• Can’t connect to the internet.
• The appearance of too many pop-ups on your browser (some of these might be outright malicious).
• Apps keep crashing all the time.
• A sudden decrease in the hard drive storage capacity.
• Unknown apps are installed on your computer.
• Can’t perform normal functions or access Windows utilities.

Next, you might notice some other signs such as Antivirus programs crashing, real-time scanning getting switched off, important files pertaining to Antivirus getting deleted, and various others like the ones mentioned here.

Why Did My Antivirus Stop Working?

Let’s suppose, that out of the blue, your Antivirus stopped working. It could be that –

• Another Antivirus program on your PC conflicts with your primary Antivirus.
• Malware infection has hoodwinked your Antivirus and worse, it has disabled it.
• You have forgotten to renew your Antivirus subscription or haven’t set it to the automatic renewal.
• You haven’t updated your Antivirus in a while.

In the next section, we’ll see what you can do if your Antivirus stops working because of any of the above reasons.

What To Do If My Antivirus Stops Working?

First, needn’t panic.

You can try the steps we have mentioned below. But, no matter what, do not give in to threats like Ransomware that ask you to pay up in the return for your data. That’s because there is no surety that you will get your data back.

Before we tell you the steps that you should likely take if your Antivirus stops working, pay heed to these prerequisites –

• Take a backup of your data.
• Look for a decryption tool in case of a Ransomware attack

Now let’s have a look at things you should do if you find out that your Antivirus has stopped working –

• Disable One Antivirus

You can disable one Antivirus and then check if your primary Antivirus has started working or not.

• Install A Reliable Antivirus

Install a reliable Antivirus whose virus definitions are updated regularly. One such Antivirus is T9 Antivirus. We have already covered a post where we have talked about its features, testing results, pricing, working, and various other aspects.

• Renew Antivirus Subscription

Quite possibly, you ignored the notifications your Antivirus sent you for renewal. If that’s the case, check if it is time to renew your Antivirus and do the needful.

• Check Antivirus for Updates

Just like any other software, even Antivirus needs to be updated. An update ensures that you get the new features and from an Antivirus standpoint, your app is updated with the latest virus definitions. Needless to say, you can check if there is an update available.

Wrapping Up

In the wake of malware attacks, it is important that your Antivirus is always active. If your Antivirus stops working and you notice that your computer is acting up, needn’t panic! You can try out the steps mentioned in this post. For more such posts, keep reading WeTheGeek. You can also follow us on Instagram,  Facebook and YouTube.