Could I have downloaded a virus or trojan, etc.?

[margothu]

I am so mad at myself. I set up igoogle on my new computer. I spent forever going thru all the cool things I can add: games, clocks, lava lamps, etc. I clicked on tons of fun things, and then when I went to the various sites, most were stupid, so I cancelled them.

Since then, I have had a few times when my computer has been very slow.

Could I have downloaded a virus or a trojan, or something else bad?

I am kinda new at computers.

Is there anyway I can check to see if I have problems?

I do online banking and now I don't dare do anything.

Thank you!

[cherry su]

I'm assuming that you are on a Mac, so here goes

perhaps something is using up all your CPU or RAM so check the Activity Monitor for any strange apps

[margothu]

Yes, definately a Mac.

I found the Activity Monitor and there is lots of info there. Should I be looking for something in particular?

[plinden]

Yes, something using a lot of CPU. Select "All applications" from the drop down at the top, and sort on the CPU column. When your Mac gets slow again, take a look at what's slowing it down.

Did any of the things you downloaded ask for an admin password? If not, you're ok.

You're not likely to be the first OS X user to ever get a virus, but installing trojans is possible.