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 In the previous article of this
series titled:"26
Symptoms Of A Virus Infected
Computer",
you were
taught how to recognize the symptoms of a
virus infected
computer, and you also learned how
you can prevent
future problems.
Let's take a look at a few tips that are a must for
successful computer virus removal, which are actually
many of the same steps used by experienced
professionals!
If you have an internet connection and you are
able to download and install software on your computer,
you can remove malware on your own and you won't have to
pay huge sums of money to have your computer cleaned
again! Here we go....
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1.) Get the PC ready for virus
scanning.
Temporarily shut down your internet
connection; either by disconnecting or powering off your
modem. Viruses can use your internet connection and
download more threats to your computer as well assend personal/financial information
to other servers on the internet.
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2.) Using “System
Restore”, create a new restore point.
Navigate to System
Restore, which is also known as System
Protection in Vista as well as Windows 7. Create a new
restore point for the same day as the day that
you are working on removing viruses from the
PC.
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3.) Remove any attached storage
devices
Remove USB hard drives, memory
cards and any “plug n play” hardware from the computer.
Computer malware can easily infect drives and other
types of media so it is always necessary to disconnect
these to safeguard against the malware
spreading.
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4.)
Look for "suspect"
programs installed in
Windows
Search for programs that have
weird names, or software that has characters that should
be alpha and/or numeric, but are actually characters,
such as: *#%^#
etc.
It is also important to check
for software that you don’t
recognize the name of, as it could be a virus, trojan,
spyware etc.
Many times,
toolbars are actually malware and can be detected by
antivirus software, so when removing viruses on your computer be weary of toolbars from
“unknown”
companies.
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5.) Look
for “suspect” programs in the
start-up menu
Navigate to the Windows
start-up menu, and choose the tab that
reads Startup. Check for any programs
that do not have a publisher listed.
Also, search for programs that are not named, or that
have strange characters as explained in item #4.
Uncheck ALL programs with
no publisher, as well as software with
no name; since they will usually be
threats! If you find that the programs that you
unchecked to start-up with Windows, weren’t
malware; you can always go back and re-check
them.
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6.) Use
anti-virus software to scan for
malware
Did you know that the
free antivirus programs that can be downloaded
from the internet works as well if not much better than
many “big name” software in removing
viruses!?? Run your anti-virus software, and
allow it to check for updates, so that you can have the
most up to date protection before scanning for and
removing viruses.
A connection to the internet
is needed, so you can now plug up the internet cable
(Ethernet) or power on your router/modem.
You can now scan the PC, while using the
full scan selection. Allow the software
to clean/quarantine/remove any viruses that it detect.
Restart the computer if prompted, or allow the software
to reboot the computer.
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7.) Use anti-spyware software to
scan for
spyware
Unknown to many, FREE antispyware programs
that can be downloaded from the internet work as well if
not much better than many “big name” and costly software in
deleting spyware! Open up your anti-spyware software,
and allow it to check for updates, so
that you can have the most up to date
protection.
Scan the computer,
using the full scan selection. Allow
the software to clean/remove any spyware it finds.
Restart the computer if prompted, or
allow the software to reboot the
computer.
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8.) Delete temporary files from the
PC
Download a temporary files remover,
to delete files that slow down the computer, as well as
remnants of viruses etc, that were removed from the
computer. Scan the PC and allow the temp file cleaner toremove/delete whatever it finds.
This process could leave you waiting several minutes
while it is scanning so hopefully you’re not in a rush!
If a long
period of time has passed since the last time files were
deleted on the computer, the total
amount of files deleted could be more than 1-2
Gigabytes. A good program to use that is pretty
effective,is CCleaner
…and
it is free! There are more “robust” professional
grade programs out there, but they won’t be covered in
this article.
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9.) Delete the internet browser
cache
In case you have no idea on how to
delete the browser cache, visit the Help files within
the browser you are using. If you used a temporary files
remover, this step will most likely notbe necessary. However, knowing
how to delete cookies, files, internet history etc; will
speed up the browser, and increase the overall browsing
speed of the computer, as well as removing tracesof viruses, Trojans and spyware that
remained after removing
viruses.
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10.) Re-check the PC
for malware
Re-scan the PC, using the
full scan
selection, to ensure that the virus was successfully
removed. If an infection is found, repeat the process of
removing the malware. It is best not to scan using
anti-virus and anti-spyware software simultaneously,
since it can slow the computer down drastically, and can
cause false readings which can make matters
worse.
After scanning is
completed, run the temporary file cleaner again, and
restart the computer. Make sure that the
computer is operating normally, and that there are no
error messages, or pop-up alerts, crashes, blue screens,
or malware detections by the software you are
using.
Congratulations!
You have learned the
basic steps involved in removing viruses, and you can
now hold up a defensive against computer virus
infections, spyware and more.
Happy
Computing!
Jarvis Edwards -
TekTime
_______________________________________________________
To Learn Specific, Proven Tactics, Such
As:
*Which (free) software
to use and where to find
it
*How to scan and clean
the registry
*Professional software
to remove hard to find temporary
files
* How to remove viruses
that antivirus software can't
detect
*How to remove viruses
when a computer won't
boot
*How to scan for viruses
when you can’t install
software
* and much, much
more - check
out......
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