Computer Virus FAQ.
What to do if you think you have a virus/spyware infection
1) Download MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware.
2) Install both of these applications on the computer. They will ask if you would like to update their virus definitions, which you do.
3) Reboot the computer into safe mode. Do this by pressing F8 right after the BIOS screen (image), before the Windows logo (image) comes up.
4) Open MalwareBytes, and tell it to run a full scan. When completed, have it remove all found infections.
5) Open SuperAntiSpyware, and tell it to run a full scan. When completed, have it remove all found infections.
6) Reboot the computer and allow it to boot normally.
7) Open your web browser and visit F-secure Online Scanner. Run a scan with this utility as well, and allow it to remove all found infections.
At this point, in the majority of spyware/virus infections, your computer will now be clean and virus free. It is necessary to run multiple different scanners, because typically, no single scanner will find all traces of the infection.
What if the virus is preventing me from accessing the internet?
In this case, you will need access to a second computer, and a USB thumb drive. Download the above linked utilities. On the MalwareBytes web page, you will also see an option to download the latest virus database file. Be sure to download that. Place all these files onto the thumb drive, then put it on the other computer and install them. Be sure to update MalwareBytes with the virus database file you downloaded. Once installed, follow the remaining steps as listed above beginning with step 3.
What if I can't get any virus scanner to install?
If the infection is so bad that you are completely unable to install any virus scanners, or access an online virus scanner, then you should probably break down and take the computer to a professional. If you know how to, you can remove the hard drive and hook it up to a working computer, then run a virus scan on the hard drive this way. However, this only sometimes fixes anything. What will most likely need to be done is to use a boot CD on the computer with a built in virus scanner, that will load the Windows registry files and scan them as well. One particular utility I like is MRI, however it is not freely available, but if you have access to it, I would recommend booting off that CD and running a "FACE" scan. One more option would be to download SuperAntiSpyware Portable, which is a version of SuperAntiSpyware that can be placed onto a USB thumb drive, and run directly from it, rather than having to first install it.
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What virus scanner would you recommend using?
The majority of people on this forum recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It is freely available from Microsoft, assuming you have a legal, activated copy of Windows, and it is very highly rated. Tests have shown it to be more effective than many paid anti-virus programs. Personally, I wouldn't recommend Norton or McAfee products. Another good free scanner is Avast or Avira. I wouldn't recommend AVG anymore, as it seems to have fallen way behind on performance. If you would feel safer with a paid anti-virus, I would recommend F-Secure. I have always felt F-Secure was a quality application, and it won the AV-Comparatives anti-virus product of the year.
What can I do to prevent myself from becoming infected in the future?
First, remember that NO anti-virus software out there works 100% of the time. The best anti-virus out there, in my opinion, is COMMON SENSE. The most common places people get infected online are emails and fake web pages. Be aware of where your web browser takes you.
If you're browsing a web page that you had to login to, you don't want to see this:
You do want to see this:
Ensure the page has the secure icon on it until you log out or leave the web page.
If you come across a web page that tells you it is running a virus scan, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. It will likely tell you that you have multiple infected files. IGNORE THAT, IT IS TRYING TO TRICK YOU! Most spyware applications out there disguise themselves as legitimate anti-virus applications.
Whenever you receive an email from someone with a file attached to it, be careful. Do you know this person? Read the email. Does it sound like something they would write? If you are the least bit suspicious, call the person to verify they actually sent you the email, and that the attachment is a legitimate file.
Also, KEEP YOUR COMPUTER/VIRUS SCANNER UP-TO-DATE. Run Windows updates regularly, and ensure your virus scanner stays updated with the latest definitions. An out of date virus scanner is a worthless virus scanner.
-------------------------------------------------
If anyone has anything to add to this, let me know and I'll update the post.
[This message has been edited by 99CentBeer (edited 2/1/2011 2:50p).]
What to do if you think you have a virus/spyware infection
1) Download MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware.
2) Install both of these applications on the computer. They will ask if you would like to update their virus definitions, which you do.
3) Reboot the computer into safe mode. Do this by pressing F8 right after the BIOS screen (image), before the Windows logo (image) comes up.
4) Open MalwareBytes, and tell it to run a full scan. When completed, have it remove all found infections.
5) Open SuperAntiSpyware, and tell it to run a full scan. When completed, have it remove all found infections.
6) Reboot the computer and allow it to boot normally.
7) Open your web browser and visit F-secure Online Scanner. Run a scan with this utility as well, and allow it to remove all found infections.
At this point, in the majority of spyware/virus infections, your computer will now be clean and virus free. It is necessary to run multiple different scanners, because typically, no single scanner will find all traces of the infection.
What if the virus is preventing me from accessing the internet?
In this case, you will need access to a second computer, and a USB thumb drive. Download the above linked utilities. On the MalwareBytes web page, you will also see an option to download the latest virus database file. Be sure to download that. Place all these files onto the thumb drive, then put it on the other computer and install them. Be sure to update MalwareBytes with the virus database file you downloaded. Once installed, follow the remaining steps as listed above beginning with step 3.
What if I can't get any virus scanner to install?
If the infection is so bad that you are completely unable to install any virus scanners, or access an online virus scanner, then you should probably break down and take the computer to a professional. If you know how to, you can remove the hard drive and hook it up to a working computer, then run a virus scan on the hard drive this way. However, this only sometimes fixes anything. What will most likely need to be done is to use a boot CD on the computer with a built in virus scanner, that will load the Windows registry files and scan them as well. One particular utility I like is MRI, however it is not freely available, but if you have access to it, I would recommend booting off that CD and running a "FACE" scan. One more option would be to download SuperAntiSpyware Portable, which is a version of SuperAntiSpyware that can be placed onto a USB thumb drive, and run directly from it, rather than having to first install it.
-------------------------------------------------
What virus scanner would you recommend using?
The majority of people on this forum recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It is freely available from Microsoft, assuming you have a legal, activated copy of Windows, and it is very highly rated. Tests have shown it to be more effective than many paid anti-virus programs. Personally, I wouldn't recommend Norton or McAfee products. Another good free scanner is Avast or Avira. I wouldn't recommend AVG anymore, as it seems to have fallen way behind on performance. If you would feel safer with a paid anti-virus, I would recommend F-Secure. I have always felt F-Secure was a quality application, and it won the AV-Comparatives anti-virus product of the year.
What can I do to prevent myself from becoming infected in the future?
First, remember that NO anti-virus software out there works 100% of the time. The best anti-virus out there, in my opinion, is COMMON SENSE. The most common places people get infected online are emails and fake web pages. Be aware of where your web browser takes you.
If you're browsing a web page that you had to login to, you don't want to see this:
You do want to see this:
Ensure the page has the secure icon on it until you log out or leave the web page.
If you come across a web page that tells you it is running a virus scan, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. It will likely tell you that you have multiple infected files. IGNORE THAT, IT IS TRYING TO TRICK YOU! Most spyware applications out there disguise themselves as legitimate anti-virus applications.
Whenever you receive an email from someone with a file attached to it, be careful. Do you know this person? Read the email. Does it sound like something they would write? If you are the least bit suspicious, call the person to verify they actually sent you the email, and that the attachment is a legitimate file.
Also, KEEP YOUR COMPUTER/VIRUS SCANNER UP-TO-DATE. Run Windows updates regularly, and ensure your virus scanner stays updated with the latest definitions. An out of date virus scanner is a worthless virus scanner.
-------------------------------------------------
If anyone has anything to add to this, let me know and I'll update the post.
[This message has been edited by 99CentBeer (edited 2/1/2011 2:50p).]
