Computer viruses are software programs that interfere with the computer’s functionalities, by corrupting or deleting data on the computer. Internet downloads such as torrents, audio files, video files, and PDF’s are the biggest source of computer viruses. Once the malware infects a computer, it can quickly spread to other systems through the usage of flash drives and email attachments.
Step by step methodology to remove malware from your PC –
Step 1: Look for Signs of Malware
Certain insidious malware programs, pre-emptively block any attempt to remove them from your PC. In case your computer suddenly fails to load your antivirus program or malware removal utilities in Windows such as Regedit or MSConfig, it’s a sign that your PC has been affected by a malignant virus. There are certain obvious signs to check for virus infestation in our PC. If an unknown program suddenly pops up and displays ominous warnings, asking you to take actions such as run an executable file, your PC has a certain infestation with some nasty malware. It’s advisable, never to divulge your credit card information or other personal data to any such program or website. All such instances convey that there’s a malicious program, trying to coerce you to give up your private information by issuing warnings of imminent hard drive failure or viral infection.
Step 2: Enter Safe Mode
Once you’re certain that your PC has a malware infection, it’s advisable to boot your PC in Safe Mode. This mode only loads the minimum required services and programs. Booting in Safe Mode prevents any malware programs to execute, which would otherwise automatically load when Windows starts. Pressing F8 repeatedly when you power on your PC, would enable the Safe Mode in Windows 7 and 8 operating systems. PC’s using Windows 10 have a slightly complex procedure for this. To boot into Windows Safe Mode, you need to click the Start Button and select the Power button, while holding down the Shift key and selecting Reboot. There would be a full-screen menu popping up on the screen wherein you need to select Troubleshooting, followed by Advanced Options and Startup Settings. Another window would appear wherein you need to click the Restart button. Subsequently, you’d see a menu with multiple numbered startup options; herein select number 4, which is Safe Mode.
Step 3: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you’re in Safe Mode, you’ll notice that your PC functions in a faster manner. It’s here that you must execute a virus scan on your computer. However, it’s advisable to delete all temporary files residing inside your PC, before you proceed with the virus scan, as it increases the speed of the scan, free some of the disk space unnecessarily used up, and even remove some malware instances. In Windows 10, you just need to type “Disk Cleanup” in the Search bar to use the Disk Cleanup functionality. Alternately, you could press the Start button and select the tool named Disk Cleanup in the displayed menu. For Windows 7 users, you need to press the Start button on your computer’s screen, and select All Programs, followed by selecting Accessories, System Tools, and finally Disk Cleanup.
Step 4: Download Malware Scanners
Lastly, you need to execute a malware scanner on your PC, which would be able to remove most of the standard malware programs. We have two types of antivirus programs available today, the real-time programs which execute in the background and continuously monitor for malware incursions, and the on-demand scan programs which search for malware infections once you open them manually and run the scan. Ideally, you must install a real-time antivirus program, and have multiple on-demand scanning programs run scans. However, for a PC infected with malware, it’s better to use an on-demand scanner first and follow it up with a full scan by an installed real-time antivirus program. Popular on-demand scanners include BitDefender Free Edition, Malwarebytes, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool, Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool, SuperAntiSpyware, and Avast.
Wrapping up
Malware pose the most potent threat to the computers, disrupting their efficient working functionalities and coerce the PC’s to behave erroneously. While modern day antivirus programs nullify the incursions of most malware and remediate the damages done, malware programs keep on evolving and finding one way or the other to bother. To learn more about data center virtualization, call us at +91-120-466 3031 or fill our contact form, and we will get back to you.