3 Ways to Get Rid of Viruses, Spyware and Malware
Posted on January 1, 2010 at 5:46 am
Viruses, spyware, malware, etc… they all suck. They slow down your computer, corrupt your files, illegally steal your info, and more.
You have probably seen those commercials advertising a website that will give a free scan and magically clean your computer as well as make it 20x faster. Well, those websites that they are advertising will scan your computer, that part is true.
However, the heavy majority of them will charge a fee to get rid of all of the errors found in the scan… And none of them will make your computer 20x faster.
Basically, those commercials use a simple antivirus scanner/remover. There is far better software out there that is available to you for free. By following this article, you will without a doubt, be able to remove any type of virus, spyware, or malware from your computer.
But, first things first, you need to understand that viruses and other computer threats come in several degrees. So, method 1 might not necessarily remove a virus from your computer. If not, one of the following methods will.
Method 1 – Perform A System Restore
System restores are a good way to get rid of light malware and spyware programs. They require no downloading of any software and can be performed directly by Windows.
System restores work best if you catch the intrusion right away. But, you do not want to do a system restore if you believe that you have had malware, spyware, or viruses on your computer for any significant amount of time.
This could cause you to lose files, applications, or data. To do a system restore in Windows, navigate to the control panel using the path Start > Control Panel. Click the Recovery icon located within the Control Panel and hit the Open System Restore button on the next screen.
The rest of the process is very straightforward as the Windows Wizard will guide your through it.
Method 2 – Scans
There are thousands of different programs out there in the spyware/virus removal category, many of which are free. The thing to remember is that different virus removal programs will bring different results; and none of them are 100% completely accurate.
For example, you can scan your computer with one virus removal program, remove the viruses… then turn around a scan your computer with a different program, which will catch even more viruses that the first program didn’t pick up.
However, you do not want to stack tons of virus removal programs on top of each other. Doing so can actually throw off effectiveness. One good antivirus scanner should be enough.
We recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. Aside from the virus scanner, it is also wise to use a spyware and malware scanner. Two great choices that you can check out are Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy.
Method 3 – Clean Install
A clean install is not the most fun thing to do. However, a clean install is the one guaranteed way to get rid of viruses, spyware, and malware. It’s simple… when you do a clean install, you are deleting everything on your hard drive. Thus, no more viruses.
Most of the time, viruses will not infect items like pictures, text documents, videos, or MP3 files. If step 2 (scan), is not working for you, more than likely the virus is in your computer’s registry. This is good because you can backup all of your pictures, documents, etc… before doing the clean install. That way you will not lose anything important.
The most common way to backup files is by using an external hard drive, flash drive, or burning DVDs. Doing a clean install is not at all as hard as it may seem, it’s just time consuming because you have to wait for Windows to copy itself to your hard drive. You can read our previous article on how to perform a clean install. Enjoy!
» Filed Under Computer Tips
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Used to be — and perhaps still is true — that only one security app should be run in real time to avoid program conflicts. Your article is unclear on that though.
Right now I have Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) running in real time, supported by on-demand only use of AdAware, Malwarebytes, Spybot and SuperAntiSpyware.
Among the 4 on-demand apps I now use, would it be safe to run any of these in real time with MSE, and if so, with each other ?
Steps 1 and 2 rarely work with today’s more sophisticated rootkit and patching malware. (in fact, MSE has very low removal rates and is not recommended to scan a system that is already infected). Better off using Malwarebytes, SuperAntispyware, Combofix, Smitfraudfix, etc.
Proper removal can take hours of tedious searching and scanning and registry editing/repairing, copying good files from CD, etc etc. and, in many cases, is a losing battle.
Best practice in severe cases is to back up personal data and reinstall Windows. Unless you have HOURS to spend trying to find all traces and repair all damage caused…
I have to disagree with you about System Restore. System Restore is NOT a good way to get rid of malware and spyware. System Restore is a good way to get your computer back to a state where it’s possible to use the tools that will get rid of malware/spyware/etc. It’s not a solution, it just gives you a fighting chance of finding one.
Adaware and Spybot S&D have both had their day. Really. SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes are far more effective at removing malware and spyware.
The best defense is a properly configured, up-to-date antivirus + antispyware program that runs all the time offering constant protection, supplemented by an on-demand scanner like SAS or Malwarebytes, run at least every week, to catch anything that might have made it through the first layer.
If something manages to penetrate all that, System Restore isn’t going to get rid of it.
Yes, System Restore is not a good way to backup your system. Norton Ghost or Acronis Image is better solutions.
System Restore can’t be relied upon to go back to how your computer was before being infected. Use one of the many excellent free disc imaging programs to take regular snapshots of your system then simply restore an image if you run into problems. I use Paragon Drive Backup Free, but there are many others to choose from.
Maybe we should also consider a software called Host IPS (Intrusion Prevention System). I have had a friend who used only that software without any antivirus/antispyware/firewall enabled on his laptop, and he never get any virus/spyware/malware problems…
Another thing to consider is we should also educate ourself so that we can have a smarter behaviour of Internet browsing/reading emails that never open/execute any unknown file/attachment that may/most likely contain viruses/malware/spywares..
If I can also share some info, there are some useful computer tips to be found a findtipsonline.info
Ardi:
Could you please re-check your link to Host IPS? I get re-directed to a video pitch for Intel.
Also could you please cite a link to reviews of this software? Couldn’t find any via CNET etc that was more recent than 2007. If the software hasn’t been updated since then, it might either lack support, be outmoded or both.
It’s true what they say about different anti-virus software today, they don’t really give a hundred percent accurate scan results that we can actually rely on. I’ve installed two different antivirus in my pc and they always give me completely different results! avg and avira…
There’s no way to get rid of a virus other than reformatting your computer. And if you get a virus, you’ve been doing something wrong any way.
System restore is the good utility to restore system but it’s also good place for viruses because everything store in a hidden files of the drive. I always disable system restore and now my system is virus free since 4-5 years even i used internet and download stuff daily.
Thank you very much for sharing with us. I have learned something useful! I also would like to mention using virtual machines to avoid spyware and viruses.
Even with real time programs I still get infections from time to time. Free programs just don’t cut it. I think I have tried every one and crap still gets through. I have tried a number of pay programs and many of them are just as bad. One time I loaded a protection program which claimed to be running but wasn’t doing anything. I had to request my money back which they did. Some companies give you a hard time about refunds so check their policies before buying. Nevertheless, some viruses of are impossible to remove without clearing the deck and reloading everything. I consult many of the tech sites and recommendations on them. It is still trial and error. You may have to get a professional program for any solid protection and it can be costly.
so if i do step 3 cause the system restore didn’t work and i downloaded malwares anti-malwares and some other one that my other computer has and works good, but after i download them on my laptop it says a worm is blocking it from setting up. i have the 3 original restore cds but that is the last thing i want to do because i have like a couple hundred songs on my laptop.
I recently had “Security Tool” on my computer wich stopped me from performing a system restore. How ever i could restore to factory settings. Im not sure if restoring to factory settings is much different but i would like to know if that would stop this thing.
If anyone can give me an answer or suggestion that would be great. Email me at crileym21@live.com
Thanks.
Nowadays it is becoming increasingly difficult for a single AV vendor to be the end all for cleaning. A good example that shows how bad things can get is to load a virus sample to virustotal.Here some av vendors will be caught with their pants down.
a multi layered approach is always good , but cost becomes a factor. Malwarebytes and comodo are awesome products , that do what they claim. I run Mcafee,comodo and malwarebytes. Call me paranoid.
Hello. Yes a clean install of the operating system and restoring everything to default should fix the problem. Make sure you backup any files and data that you would like to keep first.
A friend of mine has a virus, she has no money to purchase something to get it off. She has office essentials and it says her protection is “on” under security alerts, but when she clicks to do a “restore to a earlier date” It just flashes real fast on the screen, same thing when she tries and click on MS Essentials. She ran Avg, but like you said they want her to buy it. Basically she can’t get into much on her computer. Any suggestions other than wiping the hard drive out?
Hi Gina.
Try the following , download Comod Anti-virus and firewall. Install and run it. It will ask you to update the database. Initiate the virus scan.
Secondly, as a double check, download and run Malwarebytes.
Best to do the scans in safe mode.
My sister recently had a problem with the AV Security Suite virus. We worked on it for 3 days straight trying to get rid of it including Malwarebytes and Spydoctor – nothing worked. Finally we tried the system restore to clean the hard drive. I checked the registry for any traces of the AV virus. So far, so good.
restoring my computer system back to its original factory setting worked the best for my computer, and i haven’t had a need for any antivirus programs as long as i dont visit harmful sites and open suspicious mail, which is really not hard to do at all.