How to Get Rid of Malware

By eHow Computers Editor

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Protecting your computer is not an option. Malware arrives from various websites, software programs, downloads and emails. Pop-ups, a hijacked web browser, poor computer performance and crashes are some of the signs of malware. Read on to learn how to get rid of malware.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Back up your data. Whenever you are removing programs, especially malware, it's always best to back up your important data. This should be done on a regular basis. Once your data is corrupted you need a backup to restore.

Step2

Run your virus scanner to get rid of malware. If you have an anti-virus suite already installed that's great. If not, limited but free services exist such as the free online scan on the Symatec website. These scanners detect and remove viruses and other malicious things embedded in your computer.

Step3

Download a spyware detection program. The Lava Soft USA website offers a basic version of its popular Ad-Aware for free. It uncovers programs and cookies that you definitely don't want, then gets rid of them.

Step4

Check out Windows Defender for free. The Microsoft website offers real-time protection against all types of malware. Download and scan for removal of spyware. Unfortunately it only works with Windows XP.

Step5

Get Malicious Software Removal Tool free from the Microsoft website. This tool works with Windows 2000 and XP. It scans, discovers and removes many types of malware then runs in the background for future detection.

Tips & Warnings

Purchase a good firewall program or suite including anti-virus. Put updates on automatic.
Always be careful when changing your registry.
Never download files from a suspicious source.
Never open an email attachment unless you know the person who sent it. Even here be careful by having up-to-date anti-virus software.

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Comments

SCNath said

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on 9/14/2007 One fine morning when I opened my laptop after midnight work it shows the following on the screen and the computer did not open even while any of the mode is pressed as instructed on the screen . .

We apologize for the inconvenience ,but windows did not start successfully .A recent hardware or software change might have caused this .

I your computer stopped responding , restarted unexpectedly, or was automatically shutdown to protect your files and folders , choose last known good configuration to revert to the most recent settings that worked .

If a previous start up attempt was interrupted due to a power failure or because the power or reset button was pressed ,or if you aren’t sure what caused the problem , choose the start windows normally .

Safe Mode
Safe mode with Networking
Safe Mode with command prompt

last known good configuration to revert to the most recent