How to Remove Trojan Horse Downloader

Save your computer by getting rid of the Trojan Horse downloader.

People usually use the term virus when referring to any malicious program, such as a Trojan horse. By definition, Trojans are actually malicious programs that masquerade as legitimate software to dupe the unsuspecting user into downloading it to his machine. A Trojan Downloader infects a machine, then hijacks Internet, firewall and security settings to download more malicious software or other programs to the computer.

Things You'll Need

• Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware
• AVG Antivirus Free
• 2.5" or 3.5" External HDD Case
• USB Flash Drive
• Uninfected computer
• Zone Alarm Free Firewall

Instructions

1. Go to Malwarebytes.org. Drag-and-drop the installation file to your desktop. Disconnect your computer from the Internet. Double-click the installation file to run the set-up program. Follow the on-screen instructions. Before clicking "OK" at the end of the installation, re-connect the computer to the Internet to get the latest definitions for Malwarebyte's. Once complete, make sure to leave both boxes checked so that the software will launch and update automatically.

2. Disconnect the infected machine from the Internet again. Click "Perform Quick Scan" to scan the infected machine. While scanning, if any infectious objects are detected, they will be highlighted in red. After the scan is complete, click "Show Results: to see all the infected objects that were found. If a reboot is required to complete the disinfection process, you will be prompted to reboot your machine.

3. Install you antivirus program. Go to CNET.com and type "AVG" in the search engine. Select the free version of AVG and follow the onscreen instructions to download the software. Update AVG's virus definitions and disconnect your computer from the Internet. Run the AVG viral scan. Remove any infected files per AVG's recommendations at the end of the scan and reboot your PC if prompted.

4. Pull out all the stops if you computer is running slower than a snail stuck in glue or so locked down that normal functions have ceased. Turn off your computer. If you are using a tower or desktop, you will need to purchase what's called a 3.5-inch external HDD case. For a laptop, it will be a 2.5-inch case. Once you have obtained an external case, take the infected hard drive out of the computer.

5. Unplug the power cord and disconnect the battery if you have a laptop. Using a screwdriver, loosen the screw at the hard drive bay and remove the plastic cover. Gently ease the hard drive out of the bay and onto a table or clean surface. If you are unable to locate the hard drive, contact the manufacturer's website for documentation for your specific laptop.

6. Unplug the power cord if you have a desktop. Discharge any static electricity build-up by touching your hand to a bare metal surface. Unplug all the peripherals on the back of the computer and take the side panel off the case.

7. Look for the hard drive bay. Unplug the molex power connector from the HDD and then unplug the IDE ribbon or the SATA ribbon from the drive. Be careful not to break the pins of the hard drive. Unscrew the screws holding the hard drive in place and remove it from the computer.

8. Put your hard drive into the external case.

9. Via a USB cable, plug the laptop or desktop external hard drive case into an uninfected computer. Go to "Computer" in Vista or Windows 7 and right-click on the drive to scan it externally. Scan with both Malwarebytes and AVG.

10. Scan the drive three times to verify complete removal of the heinous code. The first will pick up all active infections and remote ones as well. The second will pick up residuals of the infection, if any are left. Once a scan completes with no malicious items detected, put the hard drive back into your machine.

11. Boot up your computer. Do not reconnect it to the Internet yet. Once you are safely back into Windows, verify the removal of viruses. Check the log files generated from Malwarebyte's and AVG's Virus Vaults. Once the computer is fully booted up, wait a moment. Verify that Malwarebyte's and AVG are functioning and are up to date, then reconnect your computer to the Internet. Go to zonealarm.com and download ZoneAlarm Free Firewall. Follow the onscreen instructions to download software and initialize the firewall.

Tips & Warnings

• You can install Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware on your machine even if you are currently running a separate antivirus product. However, you should never have more than one antivirus product running at a time. Malwarebyte's is an anti-malware program, therefore you should couple it with a decent antivirus software program. Some prefer Avast! Antivirus for their solution and coupling it with an anti-malware solution like Spybot - Search & Destroy.

References

• Malwarebytes
• CNET: AVG Antivirus 2011
• ZoneAlarm