If you have an antivirus program on your computer but still find your computer suffering from a virus infection, don't be discouraged. Certain types of malicious software can evade some virus scanners, and removing them can be difficult to do. Fortunately, this process can be made simpler by using some free tools that perform scans your antivirus program may be unable to do. The end result is the likelihood that your computer will be clean and virus-free--and you will have gained advanced understanding of how to clean it if it ever becomes infected again.
Log into your computer using the Safe Mode option. This option can be accessed by pressing the F8 button as your computer starts up. Once inside Safe Mode, only critical services and programs will be started; this makes removing a virus much easier.
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Run an online virus scan of your computer. If you don't have antivirus software installed on your computer, you can get free online virus scans from companies such as Trend Micro and Kaspersky. These online scanners run in your browser and can take several hours to fully scan your computer, but if you scan your computer with multiple virus scanners, you have a better chance of removing viruses than you'' have if you use only one virus scanner. However, don't run multiple virus scanners at the same time, as this can make them malfunction.
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Download, install and run an anti-malware program, such as Spybot Search & Destroy or MalwareBytes, both of which are free for personal use. Anti-malware programs can detect types of viruses that antivirus programs may not find. They also can an alternate method of removing malicious software from your computer if standard virus protection has failed you.
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Restart your computer normally and run these virus and malware scans again to ensure your computer is clean. If any of the antivirus or anti-malware programs finds an issue after you have restarted your computer, remove the virus with the scanner and then perform another scan. It can take several scans with multiple software programs to fully remove a virus, depending on what type of virus your computer is infected with.
Tips & Warnings
Make sure your operating system and any antivirus software you have installed on your computer is up-to-date.
If you can't seem to solve the problem, don't give up! Try searching online for the name of the virus that is shown in the virus scanners and see how other people have removed it from their computers.
Computer viruses are programs designed to infect one computer, reproduce and spread to additional systems, according to Microsoft. Viruses are designed to...
