How to Use Your Laptop to Check Your Desktop for Viruses & Other Problems
If you have a PC and use the Internet a lot, there is a good chance that your computer is infected with viruses, malware, spyware and Trojans. These malicious programs that insert themselves into your computer's registry make your machine run slower and may cause unwanted websites to pop up or programs to run without your authorization. They have been around for more than 20 years, according to the online technology magazine PC World, and sneak in to your computer seemingly unnoticed, when you are surfing the web or even playing an online game.
To keep your computer clean and working as efficiently as possible, run anti-virus, anti-spyware and other cleaning tools on a regular basis.
However, if you keep your desktop computer running constantly and do not always have physical access to it, this may be difficult. Fortunately, there is a way to scan and clean your desktop computer remotely.
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Things You'll Need
- Laptop computer
- Desktop computer
- LogMeIn remote access program
- Trend Micro HouseCall anti-virus program
- Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware program
- Spybot Search and Destroy anti-spyware program
- Lavasoft's Ad-Aware program
Instructions
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Install Cleanup Programs on Your Desktop
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Install Trend Micro's Housecall from the Trend Micro homepage. This program is an efficient remote anti-virus and anti-spyware program.
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Install Spybot Search and Destroy from the Safer Networking homepage. This program is also good at finding tracking cookies, as well as any malicious code inserted in your computer's registry, which is a script your machine uses to operate. If it is corrupted, your computer may not work as efficiently or at all.
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Install Lavasoft's Ad-Aware from the Lavasoft homepage. This program tends to find many tracking cookies, which some websites install on your computer without your knowledge to help them monitor your surfing habits for marketing and other purposes.
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Install Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware from the Malwarebytes' homepage. This program is especially good at locating hard-to-find Trojan horse viruses that create annoying pop-up ads to appear sporadically when you are surfing the Internet.
Set Up Your Desktop for Remote Access
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Download LogMeIn. It allows you to gain access to another computer from any location, using the Internet. There are several types of this program that are available, including a paid version that allows you to access a computer from a mobile phone or personal digital assistant. The free version of LogMeIn is sufficient for cleaning up your computer remotely.
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Install LogMeIn. Install the files in a folder of your choice when prompted. Create a desktop icon for easy access. You will be asked to provide information such as your email, for identification and possible password recovery purposes.
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Choose an email that will serve as your user name for LogMeIn and create a password. You may want to create a password for LogMeIn that is different than the password that you use to access your computer directly, as this will make your remote access experience more secure.
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Right-click on the LogMeIn icon that will appear on your task bar and click "Switch on LogMeIn."
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Right-click on the LogMeIn icon that will appear on your taskbar and click "Open LogMeIn." Click on "Preferences." Configure your settings, such as allowing full administrator control of your computer when you access it remotely and proxy server options. You may also opt to configure a secondary password for LogMeIn, for even more security.
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Go to the LogMeIn homepage. Type your email and password for your LogMeIn account.
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Click on "Add Computer." Then click on "Install LogMeIn" and choose your desktop computer's name to be your LogMeIn computer.
Access and Clean Up Your Desktop From Your Laptop
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Go to the LogMeIn homepage on your laptop. Type your email and password for your LogMeIn account.
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Click on "Remote Control," which is under the name of the desktop computer on which you have installed and configured LogMeIn.
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Install the plug-in required to access the LogMeIn remote access screen, or skip the installation and view your remote desktop using a JAVA applet.
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Type in your desktop's user name and password. You should soon see your desktop's wallpaper and icons as if you were viewing it on your actual desktop. You can now do whatever you wish to your desktop computer, as if you were working on it instead of on your laptop.
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Run the cleanup programs you installed on your desktop, using your LogMeIn remote access session you have begun on your laptop. Make sure not to click "Restart" after running such sweeps remotely, because this will terminate your LogMeIn session and your laptop's connection to your desktop. You may opt to restart your desktop remotely after you have finished cleaning it or wait until you can access it physically.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not opt to restart your desktop from your laptop using LogMeIn, log out of LogMeIn to ensure no one can access it.
