How to Recover From a Trojan Virus in Windows XP

PCs can become infected by viruses, Trojan horses and other malware.

Trojan horse programs, viruses and other types of malware infect thousands of computers daily. Malware can spread via infected email messages, through downloading infected files or even by simply viewing an infected website.

While most antivirus programs do an excellent job of preventing malware infections, there are some infections that get through. If a piece of malware does infect a computer system, it can be removed with special anti-malware software.

Things You'll Need

• Active Internet connection
• Virus removal tool
• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware software

Instructions

1. Open the computer's Internet browser. Download a free malware removal tool to the hard disk drive. Two good programs are McAfee Stinger and Trend Micro Housecall (see Resources).

2. Double-click the virus removal tool file icon. Click on "Scan Now" and allow the scanner to run until completion. When complete, the virus removal tool may display a prompt to remove any threats found; click "OK" to remove. Reboot the system if prompted to do so.

3. Download the free version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware software (see Resources). Double-click the icon to install the program and follow the prompts (keep clicking "Next") until the installation completes. Click "Finish." Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will open automatically

4. Select the "Scanner" tab and click on the "Perform Full Scan" radio button. Click on "Scan" and allow the application to complete the scan. Click "OK" when the scan is complete.

5. Click "Remove Selected." Reboot the system if prompted to do so.

References

• Antivirus Technical Coop: General Process for Removal of a Trojan Virus
• Recovering from a Trojan Horse or Virus; Michael D. Durkota and Will Dormann; 2008

Resources

• Trend Micro: HouseCall - Free Online Virus Scan
• McAfee Labs Stinger: Download
• Malwarebytes' Anti-malware: Download