How to Get Rid of Viruses Caused by Torrents
Downloading software, MP3s, movies or other items from a torrent site can be a gamble. The primary risk is that you do not always know what you are getting. One malicious thing file uploaders will do is package a virus with the file you are attempting to download. They do this by using software to bind the virus to an executable in the download. They hope that the downloader will have their guard down because they are excited about getting the file. If you do get a virus from a torrent you can take steps to remove the virus from the computer.
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Instructions
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Restart the computer. This is done by clicking on the start menu in the lower left corner and choosing the option to restart. The computer will shut down, and then start back up automatically.
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Press the F8 key on your keyboard. You will want to do this soon after you see the computer start back up with text on the screen. The ideal time to press the key is after the BIOS loads and before Windows begins loading. A trick is to just press it about three times every two seconds when you see the BIOS screen appear, and you will eventually be presented with the option screen.
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Choose to load Windows in safe mode with networking. You will be presented with several options. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to scroll down to the safe mode with networking option and then press the Enter key.
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Open your virus scanner and update the definition files. Any reputable virus program will have the ability to update the virus database manually. Since new viruses are released frequently, a virus program would be useless without the ability to be updated, and people updating it.
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Run your virus scanner with the most thorough mode available to you. If you do not already have a scanner, you can download one from several reputable freeware directories. Two popular, and well-respected, free virus scanners are AVG and AntiVir.
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Clean any viruses found by the scan. After the scan is complete, your virus scanner will return a report of what it found. It will give you an option to clean what it has found. Select the option to clean the viruses from your computer.
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Close the anti-virus program.
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Restart Windows again by clicking on the start button in the lower left corner and selecting the option to restart.
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Wait for Windows to load into its normal mode. You will not need to select any special modes this time. Simply let Windows load as it normally does.
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Run your virus scanner again. This time we are scanning in the event viruses are loaded into the memory. Safe mode loaded earlier with minimal programs to allow you to run the virus program without interference. This second scan will verify that nothing is left over that could reemerge later as another virus.
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Tips & Warnings
You could perhaps get by with running the scan in regular mode from the beginning. However, many viruses will prevent you from accessing popular update servers to make your definition file updated. Booting up in safe mode usually hinders the ability of the viruses to work fully and will allow you to update the virus software and do your first scan.
Downloading movies, music and software from torrents carries risks beyond the possibility of virus infection. Many of these files are illegally shared, and by downloading these files you may be violating the copyright laws.
References
- Photo Credit virus image by DAN from Fotolia.com
