How to Manually Remove Viruses From the Desktop
Many computer viruses show up on the desktop of your computer. For example, they may add icons, remove icons or change your desktop wallpaper. Some users may choose to remove these viruses automatically using an anti-virus program. However, this option may not be available if you do not have access to the Internet or if the computer virus has disabled your anti-virus program. Fortunately, you can remove computer viruses manually by following the steps below.
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Instructions
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End Processes
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Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
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Click "Start Task Manager" and then click on the "Processes" tab of the Task Manager.
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End all of the processes associated with the virus. To end a process, click on it and select "Delete." You will recognize many of the processes listed as processes belonging to legitimate programs. However, you should type any suspicious process into an online process library to see if it is associated with a virus. Online process libraries include Uniblue Process Library and Task List (see Resources below).
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Close the Task Manager.
Delete DLLs and Files
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Click on the "Start" menu and type "cmd" into the Search Programs and Files box and press "Enter." The Command Prompt opens.
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Type "regsvr32 /u filename.dll" (without the quotation marks) into the Command Prompt and press "Enter." Note that "filename" should be replaced with the name of the Dynamic Link Library (DLL) associated with the virus. You can find this information by typing the name of the virus into the search feature at 2-Spyware, 411-Spyware or Spyware Remove (see Resources below). Note that not all viruses have associated DLLs.
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Type "del filename" (without the quotation marks) into the Command Prompt and press "Enter." Note that "filename" should be replaced with the name of the file associated with the virus. You can find this information by typing the name of the virus into the search feature at 2-Spyware, 411-Spyware, or Spyware Remove (see Resources below).
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Type "rmdir directory" (without the quotation marks) into the Command Prompt and press "Enter." Note that "directory" should be replaced with the name of the directory associated with the virus. You can find this information by typing the name of the virus into the search feature at 2-Spyware, 411-Spyware, or Spyware Remove (see Resources below). Note that not all viruses will have associated directories.
Delete Registry Entries
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Click on the "Start" menu and type "regedit" into the Search Programs and Files box and press "Enter."
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Locate all of the registry entries associated with the virus and delete them. To delete a registry entry, right click on it and select "Delete." You can find this information by typing the name of the virus into the search feature at 2-Spyware, 411-Spyware, or Spyware Remove (see Resources below). Note that not all viruses will have associated registry entires.
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Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. The virus should be removed from your desktop.
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References
Resources
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