How to get rid of viruses
To get rid of viruses, you must first know if you have any malicious files on your computer. If you suspect that you have an infection, you should first run an antivirus scan to see if you are actually infected with viruses. There are many antivirus programs that you can use to perform a scan. A free one that I can recommend is Avast Anti-Virus. It is a great antivirus for home users.
Some common symptoms of virus infections are:
– Computer operations slow down (slow performance)
– Many pop-ups
– Files are lost
– Messages that say the drive is full and you know it shouldn’t be
– Strange activity, such as programs that open or close themselves, or that the computer turns off by itself.
– etc.
When running a virus scan, be sure to physically disconnect from the Internet (unplug the network cable or turn off the wireless connection). After running a full system scan for viruses, your antivirus program should be able to fix any problems or infections it finds. If you can’t, make a note of the files that are infected and quarantine them so the infection doesn’t spread. If your antivirus software can’t repair the infections it found, it’s not a bad idea to try a third-party virus scan just to see if it can repair the infections. It is not recommended to simply go find the infected file and delete it UNLESS you are sure that the infected file is not necessary for the system to function.
Most good virus programs can repair most infections, but if you have a severe infection and substantial file and data damage, you may want to take the last step and reformat your hard drive, which will erase everything. the disk and prepare it for a new installation of the operating system. If you choose to do this, make sure you have your Windows installation disc handy and make sure to back up everything you would like to save because formatting the disc will erase EVERYTHING.
Performing a format and reinstalling the operating system is very easy. Just boot from the installation disc and follow the instructions. The installation actually allows you to format the drive before installing the operating system.
If your infections are on the hard drive, formatting the drive will definitely remove them. Some viruses are designed to tamper with the CMOS RAM, but this is unusual, a hard drive format should work 98.9% of the time. Be sure to follow the tips in the Virus Prevention article (link below) to avoid re-infection.
