Instructions on How to Remove a Virus or Other Form of Malware
Disconnect from the Internet
It is important to disconnect from the Internet when you detect a virus to ensure that the virus doesn’t send out any personal and sensitive data from your computer such as banking details or a list of passwords.
Back up Data
To ensure that you don’t lose any information it is recommended that you back up all your work, photos and videos on an external hard drive – make sure that before you reload this information (once you have removed the virus) that you scan this drive so that you don’t re-infect your laptop or PC.
Run a Scan
Run a scan using your antivirus or antimalware software program.
Please note some virus can hide from virus and malware scans and it may be necessary if you still have the virus after running a scan to then use a different antivirus program and run another scan (or more).
We find Malwarebytes and SuperAntispyware to be effective programs when identifying malware on your machine.
You may need to install additional antimalware software if your current program is not successful in identifying the virus or malware, in this case you will need to boot up in safe mode or use an antivirus program you may have already installed on a portable disk.
Boot up in Safe Mode
In order to prevent the malware from running while you are doing a scan you need to reboot in safe mode. To boot up in safe mode you need to restart your computer and press F8 repeatedly as Windows loads. Select safe mode with networking so that you can download additional antimalware software programs. It is a good idea to download several different malware programs as you may need more than one to do the job. Make sure you do a full scan rather than quick scan with the software that you choose. At the end of the scan the program will list any malware that it has picked up and you need to delete these from your machine. Make sure that the antivirus software is from a reputable source and that you only delete malware programs!
Seek Help
If you are still unsuccessful in removing the malware it is often a good idea to search computer forums to see if other users have found a solution to this problem. If possible you should use another uninfected device such as a second computer, an iPad or mobile phone to do you’re searching.
Reboot with a Boot disk
One potential solution is to reboot using a boot disk. Boot disks can be downloaded from antivirus manufacturers and should be burnt onto a CD. Once you have burnt the disk you can reboot using the disk by pressing on the hotkey during start up – usually Esc or F9 or F10.
Once you have rebooted with the disk then use the disk to run the antivirus software.
Scanning on another Computer
This step involves removing the hard disk from your laptop or PC and installing it on another machine. This obviously requires some technical knowledge and if not possible if you don’t have a second machine to do it with. For particularly malicious programs this is the step that we undertake and we will ensure that you don’t lose any valuable data. We have found that this is sometimes the only way (besides formatting your hard drive) to remove some virus such as the Federal Police Virus and we have done it for many customers for a fee of $145.
Reformat the hard drive
In dire cases you may need to reformat your hard drive. However remember this will mean you delete all information including files, data and Microsoft Office. If possible back up all your data before taking this somewhat drastic step. Alternatively call us and maybe we can remove the malware and prevent you from having all the hassles involved in reloading all programs and data on your machine. If we can detect and remove the malware – and all others that maybe residing on your computer, we will charge you the fixed rate of $190. However if a complete system reinstallation is required the fee is $275 due to the lengthy process it involves.
Affordable Computer Repairs and Service, 3397 1215, 6 days a week
