The Infinite Loop – Beginner's SEO, Beginner C# & JQuery Tutorials Problem. Problem Solved. Loop. – The life of a programmer

How To Remove Viruses and Spyware Manually

Remove Viruses and Spyware Manually

Viruses,spyware, malware - whatever you want to call it, these things wreak havoc on your computer. Browser hijacks, file deletion, disabling ctrl+alt+delete are just a few things that some of these baddies can do. However, there are some tools to help you remove viruses and spyware manually.

Preventing Viruses and Spyware

Prevention is the best medicine. I'm sure you've heard something like that before but its true. Knowing about how to prevent spyware goes a long way. There are many programs that offer virus+spyware/malware protection and they will monitor your computer for changes to  your registry and files. I recommend the following programs for spyware/malware protection and scans.

Spyware Search & Destroy (Spybot S&D)

Ad-aware SE (Free for personal use)

Malware Bytes

Steps To Remove Viruses and Spyware Manually

1. Download and Update 1 of the above software (or all 3! [recommended])
   
2. Perform scans - Use the above programs to perform viruses, spyware, and adware scans. This is usually the initial step in removal as it will remove most of the spyware/adware/malware on your computer.  I recommend using safe mode to do these scans. In safe mode, your computer does not load extra applications and drivers, only the bare minimum need to run  your operating system, so these programs will have an easier time removing/deleting files from these viruses. There are different ways to get into Windows Safe Mode. On my computer, I turn off the power and turn the computer on. I keep hitting the F5 key until i get a prompt asking how I want to boot. I select safe mode and let it load. On your computer it may be a different F  key...like F7.
   
3. Check your startup using  msconfig - Now that we have run scans and have done an initial clean on our computer. We can check our startup. Hit Start, then Run and type msconfig. Hit OK. Click the Startup tab, and look through the list. For the most part, anything here can really be unchecked. Try to look at the file path and the name of the checked items, this will usually give you a hint of what is what. Example: Logitech Quickcam Driver -> This is probably your camera driver, dont disable it. Once you go through the list and uncheck unwated items, click apply. Restart when you are prompted to. After restarting, click Do Not Show This Message Again and click OK.
   
4. HijackThis! - Download Hijack This Hijack This is a program that will scan your computer and show information about changes that have been made to it. Download and install hijack this and run a scan and produce a log. You can copy and paste your log into this site: http://hjt.networktechs.com/ and it will guide you onto what to remove (To remove items, place checks next to them and click Fix Selected Issues) .  Also, there are many forums which will let you paste a HJT log and other kind users will help you analyze it. Alternatively, you can post your HJT log in the comments below and I will try to assist you with it.
   
5. CC Cleaner  - Download CC Cleaner CC Cleaner will help remove temporary browser files, cookies, recycle bin, some program cache info. It is a good idea to run this program every once in a while just to help free up some space and keep your programs running in top shape.
   
6. Reformat (Last Resort/First Resort) - A lot of viruses and spyware can be removed with the above steps, however, sometimes you get very pesky viruses and programs.  If you think the malware/adware/virus will be extremely difficult to remove, or if it is extremely malicious (i.e rootkit viruses that attach to windows files) sometimes the BEST option is to reformat and reinstall windows. This is the ONLY way to ensure your computer is COMPLETELY free of spyware. The programs listed above often do the trick. Sometimes you will do Steps 1-5 and then decide to reformat anyways because they couldn't completely remove the infection. Sometimes when I get extremely pesky infections, I reformat as my first resort. A backup, reformat and reinstall of all my programs takes me less than 4hours. Sometimes, virus removal and infection cleaning takes more than this.
   

Hope this guide helps you remove viruses and spyware infections. I often get paid to clean and remove spyware, adware, and viruses, however, I don't mind sharing how I do it. Most people just cant be bothered with it, but, if you can take the time to do the steps above, you will have a cleaner, faster, better, smoother running computer.
Comment if this helped you!
Paste your HJT logs if you need assistance.