Best Way To Get Rid Of A Virus?

In case this ever happens to my computer again.....

What is the best way to get rid of viruses/malware from a computer if the antivirus fails to get rid of the virus or malware? I've heard everything from letting the antivirus do the job, to wiping the hard drive clean, to wiping the hard drive clean and completely reinstalling the operating system. Also, I'm thinking of wiping the hard drive clean on my desktop, the computer in question, and completely reinstalling everything as if it was new from the factory.

I was wondering what the best way is to get rid of something like that before it crashes the computer?

reply to post by gimmefootball400


install malwarebytes its free and amazing. In the case you cant gte rid of it just pop in your OS disc and start a new.

Either buy oversized condoms for your PC or buy a Mac.

That's about it.

reply to post by gimmefootball400

The best way is to use a bootable CD constructed for the purpose. As the PC is booted from the CD and not the hard drive, no viruses are active giving the boot CD unfettered access to all files in order to examine, clean and or delete the infected ones. I forget the name of it so I will go search quickly. brb...

ETA Apparently Microsoft has one but I have no experience with it.
connect.microsoft.com...

And a list of free ones from various anti-virus makers. Hope it helps and Good luck!
www.techmixer.com...


ETA2 Forget the Mac, thats for design freaks or Apple fanbois with too much money. Go Linux on standard cheap PC hardware.

hot cup of tea, warm bed and lots of rest.. thats what my computer repair guy said.

nah, seriously i use AVG free version and never have a problem. as long as you stay away from porn and crack sites you will not get a virus

reply to post by boncho


nah - stick your comp in a fishtank filled with colloidal silver

disk clean up+defrag+this new one i found called speeditup free.

So you're ol' skool?

Pour a gallon of bleach on it. Removes everything.

first step should be getting the best antivirus you can (along with other tools).

If that doesn't solve it, then wipe (I would secure erase with some live cd or other) then reinstall.

And oh yeah backup, backup and backup.

If your files are infected, then copying back those files could infect the reinstalled system, so the files you copy back should ideally be from a date before the infection.

Here is a pro tip:

If you have a laptop, just close it, flip it upside down.... then, WHACK it! Do this vigorously till you here something shake inside. Then throw it away.

Now if you have a desktop or sorts, I would then recommend pulling it out from its resting place, make sure you give it lots and lots of room. Then when it least expects it. Give it a good kick!

And this isn't just an everyday tip. This is like 10 years exp. I am giving you. You wanna know how to fix a plasma TV??? I will save that one for later....

EDIT to add:

Ok ok, I couldn't keep the secret any longer. For a plasma you find the sweet spot. Usually a lower corner. Then you lean against the TV, then..... open palmed, you WHACK it! Sometimes it takes multiple whacks, but you will get her. 60% of the time, it works everytime!!!

something like
nod32 + malwarebytes + ccleaner & finally.. Clone that HDD..
so you have a drive to just hotswap if anything happens , the plug it in and away you go from the last clone you made..

or make reg images of the hdd ect.

as for a Mac, you do know they get virus/spyware/malware to

Oh, & stay away from the Dirty sites

Use Linux Unbuntu or what ever flavor of Linux suits your needs, and basically don't worry about viruses again...

Before you get infected create a boot disk and fill it up with free ant-virus software. I use Hirens boot disk on a USB key which comes with some antivirus tools pre-loaded but you can add more to it. Hirens boot disk creates a clean bootable version of XP on a usb key that you can use to access your infected system or the Internet without triggering the existing infection on your system.

When you get a virus / trojan etc boot off the boot disk to bypass your infected system and then run the virus killers on your infected hard drives.

If that doesnt get rid of your infection boot off your 'hirens boot disk' then access the internet and use one or more of the free online virus scanners from companies like Norton and identify what infection you have. Once you know the name of the virus / trojan etc you can search for specific 'stand alone' tools or manual removal methods for getting rid of it.

Of course there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you dont get them in the first place

- Stay away from dodgy websites.
- Dont download illegal software.
- Dont click on adverts on the side of a webpage.
- Stay away from 'to good to be true' free offers.
- Never open attachments from emails.

If you follow these simple rules you will stay virus / malware free for 99% of the time.

Use Chrome as it has built in sandboxing along with Ad Block Plus for safe web surfing.

You may be in for a bit of trouble, friend. First of all, "virus" is really not the right word, what you are looking at is a computer worm. Computer worms are not viruses. In fact, there is a big difference between a computer worm and a virus. First, the worm does not need any file to act as its host. (Like DLL Files) Second, worms have less damaging effects. Most of them simply consume network bandwidth, as opposed to computer viruses that usually destroy files. There are tens of thousands of computer worms on the Internet, so you can be sure that you have at least one of them hiding in your file system. A worm will look for passwords, email account information, banking sire information, credit card numbers. When it has collected, it emails itself back to the owner, plus to everyone on your contact list. Most worms are designed to run on Windows, but some of the newer ones are designed for Linux, and the OS becomes more and more popular. Contrary to popular belief, porn sites are not usually infected, after all, they want your business, and they want you to return. Add Companies are good for them though. Another use of the computer worm is to create a backdoor in the infected computer. The attacker can later use this backdoor to create a “zombie” computer that is under his complete control. Once your computer becomes a zombie, the attacker can cause it to send spam, to cloak its website’s address, and even to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. An infected rig can even start up remotely, and the cracker can alter the Windows Registry. I don't know why Microsoft leaves it's operating system so open like that.

Today's crackers are sophisticated technicians with MIT credentials and millions of dollars in equipment. If they want to get into your rig, they will, and not much will stop them. The best way is just to slow them down for 5 or 10 minutes, they will get frustrated and go somewhere else. Also, avoid naming your computer with a cute family name. Crackers look for Bob's PC, and Sally's Home, and HP3334, and DELL88865. Name it apache, the name of server equipment. Run with a blank MAC address, if possible, and masquerade your IP address. Disable all Remote Access, and block 3rd Party Cookies. Don't save Encrypted files to drive, and don't save Temp files to drive.

I get infected computers in here all the time, and most of these worms are very aggressive. They can live through a high level format. I use a DoD wipe myself, wipes the hard drive 7 times over, nothing can live though that. Then a fresh install.
I use Avira Free Antivirus, I no longer trust Microsoft Security Essentials after seeing a worm go right through it one night not long ago. I also install Comodo Free Firewall, one of the last good software firewalls. Comodo comes with a program called "Geek Buddy," I don't care for it, and it un-installs easy with the program manager. Good luck to you, OP

Another great tool to avoid 'questionable' sites is WOT (Web Of Trust). It is easy to use, takes up very little resources/space, and keeps you away from the sites that others in the net community have had issues with. It's completely free, too. I've been using it for years and it has kept my computer clean ever since.

[color=dodgerblue]Download Malwarebytes. They have a free version that works awesomely.

Then also download Windows Security Essentials if you don't already have it. Its also free.

Best way is to have a dedicated machine that is known to be free of malware and any virus. Remove your infected hard drive from your computer and plug it into the clean computer. Have the clean computer scan and remove all the malware. I use 4 programs mainly. NOD32 and Microsoft Security Essentials. Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware to scan the infected hard drives.
Second way would be the live CD's and bootable USB's.
Trying to clean an infected machine while it is infected is like working on a engine when it is running.

I have multiple PCs and just want to protect them from viruses. I find the more complicated products just seem to introduce problems. If you are looking for a simple solution to protect your computer from viruses, ZenOK Free Antivirus is a good choice. It doesn't seem to slow the computer down and works quietly in the background. My computer has been well-protected.
www.zenok.com...

reply to post by gimmefootball400


Ubuntu 12.04 LTS


www.ubuntu.com...