How to Clean your Computer of Most Malware and Spyware Infections.
By Art Kuhns
As a computer tech in a small computer repair shop, I see a lot of computers with Malware infections. I will be discussing how I clean most malware infections. What I mean by most malware infections are computers that still have basic functions, meaning that files can be opened without long delays, and” my computer” and control panel can be opened. One should always be aware of signs of malware infections and run spyware utilities immediately when these signs occur.
Signs of malware include but not limited too: pop ups on your desktop and while browsing the internet, and general slowdown of the computer. I am also making the assumption that you are currently using anti-virus software of some type. If so, the first step would be to insure it has the latest virus update and that the scan feature has been run. If not, I would recommend AVG or Avast. Both are free and are great anti-virus programs.
Tools Used
Below are the free tools I use and their prospective links for safe download. Get these tools and download them into a folder either on your desktop or in My Documents. Install each utility, except SmitFraudFix. (This utility is not installed. It is ran from the folder; more on that to follow.) Follow the installation instructions for each utility and update them. It will help with the cleaning process to have the utilities updated.
CCleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com/
SmitFraudFix: http://siri.geekstogo.com/SmitfraudFix.php Please read the tutorial.
MalwareBytes: http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html
Spybot S & D: http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html
If you are currently not running anti-virus software, here are two great free programs:
AVG Free Edition: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html
Avast: http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html
CCleaner is a great tool to keep your computer clean by deleting browser history, temporary internet files and other places your computer accumulates worthless files. Other uses for CCleaner are a registry file cleaner and program uninstaller. There is a complete description of the utility at the link.
SmitFraudFix is a powerful non invasive smitfraud tool.
MalwareBytes is a great free malware removal tool. I have found it to be one of the most power tools I have used.
Spybot S & D is a great tool as well.
Using these tools may seem redundant but each has it own specialty. So using each of them will fill the gaps of the others for a more complete cleaning.
Using the Tools
Start by placing the computer in safemode. You do this by pressing the power button and then start pushing the F8 key on the key board. A black screen with white letters will appear. Use the arrow keys of the keyboard to move the cursor to highlight safemode, and then press the “enter” key. OK, you are looking at the desktop. It looks weird but that is the way it looks in safemode.
First step is to turn off System Restore. Reason is that some malware is memory retentive and will live in the system restore files. After removing the malware threats the little programs will re-install themselves from the system restore. This is not a good thing. To turn this feature off, Click on Start > Right click on My Computer and click on Properties > Click on System Restore tab at the top and Click on the box “turn off system restore on all drives” to place a “check” in the box. Click OK
I like to start with CCleaner. Cleaning the temporary files removes the files that some spyware like to hide and saves scanning time. Double click on the desktop icon and open CCleaner. By default, CCleaner opens to the Windows file cleaner. Click on Analyze. After it has analyzed your files for cleaning then click on “Run Cleaner”. Click “Yes” and allow it to delete those unwanted files.
Next, click on SmitFraudFix. SmitFraudFix is run individually. Please read and follow the tutorial regarding this utility. If SmitFraudFix need to reboot to continue cleaning, allow this and after it has completed the additional cleaning, reboot into safemode to run MalwareBytes and Spybot S & D.
Finally, run MalwareBytes and Spybot S & D. I usually run these two simultaneously. However, I let them both finish before checking their reports and running the cleaning tools.
After they finish their scans, they will ask you to look at the threat report and then ask your permission to fix or clean the selected threats. Click on the respective button to allow this task.
There is one more thing you must not forget to do. You need to reset your system restore. Click on Start > Right click on My Computer and click on Properties > Click on System Restore tab at the top and Click on the box “turn off system restore on all drives” to remove the check in the box.
Ok, this completes the cleaning of your computer and should fix most infections. Congratulations.
By Art Kuhns
As a computer tech in a small computer repair shop, I see a lot of computers with Malware infections. I will be discussing how I clean most malware infections. What I mean by most malware infections are computers that still have basic functions, meaning that files can be opened without long delays, and” my computer” and control panel can be opened. One should always be aware of signs of malware infections and run spyware utilities immediately when these signs occur.
Signs of malware include but not limited too: pop ups on your desktop and while browsing the internet, and general slowdown of the computer. I am also making the assumption that you are currently using anti-virus software of some type. If so, the first step would be to insure it has the latest virus update and that the scan feature has been run. If not, I would recommend AVG or Avast. Both are free and are great anti-virus programs.
Tools Used
Below are the free tools I use and their prospective links for safe download. Get these tools and download them into a folder either on your desktop or in My Documents. Install each utility, except SmitFraudFix. (This utility is not installed. It is ran from the folder; more on that to follow.) Follow the installation instructions for each utility and update them. It will help with the cleaning process to have the utilities updated.
CCleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com/
SmitFraudFix: http://siri.geekstogo.com/SmitfraudFix.php Please read the tutorial.
MalwareBytes: http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html
Spybot S & D: http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html
If you are currently not running anti-virus software, here are two great free programs:
AVG Free Edition: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html
Avast: http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html
CCleaner is a great tool to keep your computer clean by deleting browser history, temporary internet files and other places your computer accumulates worthless files. Other uses for CCleaner are a registry file cleaner and program uninstaller. There is a complete description of the utility at the link.
SmitFraudFix is a powerful non invasive smitfraud tool.
MalwareBytes is a great free malware removal tool. I have found it to be one of the most power tools I have used.
Spybot S & D is a great tool as well.
Using these tools may seem redundant but each has it own specialty. So using each of them will fill the gaps of the others for a more complete cleaning.
Using the Tools
Start by placing the computer in safemode. You do this by pressing the power button and then start pushing the F8 key on the key board. A black screen with white letters will appear. Use the arrow keys of the keyboard to move the cursor to highlight safemode, and then press the “enter” key. OK, you are looking at the desktop. It looks weird but that is the way it looks in safemode.
First step is to turn off System Restore. Reason is that some malware is memory retentive and will live in the system restore files. After removing the malware threats the little programs will re-install themselves from the system restore. This is not a good thing. To turn this feature off, Click on Start > Right click on My Computer and click on Properties > Click on System Restore tab at the top and Click on the box “turn off system restore on all drives” to place a “check” in the box. Click OK
I like to start with CCleaner. Cleaning the temporary files removes the files that some spyware like to hide and saves scanning time. Double click on the desktop icon and open CCleaner. By default, CCleaner opens to the Windows file cleaner. Click on Analyze. After it has analyzed your files for cleaning then click on “Run Cleaner”. Click “Yes” and allow it to delete those unwanted files.
Next, click on SmitFraudFix. SmitFraudFix is run individually. Please read and follow the tutorial regarding this utility. If SmitFraudFix need to reboot to continue cleaning, allow this and after it has completed the additional cleaning, reboot into safemode to run MalwareBytes and Spybot S & D.
Finally, run MalwareBytes and Spybot S & D. I usually run these two simultaneously. However, I let them both finish before checking their reports and running the cleaning tools.
After they finish their scans, they will ask you to look at the threat report and then ask your permission to fix or clean the selected threats. Click on the respective button to allow this task.
There is one more thing you must not forget to do. You need to reset your system restore. Click on Start > Right click on My Computer and click on Properties > Click on System Restore tab at the top and Click on the box “turn off system restore on all drives” to remove the check in the box.
Ok, this completes the cleaning of your computer and should fix most infections. Congratulations.
