Clean your computer from viruses. Utilities for cleaning your computer from viruses? Re-scanning with another antivirus

When constantly working on the Internet or using unverified storage media, it often becomes necessary to clean your computer of viruses for free.

After downloading and installing the antivirus, you will need to run one of the proposed types of scans. Fast, usually takes a few minutes.

A full one, depending on the performance of the processor, the size of the hard drive and other parameters, can take half a day - however, at the same time you can perform other tasks on the computer.

Advice! If you suspect viruses in your system, you should always choose a full scan.

After many hours of scanning, a prompt will appear on the screen to disinfect or delete infected files.

If treatment fails, deletion will be the only possible way out of the situation - it’s easier to install the application again than to leave it in it malicious code and subsequently completely reinstall the system.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus

The next powerful anti-virus tool is the well-known domestic program.

By installing Kaspersky antivirus on your computer, you can immediately scan.

For further free support You will need to register and gain access to computer protection for a year.

The functionality of the free version is more than sufficient for one-time virus removal. And the controls are intuitive even for a user launching it for the first time.

AVZ

In order to get rid of malware Using this free program, you will need to download it from the manufacturer’s page, and then follow these steps:

• Launch antivirus;
• Go to menu "File" and choose "System Restore";
• Select all items and start their execution;
• Go to menu "Service"/"Process Manager";
• Remove processes that are not highlighted in green;
• Go to menu "File"/"Search Wizard";
• Clean up the operating system.

Other programs

With its help they will stop opening extra windows browser and click on third-party links.

There are also several options for checking your system online and getting rid of viruses without downloading programs.

One of them is ESET Online Scanner, the functions of which allow you to partially restore the functionality of the system.

Although its capabilities are much smaller compared to installed antiviruses.

There are several other good ones too free programs like Avasta, and Microsoft Security Essentials.

However, there are several nuances when using them:

• Some of these antiviruses are free only for a certain period (for example, 1 year);
• Their effectiveness is less than that of the programs described above;
• Viruses are detected constantly, but if the system is already infected and malicious code is missed, most free antiviruses are no longer able to detect them.

Clearing memory

After viruses are detected or during a system scan, care should be taken to clear the computer’s memory, where there may also be unnecessary processes that negatively affect the performance of the system.

In order to detect them, you will need to launch the “Task Manager” (simultaneously pressing the “Ctrl+Alt+Del” keys).

After that, on the tab "Processes" You can see all currently running programs.

Some of these processes can be disabled.

Sometimes even a non-specialist can recognize them - malicious codes look like incomprehensible sets of characters (and even Chinese characters).

The main thing in this case is not to accidentally close processes that are important for work, although most often the system simply will not allow this.;

Basically, this list contains control programs for antiviruses, instant messengers, as well as some drivers.

The more applications it contains that the computer owner did not install, the greater the chance of infecting the system.

Additional actions

After detecting viruses and removing them, you should finally make sure that not a single malicious program remains either in the memory or on the hard drive.

To do this you should:

• Empty Trash;
• Edit the registry. All installed programs are displayed in it in the section HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software. Unnecessary ones are deleted using the “Delete” key.

Knowing how to clean your computer from viruses yourself, you should constantly carry out such cleanings at least 1-2 times a year.

You should also install a reliable antivirus and run it yourself from time to time to scan - real-time protection does not always protect the system, especially if the program is free.

There are many ways to infect your PC with malware: by visiting unsafe sites, through infected media, the virus can even be sent via email. But not only the methods of infection differ in diversity, but also the viruses themselves. Every year the number of viruses known to us increases. Among them there are both practically harmless ones, like those that help us download games for free on the Internet, and very dangerous ones that can completely damage your PC. Developers of security software are well aware of this whole situation and mercilessly raise prices for their programs. But, fortunately, there are still ways to clean your computer from viruses for free on your own.

Before you start virus treatment, you need, of course, to make sure that your PC is really infected. As mentioned earlier, there are a huge number of different viruses, and if you think that they differ only in name, then you are deeply mistaken. Most viruses are indeed quite of the same type and work and are eliminated according to the same scheme, but among them there are also those that differ significantly from each other, including in the method of interaction with the system. Because of this, detecting and eliminating a virus in time can be quite problematic. Today, twelve types of viruses are known:

1. Worm. The main task of this virus is to “clog” your PC system. He does this in two ways, through installation various programs and through launch background processes slowing down your PC. The main signs of infection in this case will be slowdown of the system and the appearance of various programs on your PC. To verify the presence of a worm, try launching the Task Manager ( key combinationAlt+Ctrl+Del) and in the “Processes” and “Services” sections, look for incomprehensible processes with names made up of random sets of letters and numbers. By the way, this type of virus, although it does not cause damage to the user’s personal files, can be very dangerous. If you run this problem too hard on a weak PC, the freezes can be so severe that even just using the computer will become problematic, not to mention treating it.
2. Trojan. The operating principle of this virus is simple and clear from the name. It hides inside programs and is completely harmless until the program itself is launched. However, once it is launched, it can be used for a variety of purposes. Most often, a Trojan is used to delete or steal data.
3. Spyware. Spyware viruses are used to remotely collect personal data from users. Most often, attackers are interested in passwords, addresses, card and account numbers.
4. Zombie. This type viruses got their name because it turns an infected PC into a zombie. Once on the computer, it gives its owner complete control over it. Most often, the PC owner does not even realize that his computer is controlled by someone other than him.
5. Blocker program. As the name suggests, a blocker program blocks a user's access to something. Typically, this is either access to sites or to the system itself. The main purpose of this virus is extortion. When blocked, the user sees a message in front of him saying that he has violated something and now must pay a fine by sending an SMS message. It is clear that even after the funds are debited from your account, your access will not be unblocked.
6. Boot viruses. Like a worm, a boot virus attempts to slow down your PC's system, but while a worm slows down the OS, a boot virus slows down its startup. And just as in the case of a worm, the main thing here is not to let the virus grow, as this threatens you with not being able to boot your PC.
7. Exploit. The main goal of “exploits” is to create holes in the OS security system. Through them, attackers will be able to download other viruses into the memory of your system.
8. Pharming. “Pharming viruses” are used mainly to promote websites. Once on the computer, this virus hacks the browser and begins to constantly redirect the user to the attacker’s website, no matter what he does. This virus spreads through Trojans and worms.
9. Phishing. Phishing is the sending of viral emails to steal personal information. These emails usually ask users to provide their personal information, promising them some kind of reward for doing so. The attackers will use the received data to enrich themselves at your expense; they will steal money from accounts, apply for loans, etc.
10. Spyware. Spyware collects user data, analyzes it, and then uses it for the attacker's personal gain. For example, to create advertisements that will definitely interest him.
11. Rootkit. A rootkit is a virus that allows an attacker to get into your files and then hide all traces of their presence. Rootkits themselves are not dangerous, since they are only a means for infecting the system with other viruses. But they make the already difficult process of detecting a virus even more difficult.
12. Software virus. A software virus is something between a “worm” and a “Trojan”. Like a Trojan, in order to exist, it needs another program within which it will live, but at the same time it can self-replicate, infecting more and more files.

As you can see, there are many factors indicating a possible virus infection. System slowdown, installation of incomprehensible applications, the appearance of banners and pop-ups - all this and more indicates the need to check your PC.

In addition, we should also not forget about threats that do not manifest themselves until the moment when it is too late to correct something. Timely checking your computer for viruses is the key to the safety of your personal files.

Unfortunately, the only way to reliably check for viruses is to use anti-virus software, which is not always possible to buy. But, fortunately, most companies developing security software offer clients a trial subscription to their product, usually for a month. This allows you to download and use the program for free for a period of time. trial period, which is more than enough to carry out a one-time check and cleaning of the system.

In addition, do not forget that there are methods on how to clean your computer from viruses for free on your own. Now the Internet is full of various utilities aimed at fighting viruses, which can be downloaded absolutely free. There are also ways to clean the system yourself, without the help of any software, so to speak “manually”. We'll talk about all this a little further.

Utilities for cleaning your computer from viruses

Free virus removal utilities are essentially the same antivirus software, but slightly simplified. Their functionality is significantly less than that of paid antiviruses from well-known manufacturers, but it is quite enough for the average user with one PC. Let's look at the most popular of them together.

1. Dr. Web CureIt. CureIt is a virus-fighting utility created on the basis of the well-known Dr.Web antivirus. Unlike the Dr.Web antivirus itself, this utility is distributed absolutely free and anyone can download it from the developer’s official website. Over the years of its existence, the program has proven itself very well; it is believed that it can find almost any virus. It's very easy to use. Go to the application, click on the “Start scanning” button, and when finished, choose what to do with the infected files. If possible, then it is better, of course, to cure them, but if not, then you need to remove them without hesitation, otherwise the infection will spread.
2. AVZ. AVZ is one of the most famous free anti-virus utilities. Its main advantage is its advanced functionality, which is somewhere at the level of budget antiviruses, and not free utilities. It’s a little more difficult to work with, but it’s quite possible to figure it out.
3. HitmanPro. Antivirus utility HitmanPro is a little less known than previous versions, but still has its own circle of admirers. It’s not for nothing that this program is called a killer, because it’s possible best solution, if you want to clean your computer from viruses for free automatically. Many users note that HitmanPro is able to detect viruses that even some paid programs cannot handle.

These are just the most well-known utilities, but of course there are others, such as NortonSecurityScan, EsetOnlineScanner or Malwarebytes. All of them are distributed free of charge, and some do not even require installation and work directly from the Internet. It's up to you to decide which program to install on your PC.

How to clean your computer from viruses for free yourself

As already mentioned, there are two ways to clean your computer from viruses for free: using free utilities or manually. And if with the first method everything is more or less clear, then the second option may not be clear to everyone. Let's look at them in a little more detail.

Cleaning and formatting the hard drive

It was mentioned earlier that some viruses can have a detrimental effect on the operation of your system. Freezes, pop-ups, and constant installation of new files to spread infection are integral features of most viruses. It is clear that under such conditions it will be extremely difficult to cure PC, if not impossible. Usually, in such a situation, working with an antivirus is simply impossible, since due to a lack of resources, the scan will take forever.

Therefore, before starting direct treatment, you should do the following:

1. Disconnect your PC from the network. It is through the Internet that many viruses download new files (although not all). Therefore, you need to disconnect from the network as soon as possible, preferably by completely disconnecting the router, so as not to give the computer a chance to connect on its own.
2. Go to Safe Mode. For those who are not in the know, safe mode is a computer operating mode in which it uses a minimum of resources and programs. In particular, in this mode it does not allow you to turn on background applications and processes, which will not only make it easier to work with an infected PC, but will also prevent viruses from spreading further. To enable it, restart your PC, and while loading, press the “F8” key, when a menu appears in front of you, select “Safe Mode”.

When preparations are completed, treatment can begin. You should start by removing the applications that the virus installed on your PC (if there are any). This can be done through the control panel (section “Programs and Features”) or through special software for uninstalling programs, if you have one installed. You need to remove all applications that are not system and were not installed by you. Finding them is quite easy, since they usually have extremely strange names: from random sets of characters, in Chinese or Arabic, and sometimes they are completely absent.

Then, without turning on the Internet, go back to normal system operation and do the following:

1. Turn on “Task Manager”.
2. Click on the “Details” button in the lower left corner of the window.
3. Go to the “Startup” tab and look for all processes with unclear names, like those that needed to be deleted through the control panel.
4. Write down their names somewhere and then turn them off.
5. About the same thing needs to be done in the “Details” and “Services” tabs, but be careful, there are many more processes here and some of them, although incomprehensibly signed, are important; remember that all important processes are marked as system ones in the adjacent column.
6. And finally, the most important part, after closing all processes, one by one, start searching in the system for the names that you wrote down on a piece of paper (you need to search through the search bar in the right top corner Explorer), usually infected files are stored in entire folders, so once you find one file, go to its location and look for others there.
7. When you're done, you can start scanning through your antivirus; the Internet cannot be turned on until the scan is completed and the disks are cleaned.
8. Well, don’t forget to empty the trash, just in case.

Although this procedure is quite complex and lengthy, it ultimately helps solve problems with almost any virus. Although there are still situations when even after cleaning with an antivirus the situation does not change or the system is damaged too much and it can no longer be restored.

Then there is only one solution left: complete cleaning hard drive, so you will lose files, but at least save the PC itself. The easiest way to do this is to start installing a new OS, you will still have to clean up the system disk, and if desired, you can clear the rest.

How to remove a virus from a computer with an antivirus

Now that we have figured out how to remove a virus from a computer manually, let's take a closer look at cleaning the system using an antivirus. There is not much to talk about here, because security software developers are trying to make their brainchild not only reliable, but also convenient and easy to use, and therefore even a novice user can understand its work.

Just a few points worth noting. For example, such as the existence of two scanning modes in most antiviruses. The first one is quick search, the mode we use for regular checks, taking half an hour. Second - deep cleaning, an in-depth search for threats, which can take from several hours to a whole day (It all depends on the PC). If you have reason to believe that your PC is infected, then the best option will be a combination of these modes, first a quick check to find the main foci, and then a deep one to “finish off the remains.”

It should also be noted that there are three options for how you can deal with infected files, namely: disinfect, quarantine and delete. The first one is the most acceptable, since only it allows you to maintain the full functionality of the file. Deletion is the most severe option, since after deletion the file will disappear from your PC forever, and it’s not so bad if it was a personal file, but what if it’s a file necessary for correct operation program or even the entire system. Many inexperienced users always delete files to completely eliminate all traces of the virus - but this is the wrong approach. As for quarantine, files placed in quarantine remain on the computer, waiting for updates that can cure them, but you will not be able to interact with them yet.

This is all you need to know about how to clean your computer from viruses for free yourself. In this article, we looked at several methods for solving this problem, studied the classification of viruses and the most well-known programs to combat them. Using the knowledge gained from this article, you will most likely be able to cope with a computer virus without outside help.

Beginner computer users quite often find themselves in a difficult situation, because other, more advanced users consider the questions they have to be trivial. It is for this reason that very often the answers to these questions are difficult to find on the Internet, or the questions are answered by a person who has already forgotten what it means to be a beginner, which means he uses terminology and techniques that only confuse the beginner even more.

This also applies to such a trivial task as searching for and removing viruses.

I decided to create step by step instructions, in which I’ll show you how I would act if I encountered malware.

How to determine if your computer is infected with a virus

At the beginning, it makes sense to talk about the signs that clearly or indirectly indicate a viral infection.

Firstly, this is a notification that is displayed by the antivirus installed on your computer. This notification may look different and its text may differ depending on the specific antivirus program.

But don’t rush to panic right away. There is always a possibility that the antivirus made a mistake or played it safe.

I never tire of repeating that Antivirus software is not a panacea!

No antivirus in the world can be 100% effective, since virus and malware developers are ALWAYS one step ahead - first a virus appears, and only then they begin to fight it.

Many novice users have a misconception about how an antivirus works. They believe that the antivirus in its work is guided only by antivirus databases, which are updated daily. This is true, but partly.

New viruses appear in hundreds and thousands every day, and they are not always assigned a unique name under which they are entered into the anti-virus database. Only truly unique malware is awarded this privilege. All other “viral consumer goods” are created, as a rule, using auxiliary design programs, and the antivirus can catch such viruses by certain criteria(heuristic analyzer).

If a program or file behaves suspiciously in the opinion of the antivirus, that is, the behavior falls under certain criteria included in the antivirus, then it will block them and display a message. In fact, the file may be quite harmless.

Therefore, an antivirus should be perceived solely as an alarm, which may well have (and often does) false positives.

However, if the antivirus “doubts” and blocks something, then you should scan your computer completely. At the same time, I would recommend doing this not only using the antivirus installed on your computer, but also using an alternative solution. That is, after full check installed antivirus, perform a second scan with another antivirus program, which I will talk about a little later.

Any emergency situation can also be a reason to check your computer for viruses. For example, the computer began to slow down or suddenly reboot, errors began to appear when starting programs or when operating the operating system... In general, any abnormal behavior of the computer should be taken as a signal - it is worth checking the computer with an antivirus.

How to check your computer for viruses

As I already mentioned, from my point of view, it would be correct to check your computer not only with the antivirus installed on the computer, but also with a second, well-proven antivirus solution.

By this, I do NOT mean installing a second antivirus on your computer! NO! This cannot be done!

I mean, the use of anti-virus scanners that can be downloaded and run without installation, or better yet, even from a bootable USB flash drive.

The fact is that if your computer is infected, the virus can hide in the system and block attempts installed antivirus detect it or remove it.

When you boot your computer from a specially created flash drive, it will launch its own operating system (usually Linux). This means that all your files hard drive will be accessible, since they will not be protected by the operating room Windows system, which is installed on your computer's hard drive.

This way, we can most effectively check all the nooks and crannies of your hard drive and are more likely to detect threats.

Such bootable flash drives allow you to create many modern antiviruses. That is, you can go to the menu of the antivirus installed on your computer and use it to create bootable USB flash drive. But this is provided that your antivirus has such a function. You can find out about this in help system your antivirus program.

I prefer to use the Dr.Web LiveDisk utility. Kaspersky and other leading security program developers have a similar solution, but I am more accustomed to working with this particular program, so I will show the whole process using its example.

Create a flash drive with antivirus

We will need a blank flash drive with a capacity of 1GB or more, or a flash drive with 1GB of free space.
The Dr.Web LiveDisk utility itself can be downloaded from the official website.

After the file is downloaded, connect the USB flash drive to your computer and run the downloaded file.

A program will launch that will detect all available USB devices connected to your computer. You will need to select a flash drive from the list.

The utility does not delete files from the flash drive, but I usually check the box that allows you to completely format the flash drive and place only Dr.Web LiveDisk files on it. I like this option better, since to remove Dr.Web LiveDisk, in any case, you need to format the flash drive. Therefore, it’s easier to immediately temporarily transfer the files you need from it, format the flash drive and create Dr.Web LiveDisk. When boot disk You will no longer need it - format the flash drive again and return all the files to it.

We downloaded and installed an antivirus with the latest antivirus databases on a flash drive. This means that if you want to use this flash drive after some time, the anti-virus databases on it will already be out of date.

It is possible to update the anti-virus databases without creating a new flash drive, but I usually don’t do this. The fact is that I rarely encounter such problematic situations with viruses, and it’s easier for me to re-create a bootable USB flash drive with an antivirus than to allocate a separate flash drive for these purposes and, if necessary, update the anti-virus database on it.

How to check your computer for viruses

So, the flash drive is ready. Reboot the computer and start from the flash drive.

To do this, you can use the Boot Menu. U different manufacturers On motherboards and laptops, this menu is called up by pressing different buttons on the keyboard, but usually it is either the Esc key or one of function keys- F9, F11, F12. Most the right way to find out which key in your case brings up the boot menu is to refer to the instructions from your laptop or motherboard. Well, or even easier - ask Yandex. To do this, let’s formulate it this way search query, for example, “boot menu key asus laptop”.

This key must be pressed immediately after turning on the computer. Usually I don't hold down the key, but simply press it quickly and repeatedly until the menu appears.

Select the flash drive from the menu and the boot process begins.

Installed by default English language interface, but we can fix the situation by switching to Russian, pressing the F2 key and selecting the language.

To select a language, you can use the cursor keys - up and down arrows. To confirm the selection, press the ENTER key.

This flash drive is comprehensive solution to troubleshoot various kinds of problems, so there is, for example, a utility for testing computer memory that you can run right now. But I use the arrows to select Dr.Web LiveDisk and press the ENTER key.

The operating room will be loaded Linux system and the Dr.Web CureIt anti-virus scanner will immediately launch! The exact same scanner can be downloaded and launched from Windows, but, as I said earlier, it is much more correct and efficient to work from a flash drive than from an operating system loaded from a hard drive, so let’s get started.

You can start a quick one or set spot check, in which you indicate those objects and areas on the disk that you want to scan.

I will launch a quick one by clicking the “Start scan” button.

After the scan is completed, we will receive information about the detected threats and will be able to neutralize them by selecting the most appropriate action - select objects and click on the “Disarm” button.

This was the easiest and fastest approach to removing viruses from your computer.

Dr.Web CureIt! has settings and, if you wish, you can familiarize yourself with them in the instructions, the link to which I have already given above.

Well, the Dr.Web LiveDisk flash drive itself is, as I already mentioned, not just an anti-virus scanner, but a whole set of utilities designed to restore the computer’s functionality and partially diagnose it. Here you can not only remove viruses, but also edit Windows registry or work with files and folders on your hard drive. There is also a browser with which you can get the information you need from the Internet.

A flash drive like this has come to the rescue more than once and helped me restore more than one computer...

Well, if you no longer need Dr.Web LiveDisk and decide to remove it from the flash drive, then, as I already mentioned, you will need to format the flash drive.

I'll end here. If you do the math this information useful, then share it with your friends. Leave comments and see you in new notes and videos.

First of all, I suggest deleting everything extra files from your device. There are no unnecessary files and folders on my computer! - you object, in fact there are many of them, take for example Temp folder, this is a folder for storing temporary files. Files accumulate in it after installing programs, after saving intermediate versions of files, etc. In addition, this is the first refuge of viruses; most viruses initially appear there. Since we don’t need extra junk and viruses, we need to clean it, this can be done manually, go to the folders and remove all unnecessary from them:

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp (AppData - hidden folder to see it you need make hidden folders visible )

Or use specialized programs, for example CCleaner. This program will not only delete temporary files, but will also clear browser caches (where viruses can also be found), the recycle bin, etc.

First of all, it is necessary download CCleaner from the official website (in this case it will be the Portaple version - which does not require installation)

After downloading, unzip the archive and run the version corresponding to your operating system version (x32 or x64). You will see this information if you click on Computer shortcut right click mouse and select "Properties". In the properties window, find the line "System type", the version of your operating system will be indicated there (x32 or x64). If nothing is indicated, it means you have the x32 version.

Depending on your operating system version, run the CCleaner version.

Immediately after launch, a window will appear asking you to scan Cookies, click “Yes”.

After this, the program window will open; if you need to change the language, go to the “Options” - “Settings” tab and select “Russian” in the “Language” field.

Select "Cleaning" in the left menu; to the right, various groups of files that need to be searched will be indicated. I recommend leaving everything as default and clicking the “Analyze” button (close all browsers first). After this, the program will analyze all files in the folders. This process may take up to several minutes.

After the analysis is complete, on the right you will see the file sizes that can be deleted. To delete, click the "Cleanup" button.

We agree to the deletion of all files.

All... unnecessary files have been deleted. Now you can proceed to the next step.

Checking your laptop/computer for viruses.

In order to check your laptop/computer for viruses, it is not at all necessary to fork out money and buy an antivirus; it will be enough to use free scanners, such as Dr Web Curite or Kaspersky Virus removal tool . What they are is programs that do not require installation, scan your computer for viruses, but unlike paid analogues they are designed for one-time use, since anti-virus databases cannot be updated. Those. An anti-virus scanner downloaded today is no longer relevant for tomorrow because it does not contain the latest databases. Therefore, to check a laptop/computer with scanners, you need to download them each time before scanning. For example, I’ll describe it step by step how to clean your laptop/computer from viruses using an antivirus scanner from Dr Web Curite.

After you have visited the Dr Web website, you must click the button "Download Dr. Web CureIt! With the function of sending statistics." Otherwise, you simply will not be able to download the free version.

Then read and agree to the License Agreement.

After this, the antivirus will begin downloading. Run the downloaded file, I will remind Dr. Web CureIt does not require installation. After launch, the Licenses and Updates window will appear, check the box that you agree to send statistics to Dr. Web.

After that, click on the wrench in the upper right corner to expand the options menu. Put a tick " Automatically apply actions to threats" so that whenvirus detection, Dr.Web CureItimmediately performed the specified actions (treated, deleted, etc.), rather than waiting for your reaction. Next, click the "Settings" button.

In the settings window, go to the "Actions" tab and select "Delete" in the Incurable item. Click "OK".

After this, you can start scanning your laptop/computer for viruses; to do this, just click the “Run scan” button.

Next, the scanner window will appear. Here we can see how the scan is progressing, how many files are scanned, how many infected ones are detected, and the approximate time until the end of the scan. If the scanner detects infected objects, information about them will be entered into the table at the bottom of the window: file name, name of the detected virus or malicious code.

At the end of the test, just close the windowDr.Web CureIt.

In the future, in order to experience fewer problems with viruses, I strongly recommend installing a full-fledged antivirus; if you have a limited budget and do not have money to buy an antivirus, install free antivirus, such as Microsoft Security Essentials or Avast.

Removing unnecessary programs.

Sometimes situations happen when you downloaded a program from the Internet (such programs are usually free), installed it, and after that you began to notice that more advertising appeared on sites, sites opened by themselves, changes home page in the browser and the like. After removing the installed program, the situation does not change. It's all about other programs installed with the main program. I had a case when a friend of mine had advertising windows open automatically in his browser; in addition, advertising blocks were added on many pages. For example, on the Yandex page appeared additional blocks advertising, but if you open a Yandex page on another computer, there is nothing like it. Checking with an antivirus did not yield anything, and besides, he had a paid antivirus that was regularly updated. After I went to look at the installed programs, I was confused by several programs that seemed suspicious to me - I deleted them and the banners disappeared. Those. Apparently, an acquaintance installed some kind of program from the Internet and at the same time installed a program that inserts advertising blocks on a web page. So be careful when installing and downloading programs from the Internet.

So it won’t hurt to check what programs you have installed and remove the ones you don’t need. To do this, click "Start" - "Control Panel"

A list of all will open installed programs from them you need to select those that you did not install or that cause you suspicion, for example, an unfamiliar program name or an empty Publisher field.

In this article, I described all the basic steps to clean your laptop/computer from viruses. He also gave some advice on how not to catch them and how to protect yourself from them. I hope the information was useful for you and you will not encounter viruses (or you will, but extremely rarely).

Probably every user personal computer I came across a problem like computer virus. It’s a rather unpleasant feeling when you realize that now you can expect almost any outcome: they will be deleted important files, the entire operating system will crash, the Internet will stop working, etc. Therefore, if you have discovered or even simply suspected a virus on your computer, then you urgently need to remove it, and we will talk about how to do this correctly in our article today.

10 steps to help remove almost any virus from your system

1. Download and install an antivirus program. First of all, you must entrust all the work of removing the virus to special program(antivirus), since it is the one that is able to deal with all malicious code delicately, and most importantly correctly. Since simply deleting the infected file may not save the entire situation. Sometimes delete it altogether virus file extremely dangerous, as it may carry important system information. In such cases, you need to either replace a specific file with a non-infected one, or edit it and then remove the code that is responsible for the operation of the virus. You need to download the antivirus exclusively from the official website and install only a legal license, because then you risk not only NOT removing viruses from your computer, but also introducing new ones. Sometimes downloading and installing an antivirus needs to be started in safe mode, otherwise you will not have access to all system files.


2. Update your antivirus databases. After the antivirus has been installed on the PC, the first thing you should do is update the antivirus databases, since by default it should be loaded with the old-style databases, which do not contain the new algorithms virus programs. You, of course, can carry out a scan on old databases, and the virus may even be removed, but if it managed to infect other files in a different (not yet studied) way, then you will not remove all the malicious code from the computer. Always monitor anti-virus databases for updates and check their availability manually.


3. Turn off the Internet. If you have already downloaded the required antivirus program, installed it, and also managed to update it, then at this stage we strongly recommend disconnecting your computer from the Internet. Moreover, it is better to do this in the most reliable way - by pulling out network cable from system unit or by completely turning off Wi-Fi (if you use wireless connection). This must be done primarily for the safety of your data, since a virus can transmit all documents and files that are on the system via the Internet. If the virus introduces (installs) various anti-blocking mechanisms on the Internet, then you will not even be able to disconnect the network until the cable is pulled out of the computer or router.


4. Run a deep scan of your computer. Even if you know the specific folder where the virus is located, we still recommend running a full and in-depth analysis (check) of the system. The fact is that viruses, and especially Trojans, are a kind of portal for malicious programs, so in fact there will be much more malicious programs than this single file (for this reason, we blocked access to the network in the previous paragraph). Yes, a deep check will take a lot of time, especially if hard drive full of archives and documents and other files that take much more time than media files (movies, music, pictures, etc.).


5. Remove the virus manually. Sometimes viruses are so powerful and perfect that you simply cannot do without independent intervention. Therefore, you have to remove infected files or viruses themselves manually. However, if you are not sure of the correctness of your decision and do not know whether there is really malicious code here, then in this case, the site’s experts recommend doing the following. First, transfer suspicious files to third-party media (flash drive, CD, external hard disk, etc.), and on the computer itself completely delete them (by emptying the recycle bin). If after a reboot everything works fine, it means that you did not delete any important files, but if something went wrong, then there is no point in panicking or getting upset, because you have saved data on a third-party storage device.


6. Check your computer with another antivirus program. After the virus is completely removed from the system, we recommend checking this again. To do this you need to check again operating system for the presence of malware. However, it is better to do this with another antivirus program. You can use either another antivirus (however, to do this you will have to uninstall the existing one, restart the PC and install a new antivirus program), or use a product such as Dr.Web CureIt! The latter is a utility that does not need to be installed; all you need to do is download and run the scan (and this software completely legal and free for users who will use the Dr.Web CureIt! for personal and non-commercial purposes only). This product complements perfectly Kaspersky Internet Security, if it is installed as a permanent antivirus program on your computer.


7. Install a good antivirus program that can protect your Internet connection. If you active user Internet, then first of all, after removing the virus, you must take care that it does not appear again. The most in a simple way there will be an installation of an anti-virus program that would specialize in the safe use of network benefits. The best in this segment is Kaspersky Internet Security, which we already mentioned in the previous paragraph. In principle, this software does not require any special settings, since by default all basic security methods are already included in it. You can strengthen security manually by making the desired changes in the settings.


8. Check again for files, folders and archives that may also be infected (especially on third-party media). After removing a virus from a computer, we very often forget about flash drives, external hard drives and recorded CDs, but very often the virus is colonized on these media. Then we can’t understand - it seems like the virus was removed, but the problems remained. Therefore, you need to check all these media in the same way with an anti-virus program, but this must be done very carefully - without opening Explorer and without viewing the contents of the folder, so as to prevent the virus from starting. Naturally, you should check each of the media carefully to be confident in your devices.


9. Install the AVZ antivirus program. Despite the fact that the utility is not yet very well known among most computer users (although it is very well known to those who “treated” their PC using this software), it copes quite well with viruses such as: SpyWare (software that created to spy on the user). AVZ can also cope with AdWare (illegal advertising that is inserted into the browser and other programs). BackDoor (a virus that exposes all your passwords and personal information to the Internet) will also be found by this utility. And naturally this program is capable of removing regular Trojan programs from an infected computer.


10. Reinstall your operating system. Remember a very simple rule - if you cannot remove the virus from your computer, then you can always reinstall Windows, which in total will take much less time than trying to solve the problem in another way. Yes, we agree that it is not always possible to avoid a virus simply by reinstalling the system, because the virus can hide on another partition of the hard drive, which will remain untouched, however, the chance of such a situation developing is quite small, because Viruses settle mainly where all the important system management files are located. If you can delete others sections of hard disk, then this would be simply wonderful, since after formatting it, certainly no viruses will be found on the PC.


11. Draw conclusions. And the last step on the way to complete removal virus from a computer encourages you (the computer user) to draw conclusions about why, when and how your computer was infected. Naturally, draw conclusions about how this could have been avoided. Remember everything, replay it several times in your head and never repeat such mistakes again. After all, it is much easier to avoid infection with a virus than to later delete and disinfect infected files that may contain valuable information for you.