Recognizing and Removing Computer Malware

Most users of computers know what a virus is, but not all can recognize one, or know what to do if their computer is infected. This guide will tell you what you need to know about viruses and what to do if you think you have one. It is intended for Windows users.

It is assumed that readers of this guide can install and run programs on their own.

Steps 1-4 contain information about malware and computer tools you can use to recognize and remove viruses.
Steps 5 and onwards are the steps for scanning and removing malware.

If you intend to follow the instructions presented in this guide, please print them, as it involves turning on and off your computer repeatedly.

Step 1 About Malware

What is computer malware? Malware , short for malicious software, are programs that people create in order to adversely affect other computers. Computer viruses are a type of malware, as are Trojans, Adware, Spyware, and Worms. How each kind of malware is defined is fairly unimportant. What is important to know is that the severity of different “infections” varies greatly.

Malware can do everything from redirecting your web browser towards fake websites to making your computer unusable. It could send whatever you type on your keyboard to another computer, or make your computer send a thousand spam emails an hour. It is rare that the precise nature of the malware your computer is infected with is known. Similarly, it is impossible to be 100% certain your computer is infection free.

So if you have an inkling your computer is affected, do NOT use it for sensitive information, like logging into your bank’s website. The best thing to do is to check for malware before using the computer again.

Vicious malware generally tries to reproduce itself, downloading additional things onto your computer or replicating itself all over your disk drive. Thus it is doubly important to get rid of it as soon as possible. But how do you know your computer is affected?

Comments

[tiouubem]

Thanks for the tutorial. I also use a lot a site offering online malware scans, which is very handy and easy.