19-03-2015, 04:10 PM
The last couple of posts discussed ways to help avoid problems from the internet, by making your browser and email software more secure, and by exercising a certain caution when using it. But suppose we need to sort out a problem with the computer that wasn't improved by the general advice given earlier?
Do I need a virus scanner?
It's funny how some people seem to always be ill with something, yet others rarely catch anything. It's the same with computers.
In general, if you are running Windows (any version), you need a virus scanner.
But don't let that give you a false sense of security. Follow the advice given earlier about your web browser and email software. The virus scanner is just a backup for when that lets you down.
Which virus scanner?
There is a lot of choice here, and you can pay quite a lot for comprehensive protection. But do your research first. Some of the paid-for options perform no better than the best of the free products, and some of them - at any price point - can be intrusive and cause you more problems than they solve. This is not the place to discuss the issues - by all means start a thread in the forum...
What else should I be aware of?
To be honest, simple viruses belong to the last century. Today, it's "malware" that we need to be concerned with. Although there is some crossover, in general these are much more sophisticated than a simple virus, and can do really quite nasty things to your machine. Modern anti-virus software should detect these, but assume nothing!
I think I have a virus - what do I do?
I start by rebooting the computer into "Safe Mode". This means that the operating system starts with an absolute minimum of things running, and as a lot of malware finds its way into the "startup" groups, this is a good move. Some malware intercepts basic operating system commands - like the run box and the task manager, making treatment impossible. Safe Mode usually gets around that.
Then, you are in a position to install some corrective software. The usual recommendation is Malwarebytes, and the free version has been adequate for every computer I've seen. This will scan the machine and remove problem software. It'll take a long time - but afterwards you should be able to boot into Windows normally and things will seem a lot better. Then you should ensure the anti-virus software is up to date, and do a full scan. Afterwards, do a reboot and uninstall the anti-virus software (assuming it can be easily reinstalled if it was a paid-for option). Then install another anti-virus scanner and let it do another scan. Things that get past one are often picked up by another...
Now is a good time to clean up the machine. Especially if it is heavily used by a family, as kids seem to be good at installing stuff that causes problems - in my experience. Spend some time going through the control panel, uninstalling anything that obviously isn't needed. Use Microsoft "msconfig", as described earlier, to see if there is anything being started that isn't needed. Consider installing CCleaner - again, the free version is fine - to remove anything that you've missed.
Be careful when dealing with an infected machine:
In short, cleaning up a machine - especially someone else's - can be very time-consuming, but it's not impossible. While waiting for scans to take place, you have time to research the problem - remember to search for the detected files and any processes in Task Manager that you're not sure about. With patience, you'll get there!
Do I need a virus scanner?
It's funny how some people seem to always be ill with something, yet others rarely catch anything. It's the same with computers.
In general, if you are running Windows (any version), you need a virus scanner.
But don't let that give you a false sense of security. Follow the advice given earlier about your web browser and email software. The virus scanner is just a backup for when that lets you down.
Which virus scanner?
There is a lot of choice here, and you can pay quite a lot for comprehensive protection. But do your research first. Some of the paid-for options perform no better than the best of the free products, and some of them - at any price point - can be intrusive and cause you more problems than they solve. This is not the place to discuss the issues - by all means start a thread in the forum...
What else should I be aware of?
To be honest, simple viruses belong to the last century. Today, it's "malware" that we need to be concerned with. Although there is some crossover, in general these are much more sophisticated than a simple virus, and can do really quite nasty things to your machine. Modern anti-virus software should detect these, but assume nothing!
I think I have a virus - what do I do?
I start by rebooting the computer into "Safe Mode". This means that the operating system starts with an absolute minimum of things running, and as a lot of malware finds its way into the "startup" groups, this is a good move. Some malware intercepts basic operating system commands - like the run box and the task manager, making treatment impossible. Safe Mode usually gets around that.
Then, you are in a position to install some corrective software. The usual recommendation is Malwarebytes, and the free version has been adequate for every computer I've seen. This will scan the machine and remove problem software. It'll take a long time - but afterwards you should be able to boot into Windows normally and things will seem a lot better. Then you should ensure the anti-virus software is up to date, and do a full scan. Afterwards, do a reboot and uninstall the anti-virus software (assuming it can be easily reinstalled if it was a paid-for option). Then install another anti-virus scanner and let it do another scan. Things that get past one are often picked up by another...
Now is a good time to clean up the machine. Especially if it is heavily used by a family, as kids seem to be good at installing stuff that causes problems - in my experience. Spend some time going through the control panel, uninstalling anything that obviously isn't needed. Use Microsoft "msconfig", as described earlier, to see if there is anything being started that isn't needed. Consider installing CCleaner - again, the free version is fine - to remove anything that you've missed.
Be careful when dealing with an infected machine:
- Don't connect it to a network until you're happy it's clean.
- Use memory sticks set to "read only" to transfer software to the infected machine.
- If you remove the hard disc (to backup the files), be sure that you're not likely to accidentally boot from it, and don't execute any files from it. A USB "caddy" is useful for this because you can "hotplug" the drive once the host OS has safely booted.
In short, cleaning up a machine - especially someone else's - can be very time-consuming, but it's not impossible. While waiting for scans to take place, you have time to research the problem - remember to search for the detected files and any processes in Task Manager that you're not sure about. With patience, you'll get there!
