How to Remove a Virus in Windows
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In my last article you learned how to stop a virus in Windows. In this article, we take a look at how to ensure that the virus is unable to start again and ultimately removed.
If you haven’t read the first part of this series, now is a good time to do that. In that article you learn how to identify and stop a virus in Windows. You’ll also learn what tools you need to get the job done. You can find that article here.
At this point I’m going to assume you have already stopped the viral processes. We’re only going to deal with finding any additional parts and removing them.
Viruses can be very tricky. They will typically create a backup of themselves and install it if you try to remove them. You need to make sure that these backups, if they exist, are removed in order to prevent re-infection.
You may also want to consider saving a copy of the virus files (by changing their names as you’ll learn later on) to submit to your AV company. Antivirus companies don’t have the resources to explore every virus opportunity out there. Viruses are simply developed too quickly. By passing these files along to them, you can ensure that detection signatures are created for new variants as quickly as possible.
You should also take steps to back up your system frequently. Having a clean backup available can sometimes be easier than attempting to remove some viruses. Some types of viruses, such as rootkits, can be extremely difficult to remove and may require formatting your hard drive. Having a backup available can greatly reduce the amount of time required to get your system back up and running properly.
I’m sure you’re all ready to move along, so let’s learn how to rid your system of that nasty bug.
Next: Preventing viruses at Windows startup >>
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