What to do if your computer has a virus

See also: AVG - Free Anti virus software from Grisoft

Follow these steps if you believe your computer is infected with a virus.

In all cases, it is best to power down your infected system and do your virus research on an uninfected computer. The more you use the infected computer, the more the infection can spread. Using a second computer isn't always an option - but if it is, use it.

1. If you are running anti-virus software, such as AVG or Norton (Symantec) AV, or McAfee AV, or whatever, begin by right-clicking on your My Computer icon. If you're not running anti-virus software (uh oh!) scroll down for instructions.
   
2. Select Properties, Click on the System Restore tab, and click the "Turn Off System Restore" checkbox. This is important because many viruses exploit the system restore "feature" and register themselves as critical Windows components. So if System Restore is on, and you disinfect your system with anti-virus software, the virus will re-activate on your next reboot.
3. Use your anti-virus software to run a full system scan. Enable any options that allow the software to disinfect automatically... You'll be tied up for hours if you have to tell it to disinfect files one by one.
4. Once the scan is complete, reboot and run another full scan to ensure your system is properly disinfected.
   

What to do if your computer has a virus and you don't have anti-virus software installed.

1. Kick yourself for not having anti-virus software installed. AVG is a very good free option. Once this is all over, go to Grisoft's website (www.grisoft.com) and download their free anti-virus software.
2. Turn off system restore (see step 2 above)
   
3. Go to http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml to use F-Secure's online scan and disinfection tool. The "package" it downloads to your system is 4MB, so it may take a while on dial-up.
4. Complete the process of scanning and disinfecting your system with the online tool. Then shutdown your system, and reboot. Go back to the F-Secure online scanner and run the scan again.
5. Your system should now be disinfected. Now - go to www.grisoft.com and download AVG, which is the best free anti-virus software available.

Questions? Post a comment!