Adware, viruses, trojans, spyware, ransomware and rootkits are everywhere these days, and keeping our PCs free of malware is a constant struggle.
Regardless of how diligent we are at preventing malware infections they can still manage to make their way onto our hard drives and into our computers’ memory banks.
Once a PC is infected, ridding it of every scrap of malware can be extremely difficult. But it can be done. This post explains how, step-by-step.
The best way to be absolutely certain that you have completely cleaned your PC of malware is to wipe your hard drive and re-install Windows from scratch. The second best way is to restore everything from a known good system image backup that you created at an earlier time.
Sometimes neither of those options are feasible however, so we have to remove the malware with a little elbow grease (and a considerable block of time). Here is the procedure that I recommend:
1 – Boot your PC into Safe Mode with Networking. This post will explain how to do that. (It’s best to always make sure you are in Safe Mode when attempting to eradicate malware.)
2 – If possible (and it might not be), update your existing antivirus software and run a full scan, then remove any malware that it finds.
If you’re unable to update your existing antivirus program, remove it from the system and install the free version of Avast Antivirus, then run a scan with that (Avast is great, and I recommend it above all others).
3 – Load your favorite web browser and download the free version of Malwarebytes from this page. Install it and run a full scan, then remove any malware that it finds.
4 – Download and run Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit from this page.
5 – Download the free version of Spybot Search & Destroy from this page (scroll to the bottom of the page for the Download link). Run a full scan and remove any malware that it finds.
6 – Download and install the free Sophos Rootkit Removal tool from this page and run it. This tool does a very thorough job of detecting and removing rootkits (a particularly nasty type of malware).
7 – Load the Control Panel and click on the Uninstall a program link (in some versions of Windows it is labeled as Add or Remove Programs). Remove any toolbars that you do not remember installing at some point. With very few exceptions, toolbars are almost always malware. The same goes for pretty much anything with the word Search in the name. Remove those too while you’re at it.
8 – Download Autoruns from this page. Save the zipped folder to your Desktop, extract all the files, then click on autoruns.exe to run the program. Uncheck the box beside every process that you don’t want loading every time the PC is booted up.
If you are unsure about a process, right-click on it and click Search Online in order to find out what the process is and whether you should remove it or not. When you’re done, click File>Exit.
Note: Unchecking the box beside an Autoruns entry does not remove it from the hard drive. It simply keeps it from loading automatically every time the system starts up. You can always reverse the process by running Autoruns again and rechecking the box.
9 – This step is optional, but strongly recommended. At this point I would uninstall your PC’s existing antivirus software, then download and install the FREE version of Avast Antivirus.
I personally use Avast and I really like it a lot. It is considered by many security experts to be the best free antivirus program available today, and after using it for quite some time I can say that I agree with them.
Please understand that following the 8-step procedure above is not a quick process. In fact, if done correctly it could easily take the better part of a day. That being said, you can be doing other things with your PC while the various scans are running.
Bottom line: It’s extremely important that you make sure you rid your PC of every scrap of malware that happens to be on it. This procedure will help you do just that.
Good luck!
Bonus tip #1: This post explains how to quickly identify and avoid fraudulent emails (a primary means of delivering malware).
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Thanks for your newsletter. Love it. Regarding your recent one on fixing broken computer, and your suggestion about using Avast, I was wondering if I can use Windows Defender and Avast at same time?
Thanks
Thanks for the nice words about my newsletter, Floyd. I appreciate the feedback! You won’t need to bother with Windows Defender at all. Windows 10 automatically disables Windows Defender when a third-party anti-virus program is installed. I you ever decide to remove Avast Windows Defender will automatically be re-activated.
Does this list also apply to laptops?
Yes it does, Kevin.
Avast is awesome!! Been using it for about 5 years. Just bought Secure line VPN from Avast yesterday. Any thoughts or experience with their VPN service Rick? So far it seems to be great.
I love Avast too, Dean. I’ve never used their VPN service so I can’t really offer an opinion on it. But that being said, most anything Avast is associated with is great. At least that’s been my experience over the years.
Thanks for all the great info. I learn something new with each post!
Thanks for that, Patty. I’m glad you find my posts useful.
Hi Rick, I’m glad I came across your tips, seems very clear and to the point.
My wife literally just started using her new laptop today and came across this “critical Microsoft alert referencing 268d3”. I knew it was a scam from the first time it popped up, but confirmed it from researching it further on the web. I found so many different tips, and of them all I did the safe mode feature, than ran the Mcafee scan while in safe mode… and cleared cookies and trackers. I also went to the control panel/ programs and features to search for any suspicious installs and I couldn’t find none that look out of place (It was fairly easy since we just started using the laptop today so The only installs consisted of the software it came with or was offered with the purchase). I restarted the computer and went back to the Internet explorer and the alert was gone.
My question to you Rick is my Mcafee enough? Were my steps enough? You mentioned running several systems such as Avast and I just want to make sure I got rid of the virus completely without having to do the extra steps granted it is a new device with nothing else recently installed.
In advance, appreciate your time.
Ray
Hi Ray. I no longer recommend using McAfee because it seems to be letting a lot of malware slip through of late. I use and recommend the free version of Avast, but AVG is good as well.
If you decide to switch to from McAfee to a different antivirus program, be sure to uninstall McAfee before you install the new one. This post explains why you should do that: https://www.ricksdailytips.com/use-just-one-anti-virus-program/
All of the above being said, you might want to just go ahead and reset the new laptop’s Windows installation to make absolutely sure that all the malware is gone. If you choose the option to start fresh without keeping your files that will put the laptop back in the same state it was in after you turned it on for the very first time.
This post explains how to reset the Windows installation: https://www.ricksdailytips.com/use-just-one-anti-virus-program/
Lets say you started windows 10 clean slate, what software « must haves » would you install?
Thanks, just found your website nice work👍
Thanks for the kind words, Jay. Much appreciated!
The first thing I always install on a brand new PC is a good antivirus program. Windows Defender is better than it used to be, but I still don’t trust it to keep most of the nasties off my hard drive.
Next, I install the Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera web browsers to compliment Microsoft’s own Edge browser (I no longer use or recommend Internet Explorer at all).
I know that probably sounds like overkill having 4 web browsers installed, but they all excel at different tasks and with different websites so I keep them all handy for the times when I need them.
Next, I always install Greenshot, an excellent free replacement for Window’s native screenshot utility. You can read about its advantages here:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com/greenshot/
And finally, I install Notepad++, a fantastic and powerful free replacement for the Windows Notepad utility. You can read about its advantages right here:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com/notepad-plus-plus/
Those are the basics that I install on every new PC that I set up. There are several additional programs that I install on my own PCs, but I won’t bother listing them here because they aren’t really needed by most users.
I hope this helps, Jay. Good luck!
Thank U…..😚
You’re very welcome.
Thanks allot Sir
Sir please make one thing clear that all these antivirus programs that you have mentioned above in 8 steps, should I keep them installed on my pc or simply remove them after use?
You can keep them installed on your PC because you need to run these scans on a periodic basis.
Wow you really help me. I followed your steps and i must say that i am gonna save your site so i can use it in the future. Thank you very much. I was using the free version of AVG. My computer started freezing and a whole bunch of issues. I took it to my comp. guy and it was ok for about a week then it got worse.
I’m glad it helped you, Tia. Thanks for the feedback.
Rick, will Malwarebytes run alongside Avast Antivirus?
Yes it will, Dave. The free version of Malwarebytes is an on-demand malware scanner. It won’t conflict with your full-time antivirus software in any way.
Many thanks Rick, keep it going!
Thanks for the kind feedback, Dave. Much appreciated.
Great website, keep up the good work, but for the good guys!
Thank you, John.
Rick:,great website, solid info. In this case, however, I have a Mac that’s showing signs of malware. It’s an old timer – ~10 years – and running slow. I have Norton protection installed. Can you help?
Thanks for the kind words, John. You might want to run Malwarebytes for Mac on your machine. It’s a solid program and it’s pretty good at rooting out malware. You’ll find the download link in this post:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com/adwaremedic/
thanks, great info
You’re welcome, Maura. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Rick. I came along your Post whilst at work. Thanks for all the good info and Tips. I bought AVG Antivirus Program a Month ago and Tuesday 03.07.2018 a pop up came from them that i have 14 Malware Infected on my New Home PC and i can have it removed by Subscribing to AVG Antivirus for $ 39,00. i find it strange that i paid them for the Antivirus and was under the impression that it covers your Computer against Malware but why should i pay them again to remove the Malware. Any idea.
Thank you in advance. I will share your Site once back Home as our Work Firewall stops me from sharing.
Regards
Anton
That’s very odd, Anton. It sounds to me like the AVG software you purchased is actually a fake knockoff. The real AVG Antivirus would never force you to pay to remove the viruses it detected. Even the free version will remove detected viruses for free so there’s no way the paid version would fail to do the same after you have purchased it.
I recommend that you make sure you purchased AVG from their official website (link below). If not, remove the fake AVG from your PC and install it from this site:
https://www.avg.com
Dear Rick Thanks for info on removing viruses etc, and your endorsement of Avast. While not disagreeing with you, I’d like to tell you of my experience (June 2018). After using ‘Avast free’ on my xp computer (yes, I am one of the many who use it still) for several years my registration ended and I was encouraged by Avast to upgrade to a paid for version. I was happy to do this, and went about doing this in the way Avast suggested. By the way Avast’s web advertising says it is compatible with xp. As required, I sought to uninstall the free version via Safe Mode. As soon as I did this my computer refused to work, and would no longer boot to the desktop, or allow me to move past, or make entries on the black screens which allow you to go to ‘last system that worked’ or enter Safe Mode, etc. I was able to enter the blue BIOS screen where many entries had been altered or ‘disabled’. Looking on the web I find that I am not alone in this happening when people try to uninstall Avast. Having contacted Avast they tell me now that they no longer support xp, due to the machines not having, and requiring SSE2. I don’t know what this is, or whether I can get it to correct matters. After three weeks of scouring the net I have been able to get my computer going again. I still have my non working ‘free Avast’ on it, but I am frightened to try and remove it again. I like Avast and would like to use it again. Now that my computer is working again, I luckily came across your site in order to try to eliminate any or all viruses I may have. I know that to many xp is very old but I hope my experience may be helpful to you and others. Cheers……Frank
Hi Frank. Thanks for sharing your story with us. This happens to other users as well so you are not alone. And it isn’t limited to just Avast Antivirus.
I don’t recommend the use of Windows XP for anything that involves the use of sensitive information because XP’s security holes cannot be patched by antivirus software.
New security holes that aren’t actually malware related are discovered all the time by hackers and those holes go unpatched because Microsoft no longer supports XP (or Vista either for that matter) with security updates.
As a result, even if your antivirus software works flawlessly the data stored on your Windows XP/Vista computer will still be quite insecure due to XP/Vista’s inherent security flaws.
Great info Rick! Just a note about IE… I agree that it seldom needs to be used these days, but some government entities will not allow you to input on their websites UNLESS you use IE. Specific example is California Dept. of Insurance. So, alas, some of us MUST keep IE around…
Keep up the great work.
I honestly didn’t know that some government websites require the use of I.E. That’s totally mind-blowing! Thanks for sharing that info with us. And thanks for the kind words!
Such helpful information! Thanks so much, Rick. I have the licensed version of Kaspersky and I wonder often if I need to run programs like Superantispyware or Malwarebytes. I would logically think, not. But every time I run Super… it comes up with things – not major stuff mind you – but anyway, do I even need to bother with anything else – ever? BTW, I’m often struck with the irony of using a virus protection made in Russia!
Cheryl, I do recommend running occasional scans with Malwarebytes because it always seems to catch as few things the others miss. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of Kasperky, but it should be fine with Malwarebytes running shotgun.