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 (click the text link below the red button to download the free version). Run a full scan and remove any malware that it finds.
6 – Download and install the free Sophos Virus 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.