Understanding and Tackling Computer Viruses

Read More About Spyware and Viruses

A computer virus is a program that attaches itself to the operating system of a computer. The codes in the program then take control of the operating system and tell it what to do. While harmful viruses can command your computer to delete important files or even stop it from functioning correctly, other viruses are simply irritants and do not damage the functioning of your machine.

You can get a computer virus when you surf the Internet, open email attachments or use a compromised external disk. Most viruses however are spread via emails. Your computer can get infected just by reading an email - there are certain strains of viruses that do not require you to even open the email attachment.

Another way to contract a virus infection is through contact with other computers, just as people get infected by each other. A computer virus infection can easily spread from one infected computer to another through downloading of files from the Internet, email attachments or infected external data.

Usually when your PC has a virus, the offender will lie dormant until the program that contains the virus is activated. For example if you download a program from the Internet which is infected, the virus will start attacking your computer only after the downloaded program is run by you.

Now that the nature of computer viruses is understood, the following tips will help you tackle virus removal from your PC.

Know when you’ve been hit

Even for inexperienced PC users, the signs of malware make are evident. These include your computer running slowly, taking you to web pages you did not ask for or pop ups appearing even when you are not connected to the Internet. Keep a careful eye open for any signs such as these and take immediate steps to fix the problem.

Anti-virus software is crucial

Antivirus software is the first course of action and a reputable one will remove most of the current malware out there. Make sure that the software scans each and every file on your system and registry. PC users need to be aware however that this is not guaranteed to detect and remove all malware types.

System Restore can be the culprit

Some viruses can hide and re-appear when you restore your system to a previous date, even though they were recently removed. Ensure you disable the System Restore function by going into My Computer and disabling it for all drives on your PC when performing an anti-virus health check.

Better Safe Mode than sorry

Viruses are easiest to remove when dormant. There is also the case that some viruses may not be detected, or may be only partially removed, if the system is not booted into Safe Mode for the scan. Safe mode when loading your PC prevents non-essential services and programs, including most malware, from activating at startup. To use Safe Mode, simply tap the F8 key as the system boots up.

Be prepared with a current virus recovery CD

Safe mode scanning isn’t always guaranteed to work, since some malware hooks into winlogin, meaning it’s already loaded and active as soon as you access your operating system. Other malware will register as the file handler for a particular file type so that any time a certain file type is loaded, the virus is launched first. The best bet to nip these types of infectors in the bud is to keep an up-to-date virus recovery CD on hand with added removal tools. Bootable Rescue CD’s can work wonders since malware often leaves an infected system unstable, or even unable to boot into the operating system. This type of solution will enable you to boot, scan, and repair the infected computer.

Reboot and restore

Once your virus scan has been completed and the malware deleted, switch off your PC and reboot it normally. You can now re-activate your System Restore function.

The above information should help you remove virus infection from your PC. There are times however when a particularly nasty malware just won’t go away. If this is the case, it’s advisable to take on an expert in IT support who can ensure your computer is free from unauthorised infiltrations.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Michael Preston – IT Consultant and expert in virus removal.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Spyware and Viruses Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Computers | Spyware And Viruses

Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap

New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service