Malware or malicious software such as spyware, viruses, and adware can seriously affect your privacy and your PC’s security. These programs are intended to gain access to your computer system and steal sensitive information or damage your files and documents. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when your system is infected, but the following signs should alert you:
Slower-than-usual PC performance
Lots of browser pop-ups
New, unfamiliar icons on your desktop
Getting redirected to strange web pages
Even if you have antivirus software installed, your computer could still be infected with malware. Therefore, if you suspect or are certain that your PC has a malware infection, follow the following steps to remove the malware.
The first step when removing a malware infection is to back up all the important files and data on your computer. Do not backup system files, screensavers or any programs, as they could be infected. You can back up the files and documents on external devices such as DVD/CDs, USB sticks, free cloud storage, or external drives to keep them safe.
You need to disconnect your computer from the Internet in order to prevent the malware from leaking your private data.
Step 3: Restart Your PC in Safe Mode with Networking
To enter safe mode:
Safe mode ensures that only the critical processes boot and prevents malware infections from starting up. If you find your computer running faster in Safe Mode than in normal mode, it could be another sign that it has a malware infection.
Deleting unessential temporary files frees up disk space, speeds up virus scanning, and may also get rid of some malware. You can delete such files by right-clicking on a Windows drive like C:/-> Properties -> Disk Cleanup. Then select the files to remove.
Alternatively, you can type Disk Cleanup in the Startup search box to use the Disk Cleanup utility. Then choose the drive you want to clean up.
To clean up your system, you need to use specialized malware scanners to find and clean the malicious programs. Even if you already have a real-time antivirus program on your PC, you need a different scanner for this task as your antivirus software may have failed to detect the malware. You can run the scan with different on-demand malware scanners in case one program misses something. If you don’t have some malware scanner programs installed on your PC, reconnect your Internet so you can download the program.
There are many great free on-demand malware scanners which you can use. Among them are Malwarebytes, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool, ADWCleaner, and SuperAntiSpyware.
Once you download and install Malwarebytes, disconnect from the internet again before starting the scanning process. Malwarebytes automatically activates a trial of the paid version but reverts to the standard free version after 14 days.
To run a scan, click on the Scan tab and choose the Threat Scan option, then click the Start Scan button. The threat scan can find all infections on your PC and takes anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on your computer. The custom scan, on the other hand, can take 30 to 60 minutes or more.
When the scan is complete, Malwarebytes displays the results and gives you the option to remove the malware found. Malwarebytes may also ask you to restart the computer to complete the removal process. However, if Malwarebytes disappears during the scan, you probably have a deeper infection that kills scanners hence you should consider reinstalling your Windows. You can also try other scanners before taking this decision.
Malware infections damage Windows system files and many other settings. The most common is your web browser settings which malware change to re-infect your PC, prevent browsing, display advertisements, or facilitate other malicious activities. Therefore, you need to review your homepage and connection setting before launching your browser. Go to the settings window of your browser and check your homepage setting to ensure that it’s not altered. If there’s a malicious URL, reset it as you see fit.
Once you remove the malicious programs from your PC, you should take some protective measures to ensure that you don’t get another malware infection. Sometimes it’s hard to know when you have a malware program on your system as some don’t affect things that you can see such as web browser or PC performance. Instead, they collect critical information such as credit card data and passwords. Therefore, you should take stringent measures to prevent malware infections. Some good measures include:
Always have a real-time antivirus program installed on your PC and ensure that it’s always up-to-date
Manage your passwords safely and use a two-factor authentication management system
Keep your Windows and your software up-to-date
Use multiple layers of security
Have a traffic filtering software such as Heimdal Pro
