If your PC is running slow, you are getting countless pop-ups and you are noticing some weird issues? Is so, your computer may be infected with a virus, spyware or other malware. Even if you have antivirus software installed and running on your PC. Even though, some hardware issues can produce similar symptoms, it is still an advice to check computer for viruses or malware. You don’t have to call tech support to have the PC checked. I’ll cover the easy steps on how to in this post.
Step 1: Enter Safe Mode
disconnect and Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet. don’t use it until you are ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or sending your private data to intruder.
If you think your PC may have a malware , boot your PC into Safe Mode. In this mode, only the minimum required programs and services are loaded. If any malware is set to load automatically in Windows start up, entering in safe mode will prevent it.
Step 2: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you are in Safe Mode, you want to run a virus scan or scanner application. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this will speed up the virus scanning process, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware / spyware. To use the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows, Click on windows icon on keyboard and R ( 
+ R) and type in command: cleanmgr . This will open windows disk cleanup tool. Mark all the check boxes and click ok, when primped “are you sure you want to permanently delete these files”, click “Delete files”.
Step 3: Download Malware Scanners
Now you’re ready to have a malware scanner do it’s work and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. even If you already had an antivirus program on your PC, you should use a different scanners since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware.
There are two types of antivirus programs. You’re probably more familiar with real-time antivirus programs, which constantly watch for malware. Another type is on-demand scanners, which search for malware when you manually run a scan. You should have only one real-time antivirus program installed at a time, but you can keep a few on-demand scanners on PC.
If you think your PC is infected, I recommend using an on-demand scanner first and then following up with a full scan by your real-time antivirus program. Among the free (and high-quality) on-demand scanners available are:
1. AdwCleaner ( Download HERE )
AdwCleaner is a program that searches for and deletes Adware, Toolbars, Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP), and browser Hijackers from your computer. By using AdwCleaner you can easily remove many of these types of programs for a better user experience on your computer and while browsing the web. The types of programs that AdwCleaner targets are typically bundled with free programs that you download from the web. In many cases when you download and install a program, the install will state that these programs will be installed along with the program you downloaded. Unless you perform a Custom install, these unwanted programs will automatically be installed on your computer leaving you with extra browser toolbars, adware, and other unwanted programs. AdwCleaner is designed to search for and remove these types of programs.
AdwCleaner Usage Instructions:
Using AdwCleaner is very simple. Simply download the program and run it. You will then be presented with a screen that contains a Scan and Clean button. The Scan button will cause AdwCleaner to search your computer for unwanted programs and then display all the files, folders, and registry entries found on your computer that are used by adware programs.
When the scan has finished, look through the scan results and uncheck any entries that you do not wish to remove. When you are satisfied with the selection, simply click on the Clean button, which will cause AdwCleaner to reboot your computer and remove the files and registry entries associated with the various adware that you are removing. On reboot, AdwCleaner will display a log showing the files, folders, and registry entries that were removed.
2. TDSSKiller ( download HERE )
TDSSKiller is a utility created by Kaspersky Labs that is designed to remove the TDSS rootkit. This rootkit is know under other names such as Rootkit.Win32.TDSS, Tidserv, TDSServ, and Alureon. TDSSKiller will also attempt to remove other rootkits such as the ZeroAccess or ZeroAccess rootkit if it is detected.
A rootkit is a malware program that is designed to hide itself or other computer infections on your computer. These types of programs are typically harder to remove than generic malware, which is the reason that stand-alone utilities such as TDSSKiller have been developed.
Usage Instructions
TDSSKiller can be downloaded as an EXE or a ZIP file that contains the executable. When using the program, it is easier to download the EXE directly and only download the ZIP file if your computer software or Internet connection does not allow the direct download of executables.
It is important to note that many rootkits target the name of the TDSSKiller executable so that it is terminated when you attempt to run it. Therefore, after downloading or extracting the executable you should rename it to iexplore.exe so that it can more easily bypass any protection routines a particular rootkit may use.
3. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Download HERE)
Malwarebytes’ is an important security program for any computer user to have installed on their computer. It is light-weight, fast, and best of all, excellent at removing the latest infections that may be in the wild. Malwarebytes’ is updated numerous times throughout the day, which allows you to stay protected from threats as they come out. One of the best parts of the program is that not only will it scan your computer free, but it will also remove any malware it finds at no cost to you either.
If you want to increase your protection from new viruses, then you can pay to activate the program to enable real-time protection and other features. The real-time protection module will block infections as they are created or run from your computer. The real-time protection module will also block access to know malware distribution sites in order to protect you from web sites that may be trying to redirect you to known malware sites. Last, but not least, the paid version will also allow you to schedule when you want the program to update its definitions. This will enable you to have the latest updates available whenever you scan your computer with program.
Regardless of whether or not you pay to activate Malwarebytes, I suggest that you install this program on your computer and perform a routine scan with it at least once a week. This will assure you that your computer is being secured from some the newest infections out there.
4. Super AntiSpyWare ( Download HERE )
SUPERAntiSpyware is a free anti-spyware program that offers excellent detections and quick removal of common infections. As malware is constantly evolving and new variants are released, there is not one particular security program that will be able to protect you from all threats. Therefore it is important to have a variety of programs in your security toolbox that you can use to scan your computer for malware and aid you in their removal. SUPERAntiSpyware is definitely one of the programs that you want to have at your disposal.
SUPERAntiSpyware has the ability to detect all types of malware, including Trojans, Backdoors, Worms, Rootkits, and viruses. Though the free edition will remove any infection it finds, it does not offer advanced features such as real-time protection, scheduled scanning, and automatic updates of malware definitions. In order to activate these features, you will need to upgrade to their commercial Professional edition.
Step 5: Install Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware (Download Here)
is a program that protects your computer from file encrypting ransomware programs. This programs quietly sits in the background while analyzing the behaviour of the process threads on the computer. When it notices that a thread is trying to encrypt data on your computer, it will automatically terminate the thread. It is important to note that this program is still currently in a beta stage, which means bugs will occur during its use. Even though the program has been proven to work against almost all ransomware that has been thrown at it including Cryptowall, TeslaCrypt, and CTB-Locker, bugs may occur that allow something to slip through.
Fix Your Web Browser
Malware infections can damage Windows system files and other settings. One common malware trait is to modify your Web browser’s homepage and/or connection settings to reinfect the PC, display advertisements, prevent browsing, and generally annoy you.
Before launching your Web browser, check your homepage and connection settings. In Internet Explorer, click Start, Control Panel, and open Internet Options. Find the Home Page settings, and verify that it’s not some site you know nothing about.
Make sure that your home page settings are correct before launching Internet Explorer.
Next, select the Connections tab and click the LAN settings button. You’ll probably want to select Automatically detect settings next.(make sure proxy server is not checked)
How to remove toolbars from Internet Explorer
1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click the cog wheel at the top right and select ‘Manage add-ons’.
3. The Toolbars and Extensions tab is open by default so locate the Toolbar you want to delete and click on the trash icon.
How to remove toolbars from Mozilla Firefox
1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
2. Open the menu bar and select Add-ons.
3. Browse or search the Extensions and Plugin lists for any unwanted toolbars.
4. Remove or disable any unwanted toolbars.
How to remove toolbars from Google Chrome
1. Open Chrome.
2. In Chrome you’ll find what looks like a spanner or three horizontal bars in the top right-hand corner of your browser window. Click on this icon and select ‘settings’.
3. Click on Extensions.
4. Disable or completely delete the unwanted toolbars.
Your PC should now be free of malware.
Svanews 