How to Remove Malware and Spyware From a Computer

What is Spyware/Malware?

Spyware collects your personal information without your knowledge. This can be the websites you visit to more serious concerns like passwords and usernames you enter. It can also affect your computers performance as it uses vital resources and a heavy infection can pretty much bring your computer to a standstill. Malware is software that is designed to gain unauthorised access to your computer. Some of the nastier bits of software can open up your computer for nastier viruses or hijack your internet browser and inundate you with pop ups of false security software and cleaners

Getting Rid of it

Although there are lots of tools out there I think that there is one tool that stands head and shoulders above every other and is the first tool I turn to and that is malwarebytes.

Links to both these free versions of this software can be found at the end of the article.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM) is a computer application that finds and removes malware. Made by Malwarebytes Corporation, it was released in January 2008. It is available in a free version, which scans for and removes malware when started manually, and a paid version, which provides scheduled scans, real-time protection and a flash memory scanner.

Instructions

1. Download from the above link and double click the saved file to start the install. Follow the on screen instructions.

2. After install has finished you will be presented with a final screen. Ensure both boxes are ticked and press finish.

3. The program will now get the latest definitions (Like anti-virus software)

4. At the next window press decline on the pop up as we only want the free version

5. Select perform full scan and press Scan. Scanning can take up to 2 hours on a heavily infected machine and the program uses a lot of resources so it is recommended not to use the computer while the scan is running to avoid freezes.

6. Once the scan is finished if you have any infections you will be presented with a screen saying the scan has completed. Press Ok then press show results.

7. This page shows you the infections this could be anywhere from one or two to 1000s

8. Next press remove selected and the program will begin removing the infection from the computer. When the removal has finished you will more than likely be presented with the following screen and a log file. Restart your computer and the infections should be removed on restart.

Super Spy antiSpyware is another tool that is very helpful in the fight against spyware. It has good detection rates and is easy to install. As with a lot of free programs they do have a paid for version that offers additional features.

Instructions

1. Download the program from the above link and install. During install ensure you dont install the toolbar. Double click the icon on your desktop to open.

2. Select "complete scan" and press "Scan your computer"

3. Select the drives you wish to scan on the right hand side (normally automatically selected) and leave all other settings at their default and press Start complete scan

4. The scan will start and you will see statistics of the file it has scanned and any threats it has already detected. Once the scan is complete and you are presented with a new screen press continue.

5. The next screen gives you a list of the threats detected. Press remove threats to remove the detected threats

6. In most cases you will be asked to reboot the computer to completely get rid of the infections. Press reboot.

Links
Malwarebytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Super Antispyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/

For a version of this tutorial with screenshots please visit our site at http://www.computerlearnhow.com/

For more tutorials, guides, how tos and much more visit us at http://www.computerlearnhow.com/

View the original article here

How to Remove Win32 Heur Virus From Your Computer

This article describes the procedure for removing Win32 heur virus. The methods compiled here are reliable and correct to date for Win32 virus removal. It is, however, recommended that these should be implemented carefully to avoid running into problems. You may also at the same time use a online virus removal support service to get an expert to remove the Win32 heur virus for you.

Win32 heur virus is a malicious Trojan virus program that targets Windows operating systems. When installed, the virus hijacks a computer and modifies its configurations by flooding it with harmful file sharing programs, multimedia files, phishing emails, and spyware among other malicious programs. It also disables antivirus or anti-spyware among other security programs and redirects the internet browser to only adult websites. Since it can be difficult to perform Win32 heur virus removal, we have designed a comprehensive guide that will help you remove it. See below for details:

Instructions:

Launch Task Manager by right clicking anywhere on the taskbar and making the selection. Alternatively, you can press Alt, Ctrl, and Delete keys together on the keyboard to launch the utility. Click to highlight the Processes tab, locate win32/heur.exe process, select it, and press the End Process button. It will prevent the malicious process from running in the background. Exit Task Manager.

If you are not able to kill the malicious process using Task Manager, download RKill from its official website. Save the downloaded file and extract its contents. Thereafter open the setup file and install the tool. Wait for the installation to complete. When done, open the Rkill tool, select the desired process, and end it. Exit all the windows.

Click on the Start button and browse to Control Panel and then Add or Remove Programs. Wait for the window to populate with programs. When done, search for win32 heur or win32/heur program. If it is there, select it and then hit the Change/Remove button. Confirm the virus removal. Do not reboot your computer.

Disable System Restore. Click on the Start button, right click on the My Computer and choose Properties from the drop-down options. Click to highlight System Restore and then select Turn off System Restore. Press the Apply button or else the OK button to apply the changes. Confirm the changes and reboot your computer. Create a new system restore point in the later steps when modifying the registry.

Click on Start and navigate to My Computer> C: drive> Program Files> Temp. Search the folder carefully for the files by the names file.exe, services.exe, winlogon.exe, iapro.exe, iv.exe, setup[1].exe, install[1].exe, IAvir.exe, IAInstall[1].exe, IApro1.exe, sample.bin-1, InternetAntivirusPro.exe, AntivirusPro.exe, AntivirusProInstaller_101[1].exe, and antiviruspro[1].exe. Delete any or all the files by these names from the Temp folder. You must also scan other folders in Program Files or other locations in your computer for these files.

Now go to your standard user profile in C: drive> Documents and Settings> your user profile> Application Data. Scan the Application Data folder for the above mentioned files and delete them. Move to the Temp sub-folder in the Local Settings folder under your user profile and repeat the procedure. You must also look for these files in other locations including drives in your computer. It will take some time but it will be worth to perform a complete virus removal. Exit all the windows.

It's time for registry modification which is a little bit risky procedure. Click on the Start button and browse to Run. Type 'regedit' (without quotes and as it is) in the empty field and hit Enter. It will bring up Windows Registry Editor. Windows 7 and Vista users may be prompted to enter the admin password to proceed to Registry Editor. Enter the password to continue to the application.

Once in Registry Editor, take a backup of your registry before proceeding with the deletion of infected registry entries. You can either create a system restore point or use the inbuilt Import and Export utility to do so. When done backing up the registry, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE> Software> Win32/heur. Delete the Win32/heur entry under Software. You must also scan the entire registry for Win32/heur entries and delete them.

When finished, exit Registry Editor. Connect to the internet and download the latest version of either Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware or Spybot Search and Destroy. Save the file and run installation. When done, open the program, update it, and then run a full system (not custom) scan. Wait for the scan to complete. When done, prompt the program to remove the infections found during scanning. Exit the window.

Launch your antivirus or anti-spyware software and update it. When done, run a full system scan and repeat the above mentioned step. Exit all the windows and reboot your computer. The Windows will load normally. Congratulations you have successfully performed Win32 heur virus removal on your personal computer.

Additional Tips:

If you are unable to launch Task Manager or go online to download any program or access any application on your computer, reboot your computer in Safe Mode with Networking.

You can use the Windows Search utility to search for the virus files (see above) in all the folders and locations in your computer. For example, you want to search the Temp folder for such file names, simply press the Ctrl and F keys together on the keyboard to bring up the Search utility and type its name (for example, winlogon.exe) in the box and hit Enter. The tool will automatically search for winlogon.exe in that particular location and display it, saving you enormous time and making the deletion easy.

You will need to have admin rights to make some of the above mentioned changes to your computer. For example, you will be required to log on as an admin to remove infected files from the Temp folder under Program Files. Take help of an expert virus removal support service if the above mentioned procedure seems to be beyond your skills.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. if you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for online virus removal, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based online technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. V tech-squad provides support to users for issues with their PCs, Mac's, Tablets, Phones such as iPhone and Blackberry and devices such as MP3 players, Printers, Scanners, Fax, Wireless networking gear, Netflix, Roku boxes and TVs. With an obsessive focus on quality and building technical expertise, V tech-squad continues to maintain an issue resolution rate of more than 90%. V tech-squad's credibility has been tested by more than 10,000 customers. Currently V tech-squad provides support services to consumers and small businesses in United States. For more information on V tech-squad, Inc. visit vtechsquad.com

View the original article here

How to Remove a Virus on a Frozen Computer

The article describes the procedure for removing a virus on a frozen computer. The methods described here are reliable and correct to date. However, we recommend you to follow them carefully to avoid running into problems. Alternatively, you can go for a professional online virus removal support service. It will save your precious time and money that could be spent lugging your computer to a repair shop or calling a technician at home.

Virus infections and the harms done by them are a reality today. It is also a reality that you can deal with them using a malware removal tool. However, what would you do if your computer doesn't respond at all to your commands, making you unable to connect to the internet or access any application? You simply cannot do anything on a frozen computer. Feeling depressed? Don't worry. There is a solution to your problem. The below mentioned guide will tell you the ways to defreeze your computer to eliminate the virus.

Instructions:

Press Alt, Ctrl, and Delete keys together to bring up the Windows Security window. Press the Shut Down button to let your computer start shutting down. When done, restart it. Instead of shut down, you can also simply choose the Restart option from the drop-down list on the Windows Security dialog box. Once the computer has rebooted showing up all the icons on the desktop, open your antivirus program. Hit the Update button to update the program with latest virus and malware definitions.

When done, run a full system scan (recommended) to search through all the directories and drives in your computer. If you run a custom scan (not recommended), it will only search the locations selected by you and not the entire computer. It is possible that the virus is hiding in different locations which you haven't chosen to scan. It will not remove the virus fully which can re-execute itself from there. When scanning is finished, prompt your program to delete the infections.

Thereafter, download and install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware from its official website. Save the downloaded file and unzip its contents to another file provided that it is zipped one. Run the setup file and complete installation of the program. When done, open Anti-Malware and update it. Wait until updating finishes. When done, run a full scan as mentioned above and then prompt the tool to delete the virus infection.

If the Alt + Ctrl + Delete method doesn't work for you and the computer remains frozen, force it to shut down by pressing the power button off. Let it remain powered off for some time like 5-10 minutes. Now power it on and while it starts rebooting but before the Windows logo appears, start tapping the F8 key to boot it into the Safe Mode with Networking. Use the Down arrow key to make the selection. When done, repeat the abovementioned procedure to eliminate the virus from your computer. You can also manually remove the infection; however, it is a risky and lengthy procedure as it involves deleting virus files from the root directories and modifying registry. You must rather contact an online virus removal support service before taking the risk on your own.

If this method also doesn't work, exercise this one. If you have another computer which is virus free at your home, use it to download Malwarebytes' Anti-malware. You can also use your friend's computer to do so. Save the copy to a flash drive or a CD whichever your infected computer supports. While this procedure is being performed, power off your infected computer. When done, plug the media to the port of your computer (infected) and choose to boot it from. Follow the on-screen instructions and repeat the process of using Malwarebytes to clean your machine. When finished, save the copy of Malwarebytes on your computer and take the media out.

Additional Tips:

We haven't explained the manual virus removal procedure here. It is well explained in the article why the procedure was not included here. If you want the painless and hassle-free treatment for virus removal, contact an online virus removal support.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. if you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for online virus removal support, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based online technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. V tech-squad provides support to users for issues with their PCs, Mac's, Tablets, Phones such as iPhone and Blackberry and devices such as MP3 players, Printers, Scanners, Fax, Wireless networking gear, Netflix, Roku boxes and TVs. With an obsessive focus on quality and building technical expertise, V tech-squad continues to maintain an issue resolution rate of more than 90%. V tech-squad's credibility has been tested by more than 10,000 customers. Currently V tech-squad provides support services to consumers and small businesses in United States. For more information on V tech-squad, Inc. visit vtechsquad.com

View the original article here

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2012 Review

Trend Micro Titanium is an antivirus program that protects your PC from malware threats like viruses, spyware, worms and Trojans. It is equipped with tools to protect it from fake antivirus software and this includes protection on a Macintosh too.

Trend Micro is rich in features and they include tools to protect you on social network sites, in e-mail contacts, whilst chatting and your entire network. And their customer team is always on hand to help you customise and use the software effectively.

Some of the most prominent features in the software include:
anti-malware protectionanti-spyware protectionanti-Trojan protectionoutbound e-mail protectionand on demand scanning

Trend Micro Titanium is an average security product and the new 2012 version has been tested and approved by many of the leading test labs. AV-Test has certified Trend Micro and has scored it relatively well in protection and usability on Windows 7 and XP.

But it has also been left out of many tests and no scores are shown for Virus Bulletin, ICSA and West Coast Labs tests. This is disappointing and is one of the reasons the software has been lagging in rankings. At Top 10 Reviews, for example, it has taken 13th position out of 20 and has been beaten by other average performing programs like G-Data.

There are pros and cons associated with Trend Micro 2012 and we've included the major ones below:

Pros

1. It has an anti-phishing tool that protects you from phishing websites and e-mails sent by criminals looking to steal your money and personal details.

2. Trend Micro 2012 has a small code footprint because it leverages the cloud.

3. It is very easy to use and configure to your specific needs.

4. It uses traditional signature-based security and real-time protection to protect from new and harmful threats.

5. It has a good customer team always on hand to help you with your software

Cons

1. Trend Micro is missing some important features like a bootable rescue CD, a gaming mode and a laptop/net book mode.

2. It has performed below many other programs in the repair test on Windows 7.

Summary

Overall, Trend Micro is a half decent program and has many of the tools that you need to protect your PC. Its foray into cloud security is impressive and has some of the best features and is easy to use. For internet security protection, we recommend you download their full internet security software package which includes more protection features including a firewall.

At Best Buy Antivirus, we feature the best antivirus software programs to help you easily choose the best one for your PC. We have the full Trend Micro review that helps you learn more about its features.

View the original article here

How To Identify Fake Anti-Virus Software

Today, people from all over the world are doing whatever they can to keep their computers virus free. People are becoming more, and more educated on ways to avoid accidentally downloading a virus that can wreck havoc on their computer. Spam email use to just be a nuisance as it filled up your inbox, but now more often than not a spam email can contain unwanted virus software that may be difficult to get rid of once your computer is infected with it. Although these problems can be bothersome, they are easy to avoid by applying some restraint in not opening unfamiliar emails, and using some common sense. Unfortunately, there is a menace that some people are not even aware of when it comes to computer viruses - fake anti-virus software.

Although identifying fake software can be tricky, it is still possible to identify potentially problematic programs. Here are some important things to keep in mind when dealing with anti-virus software that could be a fake:

Fake anti-virus software will usually have an unusual pop-up window This pop-up window will usually be informing you that it is scanning your computer for viruses. It will then ask you to confirm that you want to get rid of these "viruses". The catch is that you have to "upgrade" the fake software in order to get the version needed to get rid of the reported threat to your computer.
Fake anti-virus software will also make it very difficult to close down If you are finding that it is nearly impossible to close the new pop-up windows for the software, chances are that the program is probably a fake. Real software may have a small pop-up window appear, but these windows are usually off to the side, and you will still have the ability to close them without disrupting your normal internet usage.
Real anti-virus software gives you ways to contact customer service Since the company that is behind the fake software does not want an easy way for you to track where the software came from, usually a fake anti-virus software will have virtually no way to contact the company. Or, if you send the company a message, you don't hear back from them. Before you download a program from a website, make sure that you have a way to get in contact with the company in case you need assistance with the removal of the program.

While there are many reputable anti-virus software companies on the market, unfortunately there are many dubious companies as well. Be sure to back up your files before downloading software from an unknown source. If you think you may have been infected with a virus, you can do a search online with the name of the software, and check to see if someone else has encountered the same problem. If so, continue to search until you find someone that was able to find a way to disable, and delete the fake anti-virus software.

I am the owner of a computer repair business that has serviced the people of the Dallas / Fort Worth, TX area for over 5 years. My company specializes in servicing individuals and small businesses who have computer repair, and computer network setup needs. I am also a virus removal expert (VRE). My website, DFWGeekOnTheGo.com has received the Angie's List Super Service Award, and a rating of six diamonds from The Underground Shopper, a company that focuses on saving shoppers money, which has been featured on CNN.

View the original article here

Avoiding Virus Threats With Online Computer Repair

Computers today are the backbone of the economy; no one can do without one. The internet and its popularity have grown leaps and bounds in the last ten years. Every single day sees the birth of thousands of new websites and new content. This has begun a new era of the online digital age and also a new era in online computer repair. With the ever rising growth of the internet, a need for protection from unknown content has tremendously increased. This includes protection from viruses and untrustworthy content from websites that can infect computer systems. Online protection from spyware, viruses and malware are some of the few services offered by computer repair services.

This kind of service helps people to avoid taking their systems to stores and then waiting for it to be repaired. The cost of online computer repair is comparatively less and moreover it saves time and energy. With the help of a remote tech support, the customer service agent can help understand the problem. Be it virus removal or computer diagnostics. Online repairs work with great efficiency. The customer service that they provide is exceptional. This really shows in the way they tackle every issue, with an equal perspective.

Viruses manifest themselves as programs and cripple the entire computer system. This makes it very important to stay cautious when using the internet. For example, the Trojan horse, it's a program that appears useful. But, when launched the information can't be used. While at the same time this virus is making use of other programs to perform unauthorized functions. A worm is a virus that manifests itself as a program and keeps making copies of self. It uses any means necessary to drive to drive transfer or emails to create multiple copies and this process keeps repeating itself. Other virus types include bootsector virus, macro virus, memory resident viruses, rootkit virus, polymorphic viruses and logic bombs or time bombs viruses. These are some the many examples of viruses that online computer repair can solve but Trojan horse and worm being the most dangerous.

Online computer servicing has come a long way since it began. The amount of experts that these companies employ is huge. These customer service agents are very passionate in helping people repair their computers, along with providing them a solution. It's usually important to check the cause of the problem before getting in touch with an online computer repair service. Usually the problem could be the antivirus being turned off or some other installed software causing a problem. If the problem still persists, it's better to check with the online services to see what's going on. It's hardly a matter of minutes.

Online computer repairs offer a service like no other. They find solutions for most problems that are imaginable today. Once they are done solving the issue, the problem just never comes back. Online repair services also provide their customers with solution so that they may take good care of their machines for the years to come. But, if there is ever any problem they are always around.

Greg C is the author of this article on Online Computer Repair. Find more information, about Computer Diagnostics here

View the original article here

Hackers Causing Train Wrecks - So Much for Government Mandated High Speed Rail?

Do you remember when Y2K came along, and everyone was counting down the New Year's, half expecting all the lights to go out and the power to go off, and utter chaos to ensue throughout our society and civilization? As you know, nothing happened, but in the back of everyone's mind, it was as if they were wondering if the catastrophic failure of our infrastructure and all of our computer networks which run everything would actually collapse. Okay so, let's talk about this for second.

There was an interesting article in Government Executive on January 23, 2012 titled; "Hackers manipulated railway computers, TSA memo says," by Aliya Sternstein.

The article stated; "Hackers, possibly from abroad, executed a targeted attack on a Northwest rail company's computers that disrupted railway signals for two days in December, according to a government memo recapping outreach with the transportation sector during the emergency."

Ouch! Now that's scary indeed, if hackers are able to get into our rail system they could cause trains to derail, collide with one another, and create terrible accidents. As you know chemicals, gases, and other things which are very detrimental for the environment are moved by train. If our rail infrastructure stops, so does the supply line, and whereas there are other distribution and transportation methods, they would be stressed to the maximum, and we'd soon see shortages on the shelves.

Worse, we also know that there are passenger trains, and we are busy trying to figure out how to build high-speed rail throughout our country. It gets rather serious when you have a train moving at over 150 miles an hour, and someone hacks the system, if that's not an action drama genre ready for the big screen, I don't know what would be. Does this mean that all of our new government mandated high-speed rail projects must also come with a cyber defense system? If so, that will raise the cost of such projects to even a greater extent - not to mention insurance - thus, ticket prices too.

We are already worried about the return on investment of public funding for such projects, and this will just add more cost, and vulnerability. That will cause riders to not wish to partake or use high-speed rail because they do not trust it. Without that trust and the ridership, the economies of scale cannot work, and let's not forget government projects like this such as Amtrak have never really made any money anyway.

It appears as if there is a cold war going on behind the scenes between governments and hacker networks. Unfortunately for our infrastructure, and the various targets of cyber hacking, it looks as if the hackers are winning. And whereas corporations, governments, and the military have thousands of hacking attempts per day, with very few ever getting in, the reality is that some are getting through. That's a scary thought if you are going down the track in 150 miles per hour in a high-speed train with your family. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Internet Security. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

View the original article here