HELP!
Virus Removal
Getting a virus can be a scary thing that leaves you feeling helpless but there is hope and most problems can be corrected with "over the counter" software.
My Top 3 Picks for Virus Removal
The programs below are all free and work well at removing stubborn viruses. They should be downloaded onto a clean non-infected computer and then burned to a CD or saved to a USB drive. If possible these should be used in this order and installed in safe mode (if you do not know how to boot into safe mode click here for a short tutorial).Make sure you get the most up-to-date versions of these.
Virus Prevention
Anyone on the Internet needs a good real time anti-virus program. Although there is no replacement for caution and common sense, there are several good free and paid anti-virus programs available.
Free Anti-virus Programs
- Microsoft Security Essentials - Easy to use and offers a good level of protection.
- Panda Cloud Anti-virus - Great for older computers. It requires very little power to run and is updated very often. It does require you to register the program in order to use it but registration is free.
- AVG Free - A well loved classic that includes anti-virus and anti-spyware in one package.
- Avast - Good level of protection although the interface is ugly.
Paid Anti-virus Programs
- Norton Anti-virus- This used to be a over blown program that would slow your computer to a crawl but since 2009 they have completely redesigned it to be one of the best paid anti-virus programs available.
- Avira - One of the best anti-virus programs available hands down.
Final Thoughts on Viruses
Viruses are a major pain for those of us who use Windows and that isn't going to change anytime soon. If you are removing viruses from your system make sure you have your computer unplugged from the Internet and all of your virus removal programs are up-to-date. If you are downloading Spybot S&D make sure you download both the program and the definition update package. Also make sure you download the programs from the correct websites. There are many malicious web sites that pose as virus removal software. Finally, be patient. Let all of the programs run all the way through. Do Not continue using a computer with viruses on it until you have corrected the problem. If you are not comfortable removing the issues on your own, take your system to a trusted computer repair shop. (if you are in the Lagrange, GA area may I suggest Cheap Geek PC?)