Microsoft Windows Troubleshooting Guide
- Introduction
- Malware Removal
- Fixing Networking Problems
- Repairing a System that Won't Boot
- Optimizing Windows
What is Malware
Malware is short for "Malicious Software" and defines any software that either harms your computer, gathers data to send out to others, or bombards your desktop with Ads or other "annoying items". These "infections" range greatly from basic Ads to full fledge Viruses that destroy files on some computers. To make the subject of Malware even more complex, most Antivirus Software packages do not provide protection to Adware/Fraudware infections, I guess they think it is another revenue stream to push more expensive protection products.
Anyway, I am going to seperate these into 2 categories, Viruses and Other than Viruses, which include Trojans, Adware, Fraudware, etc. Viruses are more damaging to the system and are harder to get rid of and take the most time to scan for. Fortunately, most infections nowadays are not viruses, but are Adware/Fraudware, etc. I guess criminals nowadays like to make money more than being Vandals :-)
Prepping the System
Before I show you how to scan your system for Malware, I am going to show you a software program that will clear out various Temporary Files that are created on your computer during use. Removing these temporary files will greatly reduce your scan times, and occasionally will fix your Malware problems by simply removing the temporary files.
CCleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com/download
From the CCleaner Website - "CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)"
To install CCleaner, simply download the installation file from the link above and select "Run" once it is downloaded. This will install the application onto your system, if for any reason (viruses, system errors, etc) you cannot install it onto your system, there is a USB Drive version of CCleaner available at http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds/downloading-portable, although you will probably have to use another computer to install it onto a USB Stick.
Running CCleaner to clean up Temporary Files
To run CCleaner, simply launch the application and ensure it is in "Cleaner Mode" (the tabs on the left), then simply click on "Run Cleaner" at the bottom right. This will scan your computer for Temporary Files and remove them. If your system is infected through temporary files, it may ask you to restart your computer after it is finished. Once the application is finished, you can move onto scanning the computer for Adware/Fraudware.
Note: If you want to script cleaning the system with CCleaner, you can automatically run a system cleanse with:
C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe /Auto
