Computer Slow?

Part 2

This the second part of how to remove Viruses, Trojans and Spyware from your own computer

for part 1 click here

3. The next two parts of the process use on-line scanners. First go to http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm in the centre of the page there is a button 'full service scan' click on it

If your running Windows Vista you'll get this box, click 'launch full scan for Vista'

If your running Windows XP you'll get this screen, click accept

Whichever operating system you have click 'install now'

If this happens you'll need to click on the yellow bar and select 'Install this add-on for all users of this computer

 

Click on 'Install'

Click on 'Launch scanner', if you do not get a popup window your Internet Explorer may be blocking pop-ups. You need to stop this happening, at least temporally. On Internet Explorer click on tools > Pop-up Blocker > turn off Pop-up Blocker. Click on Full service scan again and you should get this window popping up

Make sure complete scan is checked then press next

The necessary files are then downloaded from the Microsoft site, this can take a while

As it says this could, and usually does take a few hours to complete, so once its started you can go and do something else. But leave the computer alone to do its scanning

Finally the results, click next

all fixed, click the second option 'not yet, I'm not ready to be protected with onecare

Click next

Click done, and that's scan three completed. Not long to go now, just one more scan

 

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4. For the final scan, and I strongly recommend you do all the scan listed here, we're going to esest.com home of NOD32 click on this link > www.eset.com look down the right hand side and click on 'online scanner'

Click the 'ESET online scanner' button

Check the box 'YES, I accept the terms of use' then click the start button

You may get this screen warning about the website trying to install an add-on, let it...

Click on the yellow bar and choose the top option, to install

Click Install

Check the box 'scan achives' then click on advanced settings and check the box 'scan for potentially unsafe applications' then press the start button

Now the program downloads the latest virus database

The program now begins to scan your computer - as before this can take quite a while, so if you have something else to do...

Nothing was found here, so I check the uninstall on close box and press the finish button, then close the window by clicking on the cross in the top right hand corner.

That completes our virus scans. You can uninstall the programs we have used here if you wish. I would recommend that you do, if you need to run the scans on another occasion you should install a fresh new copy, there may well be some important updates in the mean time. Your computer should now be free of most if not all the infections it had. Having cleaned your computer you should now delete all of your restore points so as not to re-infect from a stored virus. To do this turn off system restore, reboot, then turn system restore back on. Then do a disk clean up (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup) of you C drive, when that's complete (it may take some time) do a defragment of your Hard Drive (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter) this also may take some time. But it will be worth the time taken, you will have a faster slicker computer. Now try and keep it like that.

One thing you can do to help keep your computer clean is to add a HOSTS file to it. This is basically a list of potentially bad or harmful websites. Your browser (Internet Explorer for example) then blocks these sites from displaying there wares on your computer. You can read more about downloading and installing here I've used one for years