How To Remove Viruses From A Computer

Naturally, the best way to make sure that viruses are not on your computer is to never let them get access in the first place by having a solid firewall in place and a frequently-updated anti-virus program in place. Also, common sense can be your best friend: if some window pops up and asks you to download something to protect your computer, chances are it wants to do just the opposite.

If you have a Mac, common knowledge is that it is essentially impossible to get a virus on your machine. Still, if by chance something foreign makes its way into your computer, start by going to the Apple Menu and select System Preferences. Click on Accounts, and select your account. Examine the list of Login Items, and you should find any unwelcome processes listed there. Simply move them to the Trash, Empty the Trash, and you should be safe again.

For PC users, viruses are a bit more commonplace, so having something on hand to help weed out viruses is a bit more necessary. There are a number of free programs that will scan your computer and sniff out anything that doesn’t belong. However, there are also steps that you can take on your own that will help make sure that the program is able to function at its highest capability, and that you can see for yourself if there is a virus trying to harm your computer.

  1. As soon as your computer starts up, press the F8 key, and when prompted, indicate your hard drive, and continue pressing F8. Use the arrow key to select Safe Mode with Networking and press Enter.
  2. Once in Safe Mode, go to your Control Panel, find Internet Options, on the General tab, click Settings, then View Objects and delete them all.
  3. To clean your temp folder, open My Computer, and double click Local Disk (C:) then Documents and Settings, and then whatever your account name is.
  4. On that window’s menu at the top, go to Tools, then Folder Options, and select the View tab. Click “Show hidden files and folders” and uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types” and click OK.
  5. On completing step 4, you should see a folder called “Local Settings.” Open it, right-click on the “Temp” folder, and select Delete.
  6. Repeat for any other accounts on your computer, and when done, empty the trash.
  7. Download and run a program to remove viruses and spyware. There are a number of free programs available that will help clean out any unwanted viruses or malware from your machine.
  8. When finished, re-start your computer, and update your anti-virus program. If you don’t have an anti-virus program installed, immediately download and install one.
  9. Once you’ve updated or installed an anti-virus program, re-start your computer once more, just for good measure. It can’t hurt.

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