How to Remove Malware from Your Windows PC
How to Remove Malware from Your Windows PC
Is your computer running slower than usual? Are you getting lots of pop-ups? Have you seen other weird problems crop up? If so, your PC might be infected with a virus, spyware, or other malware–even if you have an antivirus program installed on it. Though other problems, such as hardware issues, can produce similar symptoms, it’s best to check for malware if you aren’t sure. But you don’t necessarily need to call tech support or the geek across the street to scan for malware–I’ll show you how to do it yourself.
Step 1: Enter Safe Mode
Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet, and don’t use it until you’re ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or leaking your private data.
If you think your PC may have a malware infection, boot your PC into Microsoft’s Safe Mode. In this mode, only the minimum required programs and services are loaded. If any malware is set to load automatically when Windows starts, entering in this mode may prevent it from doing so.
To boot into Windows Safe Mode, first shut down your PC. Locate the F8 key on your PC’s keyboard; turn the PC on; and as soon as you see anything on the screen, press the F8 key repeatedly. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu; there, select Safe Mode with Networking and press Enter.
Step 2: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you’re in Safe Mode, you’ll want to run a virus scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware. To use the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows, select Start, All Programs (or just Programs), Accessories, System Tools,Disk Cleanup.
Step 3: Download Malware Scanners
Now you’re ready to have a malware scanner do it’s work–and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. If you already had an antivirus program active on your computer, you should use a different scanner for this malware check, since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware. Remember, no antivirus program can detect 100 percent of the millions of malware types and variants.
Step 4: Run a Scan With Malwarebytes
After downloading Malwarebytes, run the setup file and follow the wizard to install the program. Once installed, Malwarebytes will check for updates and launch the app itself. If you get a message about the database being outdated, select Yes to download the updates and then click OK when prompted that they have been successfully installed.
Once the program opens, keep the default scan option (‘Perform quick scan’) selected and click the Scan button.
We hope you enjoy our steps on How to Remove Malware from Your Windows PC.
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