Written by Kirk Saywell

We live in the modern age of the internet, where information can be shared world-wide and we can almost do everything we need to from the comfort of our own homes - but unfortunately, there are still a lot of people who are out to steal our bank details, take our identities, invade our privacy and disrupt sensitive business information. We're talking about Viruses, Malware, Spyware, Adware and all sorts of malicious code that is out to get us.

There are plenty of ways to protect yourself from these kinds of attack - aside from the continuous efforts from the biggest internet and technology providers like Google, Microsoft and Apple - who are all doing what they can to stop viruses spreading over the internet by giving users plenty of warnings, making computers more secure and tracking down the people responsible, you still need to consider protecting your own computer. You can do this by downloading a FREE anti-virus program, such as Grisoft AVG Free Edition - or you can buy a more inclusive security package such as Kaspersky Internet Security. Whichever security software you choose to install, TECHTOAD.COM strongly advises that you are still cautious when entering personal or sensitive information (such as bank details) into websites. We also advise that you regularly back-up your important and personal files to something secure like an external hard drive. Not only does this protect you from losing your data in the event of a system failure, but it allows you to keep a copy that is separate and shouldn't get infected with viruses.

Unfortunately, no matter how much we try to prevent viruses, sometimes they still manage to get through. This can mean expensive virus removal fees, potential loss of data - or even the cost of having to buy a new computer! So we have written a basic HOW TO guide on How to remove a virus from a Windows Computer.

If you only have access to one computer, or are not confident to open your computer/laptop case, skip to Step 2 below.

Step 1

The safest and most effective way to clean viruses from a computer, is to remove the hard drive and install it into another computer for scanning. Many computer repair centres will use this method as it is probably the best option. You need to be careful that you do not spread a virus to another computer, so ideally this works best if you have an old computer that you don't use anymore, or a computer with no important files on which you can wipe completely if you need to.

To do this, you should have a computer running Windows XP or later, and install two programs:

- AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
- Malware Bytes Anti-Malware

It is very important that you have the LATEST virus databases/updates for these programs so that they recognise all known viruses and know how to disarm them.

While both computers are switched off, you should remove the hard drive from the infected computer, and install it into the computer you'll be using for scanning.

Start the scanning computer up, being careful to ensure that you boot from the CLEAN hard drive, and have the infected hard drive as a secondary drive. Once the computer is up and running and you have made sure that it is fully up-to-date, you should disconnect it from your network. This prevents viruses spreading. You can then open the Malware Bytes Anti-Malware program and select "Full Scan". It is important that you choose "Full Scan" rather than "Quick Scan" because viruses can root themselves deep into system files that the quick scan might not check.

Begin the Full Scan making sure that it is scanning the infected drive. As the Malware Bytes program opens each files for scanning, if it contains a virus the AVG "Resident Shield" or "Real-Time Scanning" will detect any infection and stop it from infecting your scanning computer.

Allow around 2 hours for a full scan to complete. Malware Bytes will highlight the infections it has found; it will then give you the option to Remove all infections. In most cases, the computer needs to restart to fully remove the infections, if it prompts you to restart, we highly recommend you do so.

Once the machine has restarted (or finished removing infections) it may be worthwhile running a full scan with AVG to make sure nothing was missed by the Malware Bytes program. Once the AVG scan has completed, it is safe to put the infected hard drive back into the original computer you took it out of.

Step 2

Whether you have scanned your hard drive in another machine or not (step 1), you must assume that the drive is still infected. If you are running a Windows based computer, you should continuously press the 'F8' key while the computer is booting up, this should give you some options.

There will normally be a long list of options available; you should select "Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking". This will allow Windows to load, but it will ONLY load essential programs and services, which hopefully will not include the virus. Having networking enabled will allow you to download, install and update Malware Bytes Anti-Malware.

Once you have downloaded Malware Bytes, you'll need to install it. If you are running Windows Vista or later, you should right click and choose "Run as Administrator", otherwise, just run the setup file normally. As soon as the program is installed, make sure it has the LATEST virus databases/updates so that they recognise all known viruses and know how to disarm them.

As soon as the program is updated, you should disconnect your computer from the network to prevent the virus from spreading. You can then open the Malware Bytes Anti-Malware program and select "Full Scan". It is important that you choose "Full Scan" rather than "Quick Scan" because viruses can root themselves deep into system files that the quick scan might not check.

Allow around 2 hours for a full scan to complete. Malware Bytes will highlight the infections it has found, it will then give you the option to Remove all infections. In most cases, the computer needs to restart to fully remove the infections, if it prompts you to restart, we highly recommend you do so. In this case, it is ok to allow the computer to start normally (do not need to press the F8 key).

Once the computer has started up, the machine should be clean. Some very nasty viruses might still be lingering, though. To be safe, it is advisable to run another up-to-date Malware Bytes full scan in the normal windows mode, just to confirm that all the viruses have been removed. Malware Bytes should report that "No infections were found."

At this stage, it is advisable to go through your "Installed Programs" list and uninstall any programs that look suspicious, or you do not remember installing. This might include "Toolbar" programs. Some of them may complain that they can't find the uninstall files, this is likely to be because Malware Bytes has deleted them all. If this occurs, it is safe to ignore that item and move on to the next until you're sure that everything you have installed is supposed to be there and has not been installed by a virus.

Step 3

The viruses should all be removed from your system files now, but some may still remain in your temporary internet files. The safest and easiest way of cleaning up your computer is to download a free program called Piriform CCleaner. Once installed, you can use the "Clean" function to clear out temporary files from windows. Be sure to go to the "Applications" tab and tick "Sun Java" and "Malware Bytes" - both will be un-ticked by default, but could contain infections.

It is not necessary, but may be worthwhile scanning the registry for errors with CCleaner and fixing them. When it gives you the option to save a backup of the registry, you should ALWAYS press yes, it's a very small file that you can save in your documents, just incase something goes wrong and you need to get it back.

That's it, if you want to you can now un-install Malware Bytes Anti-Malware and CCleaner, but you should make sure you have ONLY ONE Anti-Virus program (such as AVG Free Edition) installed to keep you protected. It is very important that you DO NOT have more than one anti-virus program installed, as not only will this slow your computer down, but it might actually make it more vulnerable to viruses.

So what if that didn't work?

If you managed to follow those 3 steps and something isn't right, for example, all your files appear to be missing, or your program shortcuts are missing - the chances are the virus had hidden or moved them when it was infected. Usually you can find where your files are by going to "Tools > Folder Options" and choosing "Show hidden files and folders" and un-ticking "Hide protected operating system files". This will show you if files have been hidden. There are some programs available, such as "Unhider" which are designed to undo what the virus has done. Similarly, if your program shortcuts are missing, they are likely to have been moved to another folder on your computer. An up-to-date unhider program might be able to put these back for you, otherwise it might be worth looking for them with the Windows Search tool.

If you didn't manage to follow those steps, and your computer won't even go into Windows, you may need to consider taking it to your local computer repair centre, sometimes viruses do damage that cannot be undone, but a professional computer repair centre can usually recover your data and get your computer back up and running.

If you tried all of that and there is still a virus on your computer, again you may want to consider taking it to your local computer repair centre, or trying alternative anti-virus programs. Be warned that there are many rogue anti-virus programs around which look like they are scanning your computer, but usually just ask for money to remove the infections it has found. THERE ARE NO LEGITIMATE ANTI-VIRUS COMPANIES THAT CHARGE IN THIS WAY. You either pay a subscription when you buy it, or it's free.

DISCLAIMER: TECHTOAD.COM provides these tutorials for advice and guidance only. If you are unsure how to safely follow these procedures yourself you should seek help from a professional. TECHTOAD.COM takes no responsibility for any damage or loses caused as a result of following these tutorials.

If you live in the Colchester, Essex (UK) area; TECHTOAD.COM recommends Nexus Technology & Media Ltd for all computer and laptop parts, service and repairs.