Different kinds of viruses have been infecting vulnerable computers for years and even if you do all you can to protect your system, newer viruses may still be able to get into your system and when it does, focus should immediately turn to getting rid of them. Many of the viruses are specifically programmed to be difficult to detect so they can continue to deal damage to files and critical system files uninterrupted. Before you start arming your computer with tools that can get rid of the viruses, you should check first if you really have a virus infection or another problem.
Signs of a Virus Infection
Even if you don’t have a virus scanner running, any strange activity that is going on in your operating system may be the cause of a virus. Some viruses display strange pop-up messages while others automatically change certain settings like wallpapers and hide system menu items.
To check if you are infected, try to run any system applications like “regedit” or “msconfig” in your “Run” box. Viruses often shut these critical components down so users will have a more difficult time disabling the virus on startup. Also try to enable hidden files by going to the “Folder Options” in the “Control Panel” and explore your Windows and System32 folders. Sort the files by date and look at the most recent files and see if there are any suspicious EXE or DLL files there. Any sign of those could also mean that there is a virus.
How to Get Rid of Viruses
If you think you have a virus infection, you will need to eliminate it using a virus scanner which unfortunately Windows doesn’t have so you need to choose from the many programs out there that can effectively clean viruses. Some of the programs like Trend Micro Housecall run completely online to prevent viruses from infecting local software while others need to be downloaded, but perform much better like MacroVirus On-Call.
An effective scanner should have a easy to use interface with easy access to updates to make sure it can tackle the latest viruses circulating the Internet. It should also scan all areas of the computer for infection and further protect the system from any future damage. MacroVirus On-Call has the necessary features in getting it done and offers a free scan too.
Preventing Viruses from Entering your System
Understanding how to get rid of viruses is fairly simple, but the actual process involved depends on the type of virus. To avoid the hassle, it is better to protect yourself by keeping your virus scanner’s live protection features active at all times.
Certain viruses can be really destructive and are normally found on flash disks and websites. Before opening any flash disks or suspicious websites, always have a virus scanner running to avoid any trouble.