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upgrades, as well as spyware/malware removal, and computer repair.
Check out our standard builds or contact us for a custom order. Let
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So you think you're infected?
The common symptoms of
a virus/spyware infection can vary greatly, but in general you
may notice a general sluggishness. Programs may seem to take an unusually
long time to open. Freeze-ups may occurs frequently, even right after a
reboot. Booting into Windows may take an unusually long time. Unexpected
reboots may occur. Pop-up ads at websites that normally don't have them can
be another clue. An inability to get to certain websites, or your homepage
mysteriously changimg is a very strong sign. Some spyware programs will
hijack your search pages, making it impossible to get to google, or other
preferred search engines.
If you have a Windows XP system, it
is CRITICAL that you install a firewall and do all needed system updates
(if possible) before proceeding, otherwise your system WILL become
re-infected, possibly within minutes. I recommend Sygate Personal
Firewall.
Ok, so, you have some symptoms, what to do
now? Assuming you have no Anti-virus program installed and running,
the first step will be to run an antivirus scan. This can be done
using online tools if you prefer. There are two very good online
scanners - one is at
Trend
Micro and the other is at
Panda Software- I suggest running them
both. You will need to use Internet Explorer, as these scanners use Active
X controls, and other browsers such as Netscape, Mozilla, or Firefox
cannot run Active X. There are some viruses and spyware that will prevent
you from running these scanners, so if you cannot get to these pages,
don't panic, there is still hope. Once the scan has run, if anything comes
up, and it is not able to clean it, try to delete the file. If it cannot
be deleted then use control-alt-delete to shut it down. (in WinXP you will
probably find it under the processes tab). Once it is shutdown you can
delete the file. Be sure to do a google search on the virus name to find
removal instruction, or it may get 'rebuilt' on reboot. The next step is
to download the following programs, install them and
place shortcuts for them on your desktop:
AdAware
Spybot Search and
Destroy
HiJackThis
Reboot into safe mode and
run AdAware. Whatever it lists tell it to clean - even the
cookies. Run Spybot S&D next and tell it to repair whatever it
finds. Reboot your computer and run both tools again. If anything turns up
then you may have to dig a bit deeper to root it out. Time to run
HiJackThis. Be VERY cautious with this tool - it is very powerful and
will remove needed items if you tell it to. Run a scan with it and tell it
to make a log - but DON'T attempt to remove anything yet. Go to
spywarewarrior
forums and post your Hijack log file there. Be patient and someone
there will tell you what to remove with HiJackThis. They are very good at
what they do and usually will assist you very quickly.
**NEW INFO**
Lately I have begun using a couple of new
malware removal tools that are very effective. The first one is SUPERAntispyware
and the second one is Malwarebytes. I have had excellent results with both of these tools.
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