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- Have active and up-to-date trusted anti-virus software: McAfee and Norton are major names, but there are other providers that do a good job as well. You need to make sure it is a full-fledged anti-virus suite, however, and it is unlikely (though not impossible) that you'll find one for free.
- Pause and consider links and downloads before clicking and installing: even trusted sources sometimes get hacked and can provide infected content. Take a moment and think about how likely it is that the action you're about to take will be safe - were you expecting that attachment? Do you think you really need that software to do what you're doing?
- Be suspicious of very scary warning messages: They're almost always malware themselves, especially if you have to click or install something to further scan your computer.
- Run anti-virus and anti-malware scans regularly: In addition to anti-virus, we recommend Spybot Search and Destroy as a fairly light-weight, useful anti-malware tool. Run scans (in safe mode if you're familiar) at least once a month to help keep your computer clean and healthy
- Ask questions: If you're not sure about something, and don't know how to proceed, stop by the ITS helpdesk or give us a call at 507-222-5999 and we will help you out
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| This article describes the cleanup process the 1. Remove unnecessary, pernicious softwareIf the computer is bootable in normal mode (if not, skip to 2. Disable startup itemsThis step prevents many unnecessary programs from running at start-up, including possible spyware. On most systems, it will increase start-up speeds dramatically. However, you may wish to re-enable some start-up programs later, after your system has been cleaned. If you have Windows XP, ME, or 98, go to Start -> Run and type msconfig, then hit OK. Go to the Startup tab, then click Disable All. Click the checkboxes next to SHSTAT and UpdaterUI to re-enable them; these are core Windows programs. On other versions of Windows, you will have to go in to the registry to change the startup items. Instructions can be found here. 3. Install anti-malware softwareIf you do not already have Also download and install 4. Reboot in Safe ModeReboot your computer. As it begins to start up, hold down F8 (or, on some computers, F5) to enter 5. Run scansYou should run scans with McAfee Anti-Virus Go to Start -> Network Associates -> VirusScan Console. If you are connected to the Internet, click on AutoUpdate and then the Play button to download software updates. Then click on DailyUpdate and then the Play button to download the latest virus definitions. Now click Scan All Fixed Disks and click the Play button. This will become a long, thorough scan, which may take 45-90 minutes. After it's finished, select all items that the scan found, right-click, and select Delete. Spybot Windows Defender FinishingReboot your computer normally and see if your system appears to be working correctly. You may wish to run scans again in normal mode to make sure that nothing new appears; if something does, it's possibly that a hidden program, not detected by your current anti-malware software, is spawning new malware on startup. You may wish to The SCIC strongly recommends that Windows users perform this cleanup process at least once per term. |
For help
If a computer is infected and user is not able to remove the malware, he or she can:
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