How to Remove Malware and Clean Your PC for Free 2015

[Brooklyn_kid]

Being i havent been to Pattaya yet, hoping to go in March of 2016 but still finalizing plans, figured id contribute what i can to the forum for now. 

 

 

You do NOT have to spend ANY money to fix your PC. These free programs will remove any malware infection you get. 

 

 

I also dont agree you need to pay for virus software that runs all the time on your pc. Using the free Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7, or Windows Defender on 8 & 10 combined with these programs and safe browsing practices will keep your machine running well. I havent found any of the free programs such as avast or AVG or avira to be any better than the Microsoft programs. 

 

 

Daily Protection: 

 

Windows 7: Microsoft Security Essentials: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download

 

Windows 8 & 10: Windows Defender is built into the operating system. 

 

 

 

Malware/Virus Removal & Slow PC Fix:

 

Run MalwareBytes, its free, you do not need the pro version, pay attention during the install as the last step defaults to signing up for a trial of the pro version. Update run a custom scan and check off all the options, remove whatever it finds. Reboot. This is usually enough to clear up most problems. 

 

Malwarebytes is great, but it doesnt catch everything, there are some pieces of malware that need a combination of tools to successfully remove the infection. 

 

 

Below is a list of free tools i use in addition to MalwareBytes when dealing with nasty infections. Most of these programs are of the "install, click update, click scan, remove whatever it finds" variety, however 1 or two can be dangerous and should be left to someone who knows what they are doing. 

 

 

 

 

Rkill - I usually run this first, this will search for any malware that is currently running and stop it so that further scans can run properly. If you are new to this, Rkill looks scary when you open it as you will just see text on a black screen, however you dont need to actually do anything after opening the program, just sit back and wait for it to close on its own. Can take a while sometimes, be patient. 

 

ADWCleaner - Similar to Malwarebytes, always seems to find things malwarebytes ignored. 

 

Spybot Search & Destroy  - A bit older than the rest here but still good for removing tough infections. Be careful during the install as you dont need the IEHelper or the TeaTime protection, they will run in the background and eat up system resources. Also edits the host file to block known blacklisted hosts. 

 

CCleaner  - This isnt so much of a malware scanner as it is a utility for cleaning out temp files and registry keys. This is good to use after running a scanner to remove any files left over in temp directories. 

 

MalwareBytes Anti-Rootkit - A rootkit hides from the normal scanners, anti rootkit scanners are freely available. 

 

TDSSKiller - Another anti rootkit made by Kaspersky. 

 

 

Advanced Tools:

 

 

Vipre LIVE - This tool is great as you can boot into it, in case windows is bluescreening or just wont boot for whatever reason. Once booted into VipreLive you can run a full system scan as well as a number of other processes. 

 

 

Last but not least is HijackThis ------ Please do not use this tool if you dont know what you are doing, if used improperly it can seriously screw up your PC. However because its dangerous its also really powerful, and can help you get a system back to working order quickly so that you can run the scans above to remove the leftovers from the infection. Really if you want a quick lesson on how to use this program, open it and read each line, if theres something that REALLY looks like it shouldnt be there with the rest of the lines such as a file in the STARTUP section named xxzy.exe or something to that effect, most times ive seen that bad items are really obvious that they dont belong with the rest. You may need a bit of IT knowledge to understand what you are reading though. 

 

 

Hope this helps, ive been doing this for 20 years in the NYC area, if anyone has questions feel free to ask, always happy to help. Some may not agree with what i say about spending money on virus software, but this is whats working for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Atlas]

Good info, will look into it further.

[brutox]

Hey, Brooklyn_kid.

 

Timely .. I am now looking at updating my anti-virus mix .. free editions, all.

 

I am currently running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Avast, and CCleaner.

 

I looked at recent comparisons in which BitDefender, Avira and Kaspersky appear as the high performers of those surveyed .. http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php

 

CNET reviews are inconsistent on these top-rated AV softwares, I guess because of their interfaces, or ease of use.

 

So, I am considering Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Bit Defender to back-up each other, with a periodic sweep by Kaspersky .. would you suggest adjustments to this mix? .. any thoughts appreciated.

.

[Brooklyn_kid]

You have to be very careful when running multiple virus/malware programs. In certain circumstances, having two scanners installed that are running and scanning in real time will cause major problems. 

 

In your situation i would recommend running kaspersky as the main product, and using malwarebytes free and CCleaner as on demand scanners in case you think something has gotten past kaspersky. 

 

I tend to shy away from the larger virus programs such as Symantec and McAfee. I usually choose smaller companies whos main focus is security. Kaspersky is the research group who finds a lot of the bug first and posts the fixes for everyone to use. 

 

 

 

My top picks for paid antivirus/antimalware are:

 

 

Eset Nod32 - These guys kick ass. Rarely anything gets past it. 

 

Vipre - I have also had good luck with this program, many times it will find things that Symantec, McAfee, and the other big names miss. 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.