If you suspect that your computer has been affected by malware, you should do the following:
Start your computer in safe mode (malicious programs will not load in this mode). To do this, in Windows, press the F8 key repeatedly while the PC is booting up (booting) so that you can access the boot menu.
Here you select the “safe mode with network” because you need internet access for the next steps.
Now you need to have your antivirus program check the entire computer system. Again, be sure that you are using the latest version and update it if necessary.
Antivirus software can only recognize and remove already known malware, so an antivirus program will never provide 100% protection. In addition, some infections can hide from antivirus programs.
In addition to the antivirus software you have already used, you should now recheck the entire system with dedicated anti-malware software.
Several free programs and test versions of paid software specialize in malware removals, such as Malwarebytes, Sophos HitmanPRO, or SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition.
A reliable malware detection program is the Microsoft Safety Scanner. In addition, with the ESET Online Scanner and the Bitdefender QuickScan, several online tools are at your disposal that you do not even have to install.
If you have unwanted adware programs or taskbars in the browser of your Windows PC, AdwCleaner can help you further.
Some antivirus programs offer several comprehensive malware scans: a quick scan generally takes about 20 minutes, a full inspection takes over an hour.
Malware that is found can be removed at the end. After restarting the computer, the program should now indicate that the system is fully protected.
A more cumbersome but promising solution is to use emergency software, such as the Kaspersky Rescue Disk, or KNOPPIX. The programs can be downloaded for free and copied as a bootable ISO format on a removable storage medium.
Before you start your computer, the emergency software runs a malware check and removes anything that poses a danger. If your computer has been hit so hard by malware that it won’t even boot up, such emergency systems are often the only solution to get your computer or laptop up and running again.
Suppose your computer still experiences problems related to malware after that. In that case, two options remain: you go to an expert and hope they can solve your problem, or you continue to try to solve the problem yourself by saving your data, formatting all of your computer’s hard drives, and reinstalling the operating system.
Formatting is the most cumbersome method of fighting malware and the safest because some viruses embed themselves deep in the system or install other malware that a scan can sometimes fail to detect.
