VIRUS!!!

So here are some guides to help you fix it.

Ahhh, the lovely computer virus… You shell out a $1000+ on your computer and some asshole finds a way to ruin it. Like a pigeon shitting on a car, no respect.

Sure you can blame it on the kids, but they’re not the one clicking on advertisements trying to guess which marble the ball is under to win $500. You most likely got it from a porn site. Now I know you’re saying “MEE… noooo never!” Lies. Either way, your computer has a virus and as dreadful as these things are, there are ways to get rid of them.

There is a bunch of "freeware programs" that might be able to help you out. Freeware means that it is free. However, if the software helps you out in some way don’t be shy, donate a couple bucks to the developers. If it wasn’t for them, you’d be shelling out another grand for a new computer.

Below are some great programs that might be able to help you out, if not, they are just great to have on your computer and should be run periodically.

• ComboFix: Taken right from their site... "ComboFix Is a freeware (a legitimate spyware remover created by sUBs), Combofix was designed to scan a computer for known malware, spyware (SurfSideKick, QooLogic, and Look2Me as well as any other combination of the mentioned spyware applications) and remove them. ComboFix allows the manual removal of spyware infections . It 's a specialized effective cleaning tool, which is useful compared to other malware and spyware removers. After Combofix finished,a report will be created. You can use this report to search and remove infections which are not automatically removed."


• There are directions on how to use this product in the link I provided. Might only work for Windows XP, not sure if they updated it yet.


• MalwareBytes: Again, taken right from their website... "MalwareBytes is a site dedicated to fighting malware. Malwarebytes has developed a variety of tools that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer. When your computer becomes infected, Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance."


• An all around great program, there is an option to buy this program, which I highly recommend because it has a built in monitor that isn't available in the free version. Otherwise, if you have the patience for a full scan, this will get rid of most of the junk on your computer.


• Spybot Search & Destroy: Taken right from their site... "We believe that privacy is a personal right, not a consumer good that needs to be bought. We want to base our decisions on matters of privacy and security only, not commercial gain. We also believe in free choice. Spybot-S&D is maintained by a team of people very dedicated to privacy issues, many of which are working full-time on analysing masses of new threats each week, and the response time from our support team is better than that of many a commercial vendor. Sometimes we even have to defend our decision to protect your privacy in court. All these things are not without cost to us."


• This program is also another one that you should have in your arsenal, gets rid of all the spyware. Just be sure to manually update the product before each scan as they are constantly updating the software to protect you against new threats.

One of the more popular viruses that I’ve had to remove a couple of times is the one that is disguised as a fake virus scanner. It automatically runs on your computer pretending to scan your PC and makes you purchase something in order to remove the nasties that it claimed to find. This one can be a bitch sometimes depending on what version of it you got. However, usually MalwareBytes or ComboFix can remove this. Then you might have some left over side effects where you can’t use your browser. If this is the case, hit the Ask button up top and shoot me an email and I’ll try and walk you through it as best as I can.

If you have a nasty virus that leaves your computer paralyzed and you can't find a way to clean it yourself, take it to a pro (MEE!!) and have them look at it. Some virus's can be tricky and might require some other resources to get rid of them.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to ASK CHARLIE!!! and I’ll try and help you out!