How to remove a virus

A program that when run, has the ability to self-replicate by infecting other programs and files on your computer. These programs can have many effects ranging from wiping your hard drive, displaying a joke in a small box, or doing nothing at all except to replicate itself. These types of infections tend to be localized to your computer and not have the ability to spread to another computer on their own. The word virus has incorrectly become a general term that encompasses trojans, worms, and viruses.

Viruses exploit weaknesses in your computer\'s system. As a user of UIC\'s network, it is your responsibility to secure your machine. Failure to do so will result in a suspension of your Res-Net account or general account privileges. Res-Net users and all other users with a history of infection and/or disregard of computer security may have their Res-Net access or account access permanently revoked.

Symptoms of affected PC

    * Slow computer, and/or slow internet connection.

    * Strange pop-ups or web browser redirections (beyond those expected from dodgy websites).

    * Program failure, or inexplicable errors (even after a fresh install).

    * System functions unavailable (eg: Control Panel, Task Manager, Internet Explorer).

Steps – How to remove a virus:

1. Visit Microsoft Update and install the latest updates.

2. If you currently use antivirus software, visit the manufacturer\'s Web site, update your software, and then perform a thorough scan of your computer. If you don\'t use antivirus software, subscribe to a service and scan your computer immediately.

3. Download, install, and run the Malicious Software Removal Tool (for Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 users). Note that this tool does not prevent viruses from infecting your system; it helps to remove existing viruses.

Update your Anti-virus Definitions.

We suggest setting your Anti-virus to run automatic updates, however many viruses are now programmed to disable your Live Updates so that you must run them manually. You can update your virus definition files manually by opening the program and clicking on Live Update

Run a Full Scan on your PC.

To scan your computer for virus infections with Symantec software, click on the Scan option in the menu on the left, then select Scan computer. You will be given a menu for you to select which drives you would like to scan

Find and Perform the Virus Removal Procedure.

Visit www.symantec.com where you can find removal tools and instructions under the "Latest Threats" section. You can also search for the virus name in the search form

Make a list of ways your computer is showing signs of abnormal operation. Satisfy yourself that these signs are not due to hardware failure or problems with attached equipment. Sometimes people misdiagnose software problems (such as bugs in Outlook Express or printer drivers) as virus activity. Also, problems with the Registry can be a source of errors, this happens if you install and uninstall lots of programs.

Run your virus-scanner, but beware, many modern viruses can circumvent (or hide from) common anti-virus programs. Norton Antivirus and Mcafee have both been seen to exhibit this weakness, or seem unable to remove certain strains

Tips - How to remove a virus

Before installing the antivirus, close all open applications and terminate any suspicious processes using Task Manager. Sometimes, you may need to boot into safe mode or safe mode with command prompt to delete suspicious programs and references to them in the Windows Registry (run regedit from the command prompt to open the registry editor).

Search engines are excellent tools to find out whether a certain process is harmful or not. You can also get steps on how to remove a specific virus manually.

Removing the virus beforehand might be necessary, as some viruses will not allow an antivirus to operate. However, if you are not successful, you may still continue with the installation.

So we have covered some tips on How to remove a virus.