How to clean your computer from viruses for free? How to clean your computer from viruses How can you clean your computer from viruses

Plaster 09.05.2022
Plaster

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Increasingly, users are attacked by Trojans, malicious files that change browser or system settings, constantly display advertising sites or viral ads. Windows protection does not always work, and it becomes necessary to clean your computer from viruses for free. This can be done in several ways.

How to check your computer for viruses

Threats can enter the operating system via the Internet, along with someone else's flash drive, or when installing dubious software. The development of antivirus products has led to the emergence of more cunning, sophisticated spyware or malware. Now they can be written to autoload, automatically restored after deletion. It becomes more difficult to cure a computer. Here are ways to clean your laptop from viruses yourself:

  1. The most radical, tough way to clean a computer from viruses is to reinstall the operating system. Together with malicious files, files from system partitions or from a logical drive will be completely deleted. This means that the programs and documents that were on it will be lost. You can save data on other drives, but there is a risk that the infected file lives on them as well.
  2. Disk formatting. A good way if you know that the virus is not in section C.
  3. Return to a restore point without malicious files. The operating system is able to roll back to its previous state, for example, yesterday, when worms or Trojans have not yet penetrated into it. When using a backup, all new files, folders will be deleted and replaced with old ones. Suitable if only system data and directories were affected.
  4. Use any good antivirus, for example: Doctor Web (Dr.Web), Kaspersky or Nod32. The scanner will detect threats, offer to delete, treat or quarantine them.

Some viruses are not so easy to clean: they open browser windows with advertising pages, perform hidden actions. One of them is blocking the work of anti-virus utilities. In such cases, online services for the initial launch of the scan can provide assistance. Here are some popular and effective options:

  • BitDefender QuickScan - online check via a cloud service is enabled right on the site;
  • Panda ActiveScan - a special module will be loaded, which will check the computer for security threats through the cloud service;
  • HouseCall - searches for spyware and viruses online;
  • Microsoft Safety Scanner - a one-time check from the company;
  • Kaspersky Security Scan - computer virus treatment is carried out by a special utility. It needs to be downloaded, but the software works through a cloud service.

The best utilities for cleaning your computer from viruses

Full-fledged antiviruses are better suited to clean your computer, but you can also use special utilities. The best ones are listed below:

  1. DR WEB CUREIT is a simple free portable utility. You just need to run the program and click "Start Check". This may take from 1 to 6 hours (according to the number of objects being checked).
  2. NORTON SECURITY SCAN is another additional protection tool that will help clean your computer from viruses. Distributed for free. It works and is available to the user online, controls the PC in real time.
  3. Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a full-fledged program that is distributed for a fee. There is a special utility that you can download for free - Kaspersky Security Scan.
  4. AVZ is a powerful, popular utility that allows you to solve even the most complex pest problems. Very useful in cases where you can not log into Windows. Run it in safe mode when the system boots. The current version is updated automatically free of charge.
  5. ESET ONLINE SCANNER is another option on how to clean your computer from viruses for free. Installation is not required, you just need to download and run the executable file.
  6. AVIRA REMOVAL TOOL is not the best option for cleaning a computer from viruses, but they use it because the utility is distributed for free.
  7. Avast! VIRUS CLEANER TOOL - additional protection against Avast antivirus. Works offline in the cloud service. Looks for and removes spyware, malicious files.
  8. Malwarebytes is a very effective adware removal program that successfully hides from Kaspersky or Dr.Web. The first month you can use absolutely free, but then you have to purchase a license.

How to clean your computer from viruses yourself

If you wish and have free time, you can clean the computer yourself. It is recommended at the very beginning to delete everything from the trash, use the CCleaner program, which will destroy unnecessary and unnecessary information from the registry, all kinds of garbage. The easiest way to clean your computer from viruses is to format your hard drive. If it is important to save data on it, you should choose a more difficult path, using antivirus and special programs.

Cleaning and Formatting the Hard Drive

It should be understood that cleaning a disk and formatting are two different things. The first is more often carried out in order to free up space on the desired partition by deleting junk, temporary and broken (non-working) files. This action does not directly affect the removal of malicious files. You can execute it as follows:

  1. Go to "My Computer".
  2. On the disk that needs to be cleaned, right-click.
  3. Select "Properties".
  4. In the window that opens, find the "Disk Cleanup" button at the bottom and click on it.

Formatting completely deletes all the contents of the section along with the malicious code. Be sure to copy all important data to temporary media. To perform you need:

  • Confirm all items, click "Run".
  • When finished, go to the "Tools" section and click on "Process Manager". Delete everything that is not highlighted in green.
  • Go to the "File" menu section and click "Troubleshooting Wizard". Clean up the system.
  • These first steps on how to properly clean your computer from viruses will allow you to identify problems in the system, the location of infected files and neutralize them, but not delete them. You need a full-fledged antivirus program. AVZ is preparing the ground for its efficient operation. Select full scan and wait for the results. All found threats must be removed. If, after that, ads continue to load, pages open spontaneously, use Malwarebytes.

    Protect your computer from viruses

    Signs of a computer infection

    There are signs by which you can understand that a PC or laptop has become a victim of viruses. However, they may differ. Depending on the purpose of the malicious software. But the general signs do not change.

    If some of the above signs are found on your computer, then you should check your PC for viruses as soon as possible. Otherwise, the infection will continue and turn into a pandemic. Therefore, an urgent need to install some kind of antivirus. Let's consider the best.

    If you do not take timely measures to destroy viruses, the number of infected files will reach a critical point. And in this case, even damage to the hard drive is possible. With such a disaster, only a complete reinstallation of the OS and formatting of the entire drive will help. And this is fraught with the loss of a huge amount of time and many important files (all).

    Windows Defender

    Read also: Where to download antivirus in 2018 for free? Top 15 services

    Whatever they say about the standard Windows antivirus, it must be admitted that it works well in the "top ten". An important plus is the fact that it is a system component. This means that there is no question of any attempts to delete OS files.

    Windows built-in utility window

    Windows Defender is able to find and neutralize the most common viruses without any problems. Of course, it won't help much against Petya or WannaCry, but they are quite rare. Especially now.

    The beauty of regular Windows antivirus is that it does not need to be downloaded and installed. You also do not need to purchase a license (if you already have an OS license). Therefore, it is better to use this particular product.

    Windows Defender is always on and runs in the background. It includes the antivirus product itself, the Windows firewall and special software to protect against hacker attacks. Like all antiviruses, this one prefers to be in the system tray.

    Method number 1

    Read also: Our Top 15: Choosing the Best Free Antivirus

    Since Windows Defender is a component of the operating system, no installation is required. It is already on the user's computer. You just need to open its window. This can be done very simply.

    Open the system tray and right-click on the antivirus icon. In the dropdown menu, click on the item "View Security Dashboard".

    In the next window, click "Start a new advanced scan." This is what this product calls a deep scan of the OS for viruses.

    File analysis will start immediately. It can take quite a long time. All malicious objects that the antivirus finds will be destroyed immediately or placed in quarantine.

    After a while, Windows Defender will finish working. What will notify the user with the appropriate message. It is often not necessary to check. The anti-virus always works and stops any attempts of malware to run on the computer.

    If you want to install a third-party antivirus product, it's best to disable Windows Defender first. Otherwise, conflicts between antiviruses are possible. And very serious. However, if you have Windows Defender with up-to-date databases, then no third-party product is required.

    Dr.Web CureIt!

    Read also: Our TOP 15: the best free antivirus for Android

    This is almost the only free antivirus on the list. Despite his free status, he is able to find a huge amount of viruses and destroy them correctly. Many users use it as their main antivirus product.

    In fact, Dr.Web CureIt is a light version of a "full-fledged" antivirus from the same developer. This product does not even require installation. He's ready to go right away. And this is even good, because with this use, the program loads the computer less.

    The design of the utility is designed in the classic style of Dr.Web. The interface is intuitive, but the Russian language is not included. You have to improve your knowledge of the English language. It's good that the school course is enough.

    You can download this utility for free from the official website of the developer. The program is free for home use only. If you use it in offices, you will have to purchase a license. But, of course, no one does.

    DOWNLOAD

    Method number 2

    Read also: TOP 6 Ways to clean Windows 7-10 from unnecessary garbage, just clear the memory cache, uninstall updates and clean the registry + Reviews

    Since Dr.Web CureIt does not require installation, you only need to download the executable file. Then you can already run the program itself and start checking your PC or laptop for malicious software.

    In the window on the left, select the objects that you want to scan (it is better to mark all) and click on the button Start Scanning.

    The scanning process will start immediately. The antivirus will eliminate all detected threats by issuing an appropriate warning.

    Using Dr.Web CureIt is an excellent solution for checking your computer for viruses. The product is completely free, which makes it possible for everyone to use it. And despite the absence of the Russian language, managing the program is very easy.

    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

    Read also: Eight best computer virus scan services online

    Light version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus. The functionality of the program is rather meager, but it is completely free. By the way, this is weird. Previously, Kaspersky Lab was not known for its philanthropy.

    Be that as it may, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool - an excellent product for detecting and destroying viruses and other malicious software. The tool received from the "big brother" an advanced and aggressive algorithm for finding and eliminating threats.

    Nevertheless, this utility has one significant advantage over a full-fledged antivirus: work with system resources. The full package is so gluttonous that it can freeze even a fairly powerful computer. Here there is no such thing.

    You can download this program from the official website of the developer. The utility does not require installation at all. And this means that it can be used as a standby program to check other devices by simply writing the file to a flash drive.

    DOWNLOAD

    Method number 3

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    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool, like all utilities of this kind, is very easy to use. The minimum number of functions makes itself felt. And in the application there is a Russian language. So there won't be any problems with management.

    Now select the objects to check and click "OK".

    Now you can press the button "Start Check". It will start right away. And it will be carried out in a fully automatic mode.

    All threats found during the verification process will be ruthlessly exterminated. In this, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool is no different from a full-fledged antivirus from the same company. But he works well. With a high success rate.

    ESET Smart Security (Paid)

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    This is an unpretentious antivirus product from ESET. It is able to find and destroy almost all known viruses. However, against powerful ones like Petya or WannaCry, it is useless. Although its built-in firewall will prevent these things from running on a PC.

    The ESET Smart Security package includes antivirus, firewall (firewall), protection against phishing sites and hacker attacks. It is actively used both on home computers and on servers. The product has proven to be excellent.

    You can download the installation file from the official website of the developer. But it is worth considering that the program is not free. There is a certain "trial" period. After that, you will need to pay for the license. But for a one-time virus scan, the unpaid version is enough.

    Sometimes, the cause of computer malfunction is its infection with viruses. Visiting various sites (and not always suspicious ones), opening an email attachment from an unknown author, or connecting a regular USB flash drive to a computer can become a source of computer infection.

    How can you determine if your computer is infected? If, for example, when executing any commands, your PC becomes thoughtful, various sites open on their own in the browser, problems arise with launching programs or installation files, the ability to manage the computer is blocked, the account has disappeared from the welcome window, and finally, the computer simply hangs when loading the operating system, then there is a very high chance that you are dealing with a malicious virus program.

    In many cases, the user can deal with the virus threat by reading the materials on our website on their own. What is required for this? First, you need to install the latest version of the anti-virus program and update its databases (it is not allowed to install and simultaneously work in the system of two different anti-viruses). Avast free antivirus is great for home computers, and for organizations. If the installation of the antivirus is not possible due to the fact that the computer is blocked by a virus and a message is displayed asking you to send an SMS, then you should go to the sites of large antivirus companies using another computer or mobile phone and use the computer unlock service (for example, https://www.drweb .com/xperf/unlocker). In particularly difficult cases, download the Kaspersky Rescue Disk image at http:// www.kaspersky.ru/virusscanner , burn it to disk, boot from it and run a full computer scan for viruses.

    It makes sense to use the Drweb CureIt utility from the site http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit to clean your computer from a virus. This utility does not require installation and may well be used in conjunction with another company's antivirus already installed on the computer.

    In addition, we advise you to delete temporary browser files, for example, using the CCleaner program, delete suspicious files downloaded from the Internet and clean the Windows registry. However, one must be extremely careful with cleaning the system registry, because if an entry is deleted by mistake, the OS may crash or work with errors.

    And finally, a few tips on how to avoid computer infection. These simple rules will help your computer work properly and safely, and save your data and nerves. To reduce the risk of infection, Windows should be updated regularly. You can configure your computer to download updates automatically in Windows Update in Control Panel. In organizations, it is recommended to install a corporate anti-virus with centralized management and to carry out anti-virus maintenance of computers. It is necessary to ensure that anti-virus databases are updated in a timely manner. Be careful with e-mail: do not open attachments and links from unknown senders. Protect access to mail, Windows login, FTP with strong passwords. It's good to change them from time to time. Use a safe browser, do not install unknown plug-ins and add-ons. Do not visit sites that are suspicious from a security point of view, and do not forget to perform a full scan of your PC for viruses from time to time.

    From time to time it should be completely purify computer from viruses that may have accumulated in the system. How to start this procedure? To get started, we recommend downloading safe mode. To do this, when Windows starts loading, press the key F8. For most devices, this key will take you to the boot options window. Select Safe Mode. In it, the OS will start without loading third-party programs and unstable drivers. It is in them that malware can often “sit down”.

    If at the same time the computer again goes to reboot, then probably the virus has already tried here and damaged the system registry. You will need to restore this mode using special programs installed on the bootable media.

    If it is possible to boot the system in normal mode, open the window Run(Win + R) and enter the command " msconfig».

    will start system configuration, on the Loading tab, check the box Safe mode.

    We press Apply and OK to confirm and reboot.

    We clean with antiviruses

    After booting into Safe Mode, proceed with the treatment with your antiviruses and antispyware. We describe this process in the most popular and effective.

    CureIt Antivirus

    You can download CureIt from Doctor Web is free on the official site.

    After downloading and installing, we proceed to check. Can be done as complete verification, and choose individual elements, which will reduce the time and, accordingly, the quality of scanning.

    Check the boxes for everything if you want to check completely, then click " Run check».

    In the table below, you can perform certain actions with found infected files. Can it move in the repository (if you don’t know what kind of file it is, neutralize it later), neutralize or skip(if, for example, this is your program and you are sure of its safety).

    Upon completion of the scan, get a report on how many and what threats are detected.

    The Dr.Web CureIt utility copes well with threats, and therefore it is highly recommended for use.

    We clean Kaspersky

    A powerful program of Russian production. On the site you can download a free version with basic functionality.

    Once installed, start scanning. Your actions will be quite simple, similar to working with the previous program, the differences are only in the Interface. The utility can be used for free only once.

    We use AVZ

    This program is distributed free of charge on the manufacturer's website, where it can be downloaded without any problems.

    Make sure the databases are up to date. To update run File – «».

    To check - click File choose " System Restore". We mark the necessary items and run for execution.

    Then go to the tab Service – « Process Manager". Remove processes not marked in green. Then File / Search Wizard - " Clean up the operating system».

    Other useful utilities

    Other programs include special antispyware and antiviruses to clean up adware. An example is the generally paid utility Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. However, some useful features can be used at no cost.

    software is antispyware– great for detecting and removing spyware. Thanks to him, unnecessary windows will not open in the browser, and clicks on dubious links will be blocked.

    Scanner Malwarebytes is able to detect even those viruses that more popular programs cannot detect. However, unfortunately, it does not know how to treat them - all infected files are quarantined, deleted or left in place. Another disadvantage - not scanned archived files. Therefore, its use as the main one is not recommended, but as an additional one - just right.

    Can scan the system online, for example using ESET Online Scanner. There are a lot of different antivirus programs, but most of them are not free and their effectiveness leaves much to be desired.

    How to clear memory

    After completing the treatment and removing viruses, you need to take care of cleaning the RAM.

    To do this, you need to run . It can be found in the button menu Start by right-clicking on it (or " Ctrl+Alt+Del»).

    At some point, you realize that you need to subject the computer to a complete cleaning. How to completely clean your computer from viruses? To begin with, check if there are those same viruses, clean the registries, clean the device’s RAM, trash…

    Cleaning your computer from viruses should be done from time to time, so that it does its job well and quickly, and also remains in working condition for as long as possible. Otherwise, you will need computer repair, and very urgently.

    We are treated for free

    Let's talk today about how to clean your computer from viruses for free. To cure a computer of viruses for free, you need to find the AVZ program and the Curelt DrWeb utility on the Internet. To start treatment, we need to start the system in safe mode. To do this, when the computer is turned on, press the F8 key.

    In the context menu that appears, select the "safe mode" option. If this led to a system reboot, then the virus touched the Windows registry, then you need to find a file on the Internet that helps restore safe mode, turn it on and repeat the procedure again.

    • Then, after booting in safe mode, enable the AVZ program;
    • Immediately go to the menu File - System Restore;
    • Select all items and click execute.

    After that, you need to go to the service menu - process manager and remove all processes that are not highlighted in green.

    On this, cleaning the computer from viruses is not over, maintenance continues and we are further trying to figure out how to clean the PC from viruses. Go to the menu File - Troubleshooting Wizard and clean up the system. This will neutralize the viruses, but will not remove them.

    Help

    Computer virus treatment continues. As you remember, we have downloaded the Curelt utility, which allows you to clean your computer of viruses for free. The program must be run and put on a full check. If viruses are found, you will be prompted to cure or remove them. A few hours of scanning will make it possible to remove viruses from the system.

    Many do not know how to clean a computer from viruses using another computer. And here's how: you will need an uninfected computer with an antivirus installed. Be careful not to corrupt data. To implement this method, you need to remove the hard drive from the infected computer and connect it to a working one (the computers are turned off). Thereafter:

    • loading the operating system;
    • turn on virus scan;
    • check will end in a few hours.

    Having lost viruses, you can return the hard drive to its place.

    What to do if cleaning the computer from viruses did not lead to their complete removal? In this case, it can be advised to use another free (or paid) utility or, in extreme cases,.

    We clean the RAM

    Let's talk about how to clear the RAM on the computer. If your working memory is busy all the time, see what it is. To do this, you need to open the task manager (by pressing ctr + alt + del at the same time).

    After that, in the "Processes" tab, you will see the programs that are currently open by the system. To unload unnecessary programs from the operating memory, click on the "End Process" button. Just try not to accidentally end the process that is needed for the system to function.

    How to clear RAM on a computer? To cancel automatic loading of programs into memory, remove programs from the list of automatic loading. To do this, you can download a special Msconfig utility from the network.

    We looked at the two most common ways to clear the computer's RAM. If after that you find that your memory is again constantly clogged, contact a specialist for whom computer repair is a familiar thing or a computer service so that they find the cause and carry out professional service.

    We clean the registry

    In order to remember how to clear the registry on a computer, you need to do simple manipulations just once. So let's get started.

    To go to the registry editor, you need to click start, select Run. Then click open and in the field that appears, write regedit. Then click OK.

    Here is the registry editor. Among the items presented, we are interested in My Computer, which needs to be expanded and from the selected list you need to expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section, then select Software and all computer programs will be displayed in the list that appears.

    Carefully review the entire list and select from it entries about programs that have already been removed. If you select an entry about a program that no longer exists, delete it. To do this, use the Delete button or right-click and select delete. After deleting unnecessary entries, close the editor and reboot the system.

    Removing trash from the trash

    Before you empty the trash on your computer, we recommend that you see if there is anything useful there. If not, feel free to start cleaning.

    To empty the recycle bin, right-click on the corresponding shortcut on the desktop and left-click on "empty recycle bin" in the context menu that appears.

    If you want to view the files before deleting, then double-click the shortcut with the left mouse button to open it. Browse the files and at the top, after the address bar, left-click on the phrase "empty trash". The computer will ask you to confirm the action. Left click on yes.

    Now you know how to clean your computer completely. Do not forget to do such a cleaning of the system at least once every six months, and let others do the repair of computers!

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