<h1>How to remove a computer virus for free</h1>

Nobody wants to pay to remove a computer virus, so I'm going to go through a few details on how to remove a computer virus for free and some of the programs you can use, but most importantly how to prevent them.

Preventing a virus, malware, trojan horse, adware, spyware, rootkit and boot sector virus should be your first step. They seem like common sense now a days, but I'll go over a few.

Don't open e-mails from people you don't know. Even when opening e-mail from friends, if the URL/Web Address is something like http://www.jhrgserglkjser.net/com/gov/whatever don't click on it. These usually install a tracking cookie or some type of keylogger once you hit the website. Something these sneaky links are hyperlinked behind a word. Simply move your mouse over the hyperlinked word and on the bottom left of your screen it will usually show you the URL/Web Address. If it doesn't, it's better to be safe the sorry and not follow the link.

Don't visit illegitimate sites. I shouldn't have to state their names. Specifically, because the search engines don't list a site with their names in them very quickly. You're an adult, do what you want, but those sites a cest pools for viruses (viri), malware, trojan horses, adware, spyware, rootkits and boot sector viruses (viri). As well as anything that lets you download software thats not yours. Enough said.

Even if you "follow the rules", there will still be times where you just get a virus. Nothing you can do about it. Even the best anti virus programs miss some. They are never 100% effective at finding, preventing, and blocking a virus. Especially when you change the rules of th program, don't update it, have a free anti virus program, and many more. Anyways, back to how to remove a computer virus for free.

First off, download something like avast, AVG, super antispyware, malware bytes, AVG rootkit, Microsoft Malicious Software tool, The Hitman etc. My personal favorite is Malware bytes, because it doesn't interfere with my other Anti virus or anti spyware programs and it's been VERY effective in the past at removing a computer virus, even with the free version.

Attempt to install the program. If you can't install it the virus, malware, trojan horse, adware, spyware, rootkit or boot sector virus is defending itself. If you already have a program installed and you scan the computer but don't find anything it's defending itself by likely removing the definition from the anti virus program's database. Not cool. Anyways, theres always another option but you have to have another computer for it.

At this point, it's not really "free" anymore, but if you buy the tool one time and use it a couple times or clean out a friend or family members computer for a few bucks, well, you're right back to free again! Anyways,
you can get a USB transfer cable, the one that has a two sided USB. You can usually find this at a Best Buy or online for $20 or so. Otherwise, you can always Google Universal USB Hard Drive Adapter. This costs aorund $40, but you can adapt it to pretty much any hard drive. This is the better of the two options because the infected machine doesn't have to be turned on or booted into windows. When windows is booted, the virus is active and it can defend itself. When windows is not booted, the virus is dormant. If you get either option, simply hook it up to an uninfected computer and scan using whatever program you want.

If for any reason you do all this, it finds virus, malware, trojan horse, adware, spyware, rootkit or boot sector virus, and you turn the infected machine back on and the virus appears again. Then, it's hiding in the system volume information. What is the system volume information? Well, it's a fancy thing that many people call "System Restore". The system volume information holds the... information needed for windows to restore the machine back to a previous date called a restore point. So, you need to wipe this out. For windows xp click start, right click my computer, click properties, go to the system restore tab, and checkmark the check box. Click apply or ok, this can take something like 10 seconds to 20 minutes to remove all the restore points. After they are removed, rescan the machine in whatever way is most effective, remove the virus, malware, trojan horse, adware, spyware, rootkit or boot sector virus againa and reboot the (previously) infected machine. If all went well, it won't appear again.

Essentially, this is how to remove a computer virus for free. There really aren't much better ways to do it except to use specific tools to remove specific viruses (viri), malware, trojan horses, adware, spyware, rootkits and boot sector viruses (viri).

TechSavvyT
Answering all your obscure virus, malware, trojan horse, adware, spyware, rootkit, boot sector virus and worm needs.