This is what happens when you tear apart two computers, pile all the working parts onto a table, dust them off with canned air, and then re-build them into one, full-functional "Frankenputer." One of my favorite projects is to save people's computers from what many companies assure them is "the end." The end you say? I say you're just trying to get them to buy a new machine (which isn't always necessary!).
So, on to the topic at hand. Why you should not be afraid to try and save your computer from a nasty Virus or Spyware! A lot of people tend to really freak out when they think something is wrong with their computer. Understandably so, because it often coincides with paying someone LOTS of money to fix it (many techies charge $60 an hour for work that I could honestly do in my sleep. Sometimes a fix is just that easy.), or fighting on the phone for hours with your outsourced company (think, someone who probably doesn't speak your language but has been taught to answer questions from a series of lists...) to get your warranty. (I'm talking about companies like Dell or HP.....who I have personal experience with and was not happy with their service AT ALL). Most of the time, you end up trying to claim your warranty and they deny you, or, they take your computer away for several weeks and wipe your hard drive as "standard policy" before they return it to you.
If you are like most average computer users you probably don't have a backup and you just lost everything....which sucks.
So here is some basic advice that can often help you to avoid losing everything on your PC or paying money to go to some stupid chain that overcharges (I'm talking about you, Best Buy!!! Your Geek Squad is soooo overpriced for basic work!). Just see if you can get rid of your viruses on your own before calling the so called "experts."
Disclaimer: This is all meant to be helpful advice to the average computer user. this advice is not recommended for total beginners (also known as newbies) to computers and this advice will certainly not work 100% of the time. Obviously, problems can vary on a case by case basis and I assume no responsibility if you mess up your computer. You are following this advice or reading it because you want to learn one person's strategies and therefore I am not responsible for any losses caused by this post. Now, with that out of the way, on to my advice...
This article deals with Viruses!
"Viruses = Very Yes?????"
(Strong Bad Email: See the awesome Strong Bad email about viruses here.)
Oh noes! You have a virus? Spyware? Well, try not to panic!
What to do if you think you have a computer virus (On your PC with a Windows Operating System).
Some signs that you might have a virus include: your computer screen is flickering in select places (but not because you dropped your monitor), your programs are freezing for no reason (and you know you have plenty of memory or this is a new problem), strange colors are appearing on your screen, your internet has suddenly become slow for many days and it's not because of your service provider (sometimes it's good to call and ask if they are experiencing problems), your startup menu or window operations are not what they should be, things just seem to be working strangely when you use your computer and you don't know why, etc. etc. etc.
There are a lot of things that can point to a virus. My suggestion is: if you don't have antivirus installed then you probably have many Viruses and Spyware /Adware entries on your machine. The interwebs are riddled with electronic plague, unfortunately.
Virus = A catch-all name for a series of Trojans and other programs designed to really EFFF up your computer. Bad. If you're surfing a sketchy site then you must prepare to deal with the consequences, which usually means viruses (especially if you don't have a good antivirus program).
Spyware/Adware = These often come from Pop up windows and usually entail a program that is trying to index your information and/or cookies to some company out there. Princeton calls it, "computer software that obtains information from a user's computer without the user's knowledge or consent."
They are both really annoying, can be hazardous to your computer and your security (can give away your passwords and documents to the jerk who wrote the virus or spyware), and can be really hard to remove if you don't already have antivirus installed.
That being said, there are some steps you can take to ensure you don't lose everything and try to rescue your machine without the help of some expensive techie.
Step #0: Are you using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser? Well, DON'T! Many techies will tell you that it has security flaws and that a majority of viruses out there are written to penetrate this program. Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome are much more secure and honestly I recommend Firefox 9 times out of 10 for everything because it is a much better internet exploration program anyways. Another good tip is to go to your preferences and set your internet browser to dump all temporary and personal files each time you exit the program. This will help clean out some possibilities for viruses to sneak into that pesky temporary files folder. Also, I never have my browser save my passwords as a security precaution. It just doesn't seem like a great idea to me, personally. Consider writing your passwords down somewhere or getting good at memorizing them instead of letting your browser remember them.
Step #1: If you do have antivirus or antispyware (or the ability to still install programs despite your virus) then SCAN the crap out of your machine (seriously, scan it twice if you think it will help). Scan everywhere including archive files.
If you don't have a good antivirus or anti spyware program I recommend *AVAST Antivirus Home Edition (or AVG Home Edition) and *Spybot Search and Destroy (or AdAware free edition) as they are both free and pretty decent programs. Install AVAST and SPYBOT together and they make a great team of stopping viruses and spyware from getting on your computer. Of course, you could choose to pay for slightly better protection and if you do this I recommend Panda Antivirus (there are others but I have had really good results with Panda, and I only paid $14 a year.). If you can't install these files for some reason then download them onto a disk on a friend's computer and then try installing them on your computer in "SAFE MODE." (You can start in Safe Mode which often prevents some viruses from "kicking in" since you are temporarily severing your computer's internet connection and all but the most basic processes.
The only program I will absolutely not recommend is McAfee because those cheating bastards made their program install like a virus that infiltrates your system and makes it difficult to remove (when you inevitably decide you hate the program). Above that, their protection sucks. Don't use McAfee. Just don't. It's not worth your money.
Step #2: Is your computer improving at all? If not, turn your computer on in "SAFE MODE" (so that it reduced everything to the basic state and it's easier to get around viruses) get your windows installation disk and try "Repairing" your copy of windows. Just follow the instructions on the disk.
If you have a "Ghost" or "Rescue" disk instead (from when you bought your computer and first set it up) then go to that process instead (usually your rescue disk program comes with basic instructions. If not then call whoever made the disk for you and ask).
*****Just make sure you save any documents you created after your "ghost" or "rescue" disk because restoring your computer to that state will cause you to lose all your most recent documents/photos/etc. Only back up files to disks (recommended) or jump drives and make sure they are not corrupted or you are just transferring your virus to your rescue state.******
A word of advice: you should be backing things up as you go anyways in case anything like this ever happens. I keep 3 backups of all my work (especially college work) because if I lost it I would be devastated. This occasional backing up of your work can be done on disks, external hard drives, jump drives, etc.
*Note: If you don't feel comfortable trying Steps 3 or 4 then proceed to Step 5 and call for help.*
Step #3: If this did not work, then see if you can figure out what kind of virus you have and Google search some forums for recommended removal solutions. Be VERY careful here because the internet does not have a "100% awesome" techie site to go to and you could follow bad advice. I suggest staying away from removing your registry entries (if those are what got infected) because this is a very tricky process and most people will end up screwing up their operating system permanently.) A more recommended solution would be to get your windows installation disk or ghost disk and repair your copy of windows. This will not always remove your viruses so see step 4 as your LAST DITCH EFFORT.
Step #4: The LAST DITCH EFFORT, when all else has failed miserably and your computer is still sick with an electronic plague.
If you cannot install antivirus, can't get any programs to operate, and can't get anything resolved (even in safe mode) because your computer is so screwed up, then you will probably have to rescue your important documents/photos and wipe your user account and/or hard drive clean to eliminate the viruses. This is where things can get tricky and you have to be careful that you don't mess up your operating system. Again, this is completely within the realm of something you can do on your own but you want to make sure you follow your operating system re-installation and re-format instructions carefully and don't lose important "drivers" needed to run your PC (drivers = make things like your keyboard, mouse, screen, in-house programs function smoothly and without them your computer will be lost and confused).
If you have your Windows Installation Disk and your Computer Drivers Disk (or know where to download your drivers from the computer manufacturer's website) then you can proceed to do the following as a completely last ditch effort to clean your computer.
A. Rescue only your most important documents, work, and pictures onto disks (etc.). If it looks like any of these files have been corrupted or infected then DO NOT SAVE THEM because it is probably too late.
B. Put in your Windows Installation Disk and go to the option "Install New Copy of Windows." Windows will see that you already have a copy installed, and on this screen you can DELETE the installation and FORMAT your hard drive (usually it's installed onto a "C" drive but it could have another name) to a fresh, clean hard drive.
C.This will allow you to install your operating system and drivers fresh onto the machine.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Now, sometimes this is not a perfect process. Wiping your hard drive completely can cause you to lose a little space on it, and sometimes re-installing your drivers doesn't go as smoothly as you want it to. I recommend just taking your time and carefully reformatting your computer so that you don't get angry at yourself later when your function keys don't work properly or some other weird driver isn't working properly. Most of the time, however, if you have your Drivers Disk and your Windows Installation Disks this is a fairly straightforward and effective process. If you had any lingering viruses they are definitely gone now! (This process is the techie equivalent of stomping on your hard drive until it behaves.)
D. Put in your Drivers Disk and re-install the drivers onto your computer. You can also go on somebody else's computer and download all the drivers you need from a manufacturer's website (if they offer them there) and make your own Driver Disk with all the files on it that you need. I have done this in the past and it worked out fine. Just make sure you download the right drivers for your specific computer model, year, etc. Also, be VERY CAREFUL if you attempt to update a computer's BIOS. Screw up the BIOS and you will DEFINITELY need a techie's help to fix your system. Seriously, you might just want to avoid anything associated with BIOS unless you are an expert user and know what I'm talking about here.
Step #5. If you have screwed up your computer, or still have viruses (or don't want to attempt Steps #3 and #4 on your own because you don't feel comfortable with it) then I suggest calling for help. It's okay to call for help if you have already followed steps 1 and 2 because it means you made an effort and gone through some basic steps that can often fix a basic virus or spyware problem.
This article is meant to help save the average user from spending an average of $60 an hour that a techie will charge you to fix viruses on a computer. We are in a recession and many people should definitely try to avoid paying for a techie if they can fix a problem on their own.
I hope something I have suggested here did help, and that you can save some money. If this article is too complicated, or you feel I should clarify some points, please leave a comment. Again, I am not responsible for any losses, computer problems, crashes, mistakes, etc. caused by the advice in this article. It is meant to be BASIC, FRIENDLY ADVICE and nothing more.
Ja Mata Ne!
See you later,
Lady Jones
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