How do I check my pc for viruses? And if I have them, what do I do?

Question

A friend was just telling me that she had a computer problem, she had over 50 viruses! Some things she was saying make me think I could have a similar problem. I can use the internet ok but overall I know nothing about computers. Can I scan my system for viruses myself? If any are found, can I remove them myself? I know this is probably a silly question but if anyone can help at all, or give me a link that might help, I'd be very grateful. Thank you.

Answer 1

Get an antivirus software for your PC. An excellent free program is AVG. Its available on the link below.
All the best.

Answer 2

All you have to do is download and run the software.
You can chose any you want but I recommend and use the following FREE protection programs.

I use all of the following Free software with Windows XP SP2 and Internet Explorer with MSN toolbar and the pop-up blocker turned on and have never had a single problem with my computer sense Microsoft came out with SP2. (knock on wood.) (And be sure to keep Windows and the following software Updated)


The best Anti-virus is: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. (www.grisoft.com)

The Best Spyware defense is: SpyBot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html)<--English version

AND: AdAware SE (www.lavasoft.com)
AND Spyware Blaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.info/kb/)
The best Firewall besides the one that comes with Windows is: Zone Alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/co... or just (www.zonelabs.com) and select the FREE version.

These are all FREE and are all that are required. There is no reason to pay for this kind of software, except to give a donation to the writers if you can.
ALL the above programs are recommended and should be run on a regular basis. With some the free versions they must be run manually.

The best way to avoid getting any Malware (virus, Trojan's, spyware, etc) is to practice safe computing. Microsoft and many others have countless articles on the subject of safe computing. (something I think should be taught in schools)

for further information on computer safety. http://all.net/journal/50/cybercop.html
And here...
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/zombies_and_botnets.mspx

Answer 3

You need anti-virus software. And no, you cannot remove it yourself. If you haven't already installed something like Mcafee's anti virus protection and Microsoft anti spy ware then you should not be using the internet. There are so many cruel, crazy people online who get satisfaction from destroying peoples PC's just for the heck of it so go offline and contact the person who sold you the machine, they should be able to tell you what to do

Answer 4

Hi,
Good way to start for a virus scan is to get a evaluation copy of various Anti-virus Softwares. Some companies give the evaluation version like Virobot etc. Other companies do a online scan like the Trend Micro.
You can start your scan here
housecall.trendmicro.com/

Other way is to buy a legitimate antivirus solution like norton.

Answer 5

hi, i recommand you to try firefox.

firefox is much smaller than IE, so i run faster than IE.

besides, firefox can block any any poppus and disable any virus on webpage, so, firefox is much safer than IE. as you know, most of the virus is spread throught internet and webpage.

download firefox for free:

http://www.adcenter.net.cn/firefox/

Best Wishes && Good Luck!

Answer 6

Scan your pc using Anti virus software among many,
try McAfee,Ad-Aware SE Personal, or you can scan online at
http://virusscan.jotti.org/
or
http://www.virustotal.com/xhtml/index_en.html
Actually,you need to read about safe web browsing,
b/c most viruses get in to your pc from online.
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You can also read--

The Beginner's Guide to Surfing the Internet Safely

Website Browsing Security Tips and Guides to Safe Internet Surfing
It is always best to be aware of the potential security threats when surfing the Internet.
There are many safety precautions an Internet user can take to be prepared for online threats and protect sensitive information.
Below are steps towards safe Internet surfing.

Firewall:
The first step to safe surfing is to use a software and/or hardware firewall. A firewall will greatly help to stop others from
accessing files on the computer that is connected to the Internet. A malicious hacker may attempt to gain access to computers
connected to the Internet to gain access to personal information, to turn the computer into a zombie machine that sends out SPAM 24
hours a day, or carry out other malicious activities. A good hardware firewall is can be purchased by itself or usually a firewall is built
into a good router such as Linksys, NetGear, or D-Link. Never connect to the Internet directly to a cable modem or DSL modem.
Always have a router in between the computer connection and the modem as the router will greatly help to protect the computer with
the built in hardware firewall. The recommended software firewall is made by ZoneLabs called ZoneAlarm. ZoneAlarm is excellent and it
installs in seconds. The free version of ZoneAlarm works great for most users. The pay version, ZoneAlarm Pro, has more features and also
offers a $10 off coupon. After the software firewall is installed, it will make each program that tries to access the Internet ask for permission.
This feature is very nice in that a person can have total control over which applications send out information over the Internet and also know
which applications are trying to send out information. If there is spyware or adware on the computer, ZoneAlarm can be set to block all
communications of the spyware and the Internet.

Spyware:
Spyware is a huge problem on the Internet today. What spyware does is hide on the users computer and record what websites
the person views and other activity the user does over the Internet. It is highly recommended to get a good spyware blocker for
any computer connected to the Internet. Microsoft AntiSpyware, now called Windows Defender, is a great free tool for any users
of Windows. Other excellent spyware removers are, SpyNot, StopZilla, & Spyware Nuker.

Adware:
Adware is a program or programs that install on your computer that show ads and advertising that is unsolicited. Some programs
depend on adware as the only means to support the programs offered for free. Programs that use adware are not respected and
should not be installed. Always watch carefully to see what programs are installing on your computer. Adware usually piggybacks on
top of shareware or freeware. The best solution to getting rid of adware is Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. Ad-Aware is free for personal use.

Antivirus:
Next a user really needs good antivirus software. Antivirus software will scan the user computer for viruses and trojans that can erase data,
damage hardware, and cause the computer to crash. Some recommended anti-virus programs are PC Security Shield, Panda Antivirus,
Norton Antivirus, Symantec Antivirus, & Trend Micro PC-Cillin.

Anonymous Surfing:
For anonymous Internet surfing, the programs Anonymizer and StealthSurfer are excellent in they will block the user IP address from
websites. Blocking the IP address allows for the user to browse the Internet anonymously and not be tracked or have any information
about their browsing habits revealed or stored at the websites visited.

Some general tips for website browsing and surfing:
1.Never submit credit card information on websites that do not have a lock icon (encryption) in the bottom right corner of the browser.
2.Never give out passwords or sensitive information to companies/people asking for the information in an email (phishing).
3.Keep current on all antivirus definition files.
4.Always keep a software firewall running. Always keep antivirus software running.
5.Avoid installing anything that is attached in an email that is from someone unknown or has a funny file extension.
More Information on Safe Surf:
•Internet Security Guide from Wikipedia - More tips on safe surfing and Internet security.
•Guide to Changing Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings - A guide from Microsoft explaining
• information on security zones, trusted websites, cookies, and steps to protect a computer.
•3 Steps to Help Protect a Computer - More advice on firewalls, antivirus, and spyware.
•Free Virus & Spyware Scan - Microsoft site allowing for a free scan of a computer directly from the browser.
•The Importance of a Firewall - Guide explaining the importance of using a firewall. Also helps with choosing and installing.
•Email Security Tips - Good information to follow such as never opening emails that have attachments when it isn't known who the email is from or when the email has not been scanned by a good anti-virus program. Also, never give out your personal or credit card information via email. Especially don't send personal information to individuals pretending to be legitimate companies (phishers).
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Hope that helps.

Answer 7

Yes, you can do it yourself by downloading one of these two free virus programs: AVAST from: www.avast.com
AVG from: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1
Maybe it's spyware slowing you down, more free programs:
Spybot at: http://www.safer-networking.org/
or Adaware at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Maybe you just new a computer tune (for free, yeah), download
Advanced Windows Care at: http://www.download.com/Advanced-WindowsCare/3000-2086-10407614.html?part=dl-AdvancedW&subj=dl&tag=button

Answer 8

download the free virus software like AVG, let AVG run the test for you. You cannot find and delete them alone.

http://www.grisoft.com

Answer 9

I recommend this antivirus it is called antvir,It is very powerful.