Virus Repair and Removal

Virus repair and removal is probably one of the scariest things that you can do on a computer.

Don't ignore it - unlike a human virus, it's unlikely to go away on its own.

Specialist anti virus software helps. But what to use and how to catch the software your anti-virus program misses?

How To Virus Repair Your Computer

If you haven't already got anti virus software on your computer, you should install some now. Get anti virus software here.

If your anti-virus program has been nagging you that it is out of date, it's time to follow the on-screen instructions it will give you for updating. Even if it means spending some cash!

New computer viruses come out all the time, so you need to make sure that your protection is always up to date.

Assuming that you've done this and your computer says there is a virus problem, go through the steps below.

Virus Repair Checklist

As soon as your computer alerts you to a virus problem, unplug your internet and network cables. If you're on a wireless network, disconnect from that.
If you don't have any anti-virus software installed, get some now. Download it using an uninfected computer from somewhere like here or get a CD from your local computer store.
Examine your anti-virus software logs to find out where the virus attack happened. Re-run your scanner if necessary (some programs are less helpful than others in telling you where they store this kind of data).
If your software offers to disinfect the virus, accept the offer. If it doesn't do this, it could be time to change to a better ant-virus program.
Re-run your virus scanner once the offending virus file has been removed from your system.
If your system comes up clean, connect to the internet and check that you have the latest anti virus updates. If necessary, download the new updates and re-run the anti-virus software again.
Check your anti virus program options to make sure that it regularly updates your virus files in future. There's usually a menu option that allows you to do this - check through all the options or the help file to find out how.