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3.1. These notes on malware
are not intended to provide detailed advice on computer
security. They are included because to troubleshoot and
resolve computer problems it is essential to know that
the computer you are working on is most likely free of
malware.
3.2.
An anti-virus programme should be installed on your
computer. You should only install one as two will
commonly conflict. If you are replacing existing
anti-virus software remove the exising installation
before installing the replacement. Failure to do this
can result in a damaged installation of the replacement.
3.3. A wide range of paid
and freeware anti-virus products exists in shops and
online. My preference is for a
standalone product. I do not favour composite security
products. Microsoft Security Essentials is installed on
my Windows 7 desktop
computer, AVG Free on my Windows 7 laptop, and Windows Defender on
my Windows 8 desktop. A number of other alternative
acceptable freeware products are available to home
computer users online.
I do not recommend Norton and McAfee as I consider them
to be poor choices. Both can cause conflicts with other
software and interfere with the way Windows is designed
to function.
3.4. When installing software, users need to be wary of
add-ons with security and other products. Registry cleaners and
optimisers are commonly included and using these often
give negligible benefits and have the potential to
create difficult to resolve errors. They can undermine
rather than enhance system performance.
3.5. On my computers I deploy the freeware version of Malwarebytes in support of the installed anti-virus.
Download and install Malwarebytes (freeware version for home users
only
-not the Trial version). When installing watch the
checked boxes as you need to uncheck a box accepting the
trial version, update definitions and run in
normal mode.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free
3.6. I use
the Windows Firewall.
3.7. If you suspect the
presence of malware I recommend that you run Disk
CleanUp or cCleaner to remove temporary files as this
will reduce scanning times by security software. Update
definitions and run Malwarebyes after disabling
other security software. Run Malwarebytes in
preference to the installed anti-virus software as if
anything is there to be found it will have evaded the
resident protection provided by the anti-virus software.
If malware is detected check for parasitic software.
3.8.
Parasitic software, when present, can result in
significantly lower system performance, especially when
browsing the internet. ADWCleaner is an effective tool
to remove parasites. Download
and run ADWCleaner and remove all that it finds.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/
You may choose to take the precaution of creating a
system restore point before running ADWCleaner, to guard
against unforeseen consequences. Select Start, Control
Panel, System, System Protection, and click the
Create
button.
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