Okie.
Now that your computer is clean, we will need to remove the tools we downloaded as they are no longer needed.
Please download
OTCleanIt and save it to your desktop.
Double click on
OTCleanIt.exe. Click on
CleanUp!.
You will receive a prompt that it needs to restart the computer to remove the files. Click
Yes.
It will restart your computer automatically. If it doesn't, please restart your computer manually.
Create a new, clean System Restore point- Click on Start > Control Panel.
- Double click on System.
- On the left, click on the System Protection link.
- At the bottom right hand corner, click on the Create... button.
- Give this System Restore point a descriptive name and click on Create.
- You should receive a prompt that a System Restore point is created successfully. Click OK to confirm.
- Click OK again to close the System Protection window. Then close Control Panel.
Warning: Do not clear infected System Restore points before creating a new System Restore point first!
Please read the above to create a new System Restore point first, then clear out the infected System Restore points.Clear infected System Restore points- Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools.
- Right click on Disk Cleanup and select Run As Administrator to run it. UAC will prompt. Allow it.
- Select your C drive and click OK.
- Select the More Options tab.
- Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click on the Clean up... button.
- You will receive a prompt. Click on Delete to delete the old System Restore points.
- When done, click OK. You will receive another prompt. Click Delete Files to confirm.
- When done, Disk Cleanup will automatically close.
Hide system files- Open My Computer.
- Go to Tools > Folder Options.
- Select the View tab.
- Scroll down to Hidden files and folders.
- Select Do not show hidden files and folders.
- Check (tick) Hide extensions of known file types.
- Check (tick) Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
- Click OK.
- Close My Computer.
Here are some ways to prevent an infection again. There's no need to install all programs recommended.
Keep your system updatedMicrosoft releases patches for Windows and Office products regularly to patch up Windows and Office products loopholes and fix any bugs found. Please ensure that you visit the following websites regularly or do update your system regularly.
Install the updates immediately if they are found. Reboot your computer if necessary, revisit Windows Update and Office update sites until there are no more updates to be installed.
To update WindowsGo to
Start >
All Programs >
Windows UpdateTo update OfficeOpen up any Office program.
Go to
Help >
Check for UpdatesAlternatively, you can visit the links below to update Windows and Office products.
Windows UpdateOffice UpdateIf you are forgetful, you can change some settings so that you will be informed of updates. Here's how:
- Go to Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates
- Select Automatic (recommended) radio button if you want the updates to be downloaded and installed without prompting you.
- Select Download updates for me, but let me chose when to install them radio button if you want the updates to be downloaded automatically but to be installed at another time.
- Select Notify me but don't automatically download or install them radio button if you want to be notified of the updates.
Besides Windows that needs regular updating, antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall programs update regularly too.
Please make sure that you update your antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware programs at least once a week.
Be careful when opening attachments and downloading files.- Never open email attachments, not even if they are from someone you know. If you need to open them, scan them with your antivirus program before opening.
- Never open emails from unknown senders.
- Beware of emails that warn about viruses that are spreading, especially those from antivirus vendors. These email addresses can be easily spoofed. Check the antivirus vendor websites to be sure.
- Be careful of what you download. Only download files from known sources. Also, avoid cracked programs. If you need a particular program that costs too much for you, try finding free alternatives on Sourceforge or Pricelessware.
Surf safelyMany of the exploits are directed to users of Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Using
Firefox with
NoScript add-on helps to prevent most exploits from running as NoScript by default disables all scripts on all websites. If you trust the website, you can manually allow it.
If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, here are some settings to change to improve the security of Internet Explorer.
For Internet Explorer 7Please read
this article to configure Internet Explorer 7 properly.
Stop malicious scriptsWindows by default allow scripts (which is VBScript and JavaScript) to run and some of these scripts are malicious. Use
Noscript by Symantec or
Script Defender by AnalogX to handle these scripts.
Backup regularlyYou never know when your PC will become unstable or become so infected that you can't recover it. Follow this
Microsoft article to learn how to backup. Follow
this article by Microsoft to restore your backups.
Alternatively, you can use 3rd-party programs to back up your data. One example can be found at
Bleeping Computer.
Avoid P2PP2P may be a great way to get lots of stuffs, but it is a great way to get infected as well. There's no way to tell if the file being shared is infected. Worse still, some worms spread via P2P networks, infecting you as well. If you do need to use them, use them sparingly. Check this list of
clean and infected P2P programs if you need to use one.
Prevent a re-infection- Winpatrol
Winpatrol is heuristic protection program, meaning it looks for patterns in codes that work like malware. It also takes a snapshot of your system's critical resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without you knowing. You can read more about Winpatrol's features here.
You can get a free copy of Winpatrol or use the Plus version for more features.
You can read Winpatrol's FAQ if you run into problems.
- Spyware Blaster
SpywareBlaster is a program that is used to secure Internet Explorer by making it harder for ActiveX programs to run on your computer. It does this by disabling known offending ActiveX programs from running at all.
You can download SpywareBlaster from Javacool.
If you need help in using SpywareBlaster, you can read SpywareBlaster's tutorial at Bleeping Computer.
- SpywareGuard
Just as an antivirus program scans a file for viruses before opening it, SpywareGuard does the same thing, except that it scans it for spywares.
You can download SpywareGuard from Javacool.
If you need help in using SpywareGuard, you can SpywareGuard's tutorial at Bleeping Computer.
- IE-SPYAD
IE-SPYAD adds over 5000 sites to your Internet Explorer restricted zone so that you will be protected if the website turns out to be a bad one. Sites that are in the restricted zone of Internet Explorer can't have any scripts ran, no downloads and cookies. However, you can still connect to these sites.
You can download IE-SPYAD from Spyware Warrior. Be sure to read the whole website carefully for instructions on usage of IE-SPYAD.
- Hosts File
A Hosts file is like a phone book. You look up someone's name in the phone book before calling him/her. Similarly, your PC will look up the website's IP address before you can view the website.
Hosts file will replace your current Hosts file with another one containing well-known advertisement sites, spyware sites and other bad sites. This new Hosts file will protect you by re-directing these bad sites to 127.0.0.1.
Here are some Hosts files:
MVPS Hosts File
Bluetack's Hosts File
Bluetack's Host Manager
hpHosts
A tutorial about Hosts File can be found at Malware Removal.
- Spybot Search and Destroy
Spybot Search & Destroy is another program for scanning spywares and adwares. Not only so, it has other preventive options as well. You are strongly encouraged to run a scan at least once per week.
Spybot Search & Destroy can be downloaded from here.
If you need help in using Spybot Search & Destroy, you can read Spybot Search and Destroy tutorial at Bleeping Computer.
- a-squared Free
a-squared Free is also another program for scanning spywares and adwares. It doesn't have preventive features like Spybot Search & Destroy though.
You can download a-squared Free from here.
Before downloading any anti-spyware programs, always check the Rogue/Suspect list of anti-spyware programs and Malwarebytes RogueNET. This will save you from a lot of trouble. If in doubt, don't ever download it.
- SiteHound Toolbar
SiteHound is a toolbar that warns you if you go to a site that is known to scam people, that has potentially lots of viruses or spywares or has questionable contents. If you know the site, you can enter it; if you don't, it will bring you back to the previous page. Currently, SiteHound works for Internet Explorer and Firefox only.
Here are some more things to read about:
List of clean and infected download managersConfiguring SkypeGreater email safetyPhishing - what is it?Configuring Outlook ExpressThe Unofficial Cookie FAQSecuring your home wireless network80 Super Security TipsThe different classes of security softwares