Do You Think Your PC Has a Virus

Do You Think Your PC Has a Virus

My Recommendation, Remove Third-party Antivirus
If You Are Having Issues With Chrome Browser, Try the Chrome Cleanup Tool
Five Tools I Recommend for Malware Scanning
Legally Download a Clean Version of Windows Directly From Microsoft

A computer virus is a malicious code that replicates by copying itself to another program, computer boot sector, or document and changes how a computer works. The virus requires someone to knowingly or unknowingly spread the infection without the knowledge or permission of a user. A computer worm is programming that does not require human interaction to advance. Viruses and worms may also be known as malware.

Browser hijacking is a form of unwanted software that modifies a web browser’s settings without a user’s permission, to insert unsolicited advertising into the user’s browser. A browser hijacker may replace the existing home page, error page, or search engine with its own.

My Recommendation, Remove Third-party Antivirus

Most computer users have one of the highly advertised 3rd party security suites Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, Kaspersky, or AVG Internet Security. A new computer may have security software installed by the manufacturer (usually a trial version). A subscription from your Internet provider (Verizon or Comcast) or perhaps you bought it in a store.

However, you came to have one of these products installed on your machine. I recommend you uninstall any 3rd party Antivirus by following these removal instructions, doing so will allow the free built-in Windows Security in Windows 10 to activate automatically. You will save money and more importantly let your computer operate faster with fewer warning messages and pop-ups.

Note: Usually uninstall is available in the All Programs folders if not use the add/remove feature built into Windows. If this uninstall doesn’t wholly remove McAfee or Norton Security then you use one of the tools below.

Uninstall 3rd party antivirus from a Windows 10 computer.
How to uninstall or reinstall supported McAfee consumer products using the McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool (MCPR.exe)
The Norton Removal Tool uninstalls all Norton 2003 and later products, Norton 360, and Norton SystemWorks

Learn to use your system: Getting Started Tutorials for Windows.

If You Are Having Issues With Chrome Browser Try These Instructions

Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups & malware

If you’re seeing some of these problems with Chrome, you might have unwanted software or malware installed on your computer:

Pop-up ads and new tabs that won’t go away
Your Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission
Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back
Your browsing is hijacked and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads
Alerts about a virus or an infected device

In the future, avoid unwanted software by only downloading files or visiting sites that you know are secure.

Block or allow pop-ups in Chrome

By default, Google Chrome blocks pop-ups from automatically showing up on your screen. When a pop-up is blocked, the address bar will be marked Pop-up blocked. You can also decide to allow pop-ups.

If you still get pop-ups after disabling them:

You may have previously subscribed to receive notifications from a site. You can block notifications if you don’t want any communications from a site to show up on your screen.

There is malware that causes messages to appear in your Chrome browser with a button to link labeled “Get Chrome Cleanup Tool” or similar wording. These unexpected links should never be clicked or followed. Do not click buttons or links that suddenly appear under any circumstances.

Tools and tips to help you stay safe online. by Google

Here Are Five Tools I Recommend for Malware Scanning:

Windows Security built into Windows 10 it uses real-time protection to scan everything you download or run on your PC.
- To force an immediate scan in Windows 10, click the Start button, and then select Settings > Update & security > Choose Windows Security from the left menu list. Click the “Open Windows Security” button, click Virus & Threat protection shield choose Quick Scan or Scan Options, and choose “Full Scan and/or Windows Defender Offline scan” (see step 3 below for details). Be patient the scan will take quite a while; you can continue to use your computer during the scan.
Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. If you have Windows 7 and do Windows updates the latest version of Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MRT) is already downloaded on your computer. Click the Start Flag and type MRT hit the Enter key, answer yes to the popup window. To bring up the Welcome to Malicious Software Removal Tool window, click the “Next” button and choose the “Full Scan” option. The scanner will check every file on your hard drive. The process will take some time (an hour or more) to start it when you are finished using your computer for a while.
This link will take you to detailed instructions for the Windows Defender Offline tool.
Microsoft Safety Scanner: The Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool. It provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It works with your existing antivirus software. The Microsoft Safety Scanner is not a replacement for using an antivirus software program that provides ongoing protection.
- Note: The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires ten days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and rerun the Microsoft Safety Scanner.
Sophos Virus Removal Tool – Infected with a virus? Unsure whether your existing antivirus software has detected and removed it? Are you still having problems and unsure where to turn to next? Sophos Virus Removal Tool can help.

Determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system.

At the lower-left of the screen, Right Click the Flag icon (start button), choose System. In the System Properties window, find your System type, which lists your operating system and CPU type.

Stop Trying to Clean Your Infected Computer! Just Nuke it and Reinstall Windows by How-To-Geek – Trying to clean an infected Windows system and ensure it’s clean and safe afterward. It’s usually not a good idea to do this — reinstall Windows and start over.
How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10, the Easy Way by How-To-Geek – The Windows 10 upgrade process drags old files, settings, and programs from your previous Windows system to your new one. If you want a completely new system, though, you have a couple of options. A Clean Install is particularly useful if you’ve purchased a new Windows 10 PC and it includes manufacturer-installed bloatware you don’t want.
How to Reinstall Windows on Your Computer by How-To-Geek. Reinstalling Windows is one of the easiest ways to fix software problems on your computer, whether it’s running slow or infected by viruses. You should also reinstall Windows before you get rid of an old PC.

Legally Download a Clean Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 Iso Directly From Microsoft

Use this link to download an ISO file to do a clean reinstall of Windows on a machine that has currently been running Windows 10 without a license key. Reinstall of Win 7 and 8.1 will require a valid Windows key. With all the recent discussions about junkware infecting new computers. It looks like Microsoft is stepping up its game to help Windows users be able to install a clean version of the operating system.

This site also has downloads for reinstalling Office. 2010 – 2013 – Office 365 or Office 2016
Note: Office 2007 went out of support Oct 17 and MS has since removed the installation file from the Office Backup site. You need the original install media/disk.