Topic: Avoiding/Detecting/Removing Viruses - page 2. (Read 360 times)

Like what suspicious files are these? Cracks? Torrents? ROMs? If you need to download these files then you won't think of it as suspicious.

The better term would be, download files on their official website or make it a habit to read reviews. Sometimes these files can also be found in a forum so reviews are available.

The bottom line, the virus will not enter the system if no one allows it. Always think before we click.

Some people become victims when they attempt to download Free or cracked versions of files from source like Torrents in away to try to avoid paying for license or products key but this is a very dangerous practice because most of those files are usually embedded with malicious code.

It's therefore important that users download trusted files from only official websites, and not just download and install but also verify the signature of the file before installing.

I think also if you have a preexisting virus an AV can't remove, you might have to get a boot able disk which you can either get a computer store to run or run yourself using the tools it has to run more advanced forensics and remove them from your machine. I haven't actually done this myself and the obvious next step I have done is just put a new drive in and start again from scratch (copying stuff across with an AV that can detect problems where necessary)...

Everyone hates viruses lol, they can take your personal info as well as your money. So I've written some ways of avoid/detecing/removing viruses.

Avoiding/Detecting Viruses

- Don't download suspicious files
Kind of obvious, but just putting it out there
Pros: Quick, easy to do, free
Cons: Sometimes you just need to download these files

- Using Virustotal
Virustotal is a website that will scan your file/link for suspicious and/or malicious downloads.
Pros: Quick, easy to use, free
Cons: Sometimes there are "false positives" (says there is a virus when there isn't)

- Don't put unknown USBs or removable medias into your PC
They kind also infect your PC even if you don't open the files on the USB
Pros: Easy, Free
Cons: None really, unless you will die of curiosity if you don't open the USB

- Use a firewall
Buy a hardware firewall (like a router). Microsoft includes a software firewall in its operating system
Pros: Easy to download/buy
Cons: Costs some money

Removing Viruses

- Antivirus
Use a known antivirus (can be free but paid is better). I suggest MalwareBytes, they also have a 14 day free premium trial without credit card
Pros: Easy to download, free (if you don't get paid version)
Cons: Might take a while for the antivirus to detect your viruses and remove them, might not work with advanced viruses

- Windows Defender
You can scan for viruses with windows defender, and you will have the option of removing detected viruses or keeping them (don't know why'd you do that)
Pros: Free, easy to use
Cons: Also might not detect advanced viruses

This tutorial was primarily made for newbies who don't have much computer knowledge.

Hope this helped someone and have a great day.