How to use Anti-virus software to remove a virus   

A virus can invade a computer by email, through a browser, an executable file or a even from a CD or flash drive. They can bring a computer to a halt and render it inoperative until they are removed.

Some viruses, trojans and worms can be very difficult to remove. And in that instance you are better getting a professional computer repair company to remove the virus infection. But not before you've had a go at removing it yourself. It might save you a few quid.

There are many antivirus programs to choose from but even the most expensive ones can't guarantee to stop all viruses infecting your computer. But they are a good place to start. So, if you suspect you have an infection, the first thing that you should do is to download the latest version of a well known brand of antivirus software (that is if you do not have one) - something like Norton Antivirus. Don't bother with Mcafee - it's overrated. Install it into your computer and follow these steps:

1. Bring your antivirus software up-to-date. If you have an outdated version, find updates online and install it. An updated version of antivirus software will surely detect and clean more viruses than an old one.
2. Bring your virus database up-to-date. Your antivirus software may not detect new viruses if the virus database is not updated. Also, older viruses can be identified more easily with an updated virus database.
3. Scan for viruses. A complete scan is recommended to search every drive and folders where the viruses might be hiding. However, this may take a long time especially if you have a large capacity hard drive or when you have multiple hard drives.
4. Kill the virus. Your antivirus software should present you with options whether to remove the detected viruses automatically or prompt you on what to do with them. The quarantine option though will not remove the file containing the virus; it will just place the infected file into an archive where they cannot do any more harm. This is useful when you want to send the file to your antivirus maker for their analysis.
5. Repair the files that got infected. Check the registry of infected files because some of them can be repaired. However, do not repair executable files. Based on my experience, 99% of infected executable files do not work properly after the repair. It is better to reinstall all the executable files.

Back to DIY articles