In our last blog we discussed how to diagnose whether your computer has been infected by a virus or malware (or any other kind of insert-prefix-here ware). It’s important to be able to diagnose the problem. But a diagnosis without a plan of action to fix your computer’s affliction is about as useful as going to the doctor, finding out you have strep throat and just going back home (not very useful).
Typically, the doctor would take you through some tests, tell you what’s wrong and then write you a prescription. That’s fine for most people, but drugs can sometimes be more trouble than their worth (just listen to the side effects attributed to Nasonex) in which case people might opt for a more grassroots approach, like homeopathy. Which approach is better? We can’t say but we do know that just as there are a variety of ways to recover from an ailment yourself there are also multiple options to help your computer recover from a virus.
Computer Viruses and How to Beat Them
The Homeopathic Remedy
So maybe you’ve had a bad experience dealing with prescription medication (or IT professionals) in the past. Or maybe you’re just ready to try something new. Either way, you’ve decided to take the health of your computer into your own hands by using the “all natural approach.” While we do not strongly recommend this option we would like to give you some idea of what’s out there.
For Windows
This should only be attempted if you have significant experience with the Windows registry, I repeat you should only attempt to remove a virus manually if you know the ins-and-outs of the Windows registry. In order to remove the virus you will first need to run your antivirus program so that you may identify the source of the affliction. From there you will have to find the source of the virus. If you don’t know what to delete, do not delete it. You could end up removing a perfectly safe program that is essential to your computers operating system, which could ultimately ruin your computer.
For Mac
Good news for Mac users, your computers are traditionally very safe. But, in June 2011 Apple became aware of a phishing scam that claims to provide software that will remove a virus from an infected machine (a virus your computer doesn’t have). If you download it, it will download the virus ( MacDefender, MacProtector or MacSecurity) to your computer and it will do everything in its’ power to seek out your credit card information. Here’s how to remove it.
The Prescription Method
If you do not have significant experience removing viruses from your computer we urge you to contact one of our IT professionals instead of making a mistake that could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. You can contact us at (516) 484-5151 or e-mail us at support@tcitechs.com. We’ll walk you through the necessary steps to get your computer healthy again. We look forward to hearing from you!
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