HOME
TOPICS
SEARCH
ABOUT ME
MAIL

 
If you can't get it running normally again, your best bet is to reinstall Windows.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Dealing with a virus attack, Part 2: Act immediately and get rid of the virus first


Sept. 13, 2000

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, The Syracuse Newspapers

   If you're sure your Windows PC has a virus, you have to take action immediately. I explained last week how to make your initial determinations. This week it's time for the heavy-duty stuff.
   It's time to get out the ammunition.
   This means you should not do anything else on that PC until the virus has been eradicated. Look for a menu option in the AV software that will delete any virus that's found and use it. If you don't see such an option, call the company that makes the AV program and get help.
   The safest option, if you see more than one, is to delete the virus. Don't fall for the idea of a quarantine, one of the options in many AV programs. Quarantine means the virus is still in your computer but is walled off or anesthetized. This is crazy. Kill it. (It's not a real creature. You're not being kind or avoiding hurting its feelings by keeping it alive. A virus is a bad, bad computer program. Get rid of it.)
   After you get rid of the virus, immediately run your AV program in its strongest mode. Scan everything, not just files that are normally suspect. Don't take chances.
   What if the virus did a lot of damage?
   If your computer won't boot up right and it's more than a year old, try booting up into Safe Mode. Press the F8 key as soon as you see Starting Windows 95 (or Starting Windows 98) on the screen. You'll see a menu. Press the number that corresponds to Safe Mode.
   If you can get Windows running in Safe Mode, shut the computer down (using the Start Menu's Shut Down option) and start it up again after five minutes. It might boot up normally. If it does, do a heavy-duty AV scan immediately. Monitor the computer carefully for the next week or so.
   If you can't get it running normally again, your best bet is to reinstall Windows. Check to see if your PC came with a rescue CD, also called a restore CD. It will put everything back the way things were when the PC was made. Your PC's manual should tell you how to use it. If you aren't sure, call the company that made the computer and ask.
   If you don't have a restore or rescue CD, you'll have to reinstall Windows yourself. Instructions are on my Web site. Go to http://twcny.rr.com/technofile and search for "reinstalling Windows." (Don't type in the quotes when you search.)
   Reinstalling from scratch is the only effective way to fix Windows when it's crippled by a virus. You'll lose everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) on your PC when you do that, so copy whatever you need first.
   Please remember that there's no point in saving your programs. They have to be reinstalled from the original disks. Just save your documents (things you've created), your bookmarks or favorites and, if you need to, your stored e-mail messages and addresses.