Utilities for Virus removal

[Merlin33069]

In my time in the computer business I have acquired some utilities that I use for cleaning Malware off of computers, these utilities work in most cases of a Malware infestation on a single computer.

Each program or utility has a scenario in which it should be considered and MOST of these utilities can be very dangerous to use without the ability to distinguish between REAL threats and FALSE positives, the programs can lead to the removal of certain files or settings required for some programs to run and so no changes should be made lightly.

I won’t go into detail about any one specific program in this thread; I can do so later if it is requested.

The utilities I use are (The ones that are actually useful and in no particular order):

Utilities in this section are generally quite fast at scanning and have good detection rates

ADWCleaner – This is one of my favorite programs and I run it on almost every single computer I touch, it searches for and removes toolbars and add-ons from internet browsers in an efficient and thorough manner.

MSConfig – While it doesn’t technically remove the viruses and it technically is not in my toolkit it goes without saying that this is a very good and effective tool at helping to find and remove malware.

MCAfee Anti Root kit – This Lightning fast scanner has a limited number of Malware programs that it can detect, but it seems quite good at those. see what is a rootkit virus.

Rkill – A general purpose virus killer, this utility will not remove a virus but it might be able to stop one so that you can run other programs.

RogueKiller – One of the most in depth and thorough virus scanners in this part of the list, it will find a whole slew of baddies and will alert you (with a flashing red warning symbol) of any REALLY bad Malware it finds. (Zero Access for example)

TdssKiller – When this one launches I always go into the Change Parameters and select Verify File Digital Signatures and Detect TDSS File System, this can cause several false positives to show up, but it can also fish out hidden Malware that may have been missed otherwise, I do not recommend selecting any ADDITIONAL removal options unless you know what you are doing (it comes up with a list of things to remove on its own, don’t change it unless you’re brave.) See how to use TDSSKiller.

Utilities in this section take longer to scan but are more thorough scanners

MBAR (Malware Bytes Anti-Root kit) – This anti-root kit tool (by our favorite Anti-Virus vendor!) is a very good program to have on hand, it’s very good and I have yet to have any issues with it, however, note that you cannot run MBAR and MBAM at the same time, they conflict and the second will not open. Be sure to run it with all options.

Trend Micro Root kit Buster – This is a very thorough scanner and can throw out a decent number of false positives when checking for everything.

MBAM (Malware Bytes Anti-Malware) – A very good Anti-Virus Scanner, and the only anti-virus scanner I carry with me that has to be installed to use, always make sure it’s up to date and always try to do full scans (because a quick scan is silly in virus removal) This program will cure most of your problems. Dr.

Web CureIt – This program is only free for personal use, it’s a unique scanner and seems to be quite thorough, and I have yet to get any false positives out of this program.

Expert-Level Programs

Up to this point I have listed off Anti-Root kit and Anti-Virus programs that are designed to scan and fix Malware infestations, the next few are Expert-Level programs that should not be used to make any changes unless you are working under the guidance of an expert. Ever.

Hijack this – A tool that you have doubtless seen countless times on other malware removal sites, this tool will find and list a large selection of system settings that are not at their default value and list them to you. A lot of the entries WILL be legitimate and REQUIRED for certain programs to run

LSPFix – A program that is designed to fix a specific type of problem with your internet connection, either because of a corrupt entry or a Malware infection, however the settings that this program changes are VERY sensitive and are changed for a variety of reasons.

ShexView – This program will list and allow you to edit all of the shell extensions on your computer, while the ones that are non-Microsoft are usually OK to disable without causing any problems there are still some issues that might crop up from improper use.

ComboFix – I have only used this program 4 times in the last year, and of those times if has only fixed the problem I was having once. This is a very powerful tool that should not be used except when literally every other option has failed and research on the problem does not turn up any results.

RegEdit – Once again, technically not in my toolkit, but it is a very powerful tool that can be used to find and remove Malware infestations.

Of course I have several other utilities in my collection, but these are the ones that I use for removing viruses.

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