# Virus/Malware Removal Guide for Windows **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024 "2012-01-28T21:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/1 "2012-01-28T21:31:53Z")
Hi everyone, I would like to share my malware removal guide with all of you. It contains step by step instructions on how to remove malware from a computer. It’s still a work in progress. I would appreciate any feedback. 🙂 > [@](#): > > This guide will help you clean your computer of malware. If you think your computer is infected with a virus or some other malicious software, you may want to use this guide. It contains instructions that, if done correctly and in order, will remove most malware infections on a Windows operating system. It highlights the tools and resources that are necessary to clean your system. Links removed ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/2 "2012-01-28T21:40:05Z")
Reported for forum change or spam removal. ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/3 "2012-01-28T21:48:21Z")
I am simply sharing a useful resource. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/4 "2012-01-28T21:50:08Z")
We don’t know you, so we assume yiou are just promoting your website. Or worse, phishing for suckers. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/5 "2012-01-28T21:50:43Z")
Although the delivery here is a little spammy, the linked site is not only useful, but appears not to be selling anything or even reaping ad revenue. Seems a shame to trash this… ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/6 "2012-01-28T22:02:55Z")
Thank you, Mike. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/7 "2012-01-28T22:06:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Although the delivery here is a little spammy, the linked site is not only useful, but appears not to be selling anything or even reaping ad revenue. Seems a shame to trash this… However, the OP has posted the same thing in numerous other forums. ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/8 "2012-01-28T22:14:07Z")
Hi, You are correct. I have posted my guide in other forums. Did you take a look at any of the comments? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/9 "2012-01-28T23:37:52Z")
Brian, It looks legit and, as **Mangetout** says, no harmful links. It was started in our General Questions forum, but as I see no GQ here, let’s move it to MPSIMS. **samclem** , MOderator ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/10 "2012-01-28T23:48:28Z")
Hi samclem, Thanks. I appreciate it. By the way, I’m also a numismatic. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/11 "2012-01-28T23:54:24Z")
\*Numisma **tist**. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/12 "2012-01-29T01:06:01Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > We don’t know you, so we assume yiou are just promoting your website. Or worse, phishing for suckers. It’s certainly not unhealthy to err on the side of suspicion (given the nature of advice on the linked site in question, I expect the OP would actually agree). However, in this case, it appears to be someone who has just collated and composed a fairly comprehensive resource about malware and is offering it up to the internet at large, just because that’s a good thing to do. I can’t see any evidence of a profit motive, and the advice and listed solutions are all pretty sound - (and the site is quite nice too - functional and simple). (I realise that might make it sound like I have a stake in this too - but as far as I’m aware, I have not met the OP before) ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/13 "2012-01-29T22:12:45Z")
WOT Reputation: Links removed Thanks, Mike. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/14 "2012-01-29T23:29:46Z")
Who’s Mike? ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/15 "2012-01-30T00:38:45Z")
Mangetout. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/16 "2012-01-30T04:25:38Z")
I have a few questions: 1. My system (Vista) is virus free at the moment, and SpyBot only occasionally detects malware, and sometimes it tells me the only way to safely remove it, is to run it as an admin. Is that a good policy for all virus/malware removal tools? 2. I use Advanced System Care as well, and both _always_ find at least 200 or so registry errors. sometimes even when I run it twice. Surely that’s not normal? (yeah, I know. Don’t call you Shirley;)) 3. And for economic reasons, I use MSE as my virus program, but that thing is aggravatin as hell. Every day I see an orange icon on the tray telling me my system may be unprotected, since I haven’t run a scan in x amount of days, and would I like to run a scan now. Well, I have that program set to run at “full” every day at 3 am. Shoud I still trust it? I had AVG FREE, but uninstalled it, using their uninstall tool and it’s completely gone. I did copy and paste your instructions, even though they’re a little difficult to understand, given my being mentally challenged, but we have a family member who’s a wiz with computers, so that won’t be a problem. I’ll just hook him to remote and have him take a look. Thanks for posting your link. Hope I never have to use it! Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/17 "2012-01-30T05:28:26Z")
Links removed. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/18 "2012-01-30T05:31:18Z")
I have a question. How do you know other posters’ real first names? ---
**Author:** ![Brian12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Brian12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brian12)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/19 "2012-01-30T05:50:31Z")
Hi Jan, I look at the poster’s profile. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024/20 "2012-01-30T05:51:36Z")
Hmmmm. Okay, but why not? You just gave us the link to your site. Q [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virus-malware-removal-guide-for-windows/611024.md?page=2)