PC Virus Crackdown Weekend

[Special Agent Sigvan]

I have nothing better to do this weekend (Gaming has been slow recently) so I decided to take this opportunity to cleanse my PC of pretty much anything that could be on it.

Considering I've never clicked on a link a virus bot sent me (Not every forum has DDOS protection), don't browse dodgy sites and things of the like (Though I swear Mediafire is out to get me.), I'm pretty sure I won't end up with any viruses anytime soon. Considering I've cracked down on the Adware incursions I've gotten and no longer have to worry about those, I might as well get started cleaning out anything else I might have.

Some things that are preferable when looking for a scanner are:

- Free, or cheap one time payment.

- One a trusted website or something of the like

- Something that won't actively interfere with my browsing experience.

And yes, I've somehow gone an entire year without a virus protection program and have yet to lose anything. I'm fantastic.

Edit: Adware came up mid YouTube watching, I removed it in minutes but I also didn't install anything or click on any websites.

What made THAT happen?

Edited October 27, 2014 by Special Agent Sigvan

[Designer225]

Which OS are you on? If you are on Windows 7 or Vista, I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials, but maybe others that I am yet to think of are better.

Also, (from my experience anyway) almost all scanning have some impact on performance as long as the antivirus is scanning for malwares.

[The Destroyer]

Malwarebytes anti-malware. It's awesome.

[Tommygun]

I primarily use Microsoft Security Essentials, but I like to run from time to time Advanced Systems Care and Spy bot Search & Destroy.

They help pick up things that Microsoft Security Essentials may miss or isn't meant to do, Both have free versions.

[Dartguy]

Microsoft is actually recommending a second AV along with MSEssentials, so I would not recommend it any longer. (Although I was a big fan of it in the past). \

To the OP: sounds like you just want a scanner. I would recommend Malwarebytes, and SuperAntiSpyware. Both free and both work very well. I also have a PC that has been up for years with no AV and it is perfectly clean. You just have to think before you click. Just install one of the above, do a full scan, clean, and uninstall.

If you ever need more tools, check out bleepingcomputer.com for the best, most powerful cleaning tools.

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

Malwarebytes is Anti-Malware, not Anti-VIRUS, and I don't rate SuperAntiSpyWare's Anti-Virus, as the program was intended to scan for other nasties (it's in the name!)... and as I found on a customers laptop recently, some Anti-Virus are prone to certain type of de-activation attacks! (Panda Cloud Anti-Virus, in this case...)

When I installed Avast, it found a horrible 'mobii' type virus, where the customer had tried to download software for their phone, which had found it's way into windows files and somehow un-installed Panda!

I always go with Avast these days, but turn off the annoying sounds... and sometimes turn on gaming mode, otherwise it bugs you to update other programs too (not a bad thing, as has been highlighted in recent years - some things, like Java and Flash, can have security flaws exposed which only updating can fix...)

[cantab]

MalwareBytes makes a good "second opinion" scanner. Spybot Search and Destroy is good for things like adware and spyware that aren't technically viruses but are bleeding annoying anyway, though it's paranoid and flags up things like cookies that are no real threat.

If you think you actually have a virus, I recommend a bootable antivirus CD for scanning and removal. That way Windows never starts so the virus doesn't get the chance to run and cloak itself. Kaspersky Rescue Disc is my usual choice for that.

Microsoft Security Essentials, by the way, flopped in antivirus tests in recent years. I no longer recommend it. Try AVG, Avast!, or Panda.

[Special Agent Sigvan]

Malwarebytes is Anti-Malware, not Anti-VIRUS, and I don't rate SuperAntiSpyWare's Anti-Virus, as the program was intended to scan for other nasties (it's in the name!)... and as I found on a customers laptop recently, some Anti-Virus are prone to certain type of de-activation attacks! (Panda Cloud Anti-Virus, in this case...)

When I installed Avast, it found a horrible 'mobii' type virus, where the customer had tried to download software for their phone, which had found it's way into windows files and somehow un-installed Panda!

I always go with Avast these days, but turn off the annoying sounds... and sometimes turn on gaming mode, otherwise it bugs you to update other programs too (not a bad thing, as has been highlighted in recent years - some things, like Java and Flash, can have security flaws exposed which only updating can fix...)

I thought Avast was the bad one?