We often hear the statement "I think I have a virus but my antivirus software is not finding it". This leads to a couple of questions, namely, what antivirus software are you using? and what makes you think you have a virus?
First, you want to make sure you are using a reputable antivirus program. There are several out there - Norton, Macafee, Trend Micro, Kaspersky, AVG, Avast to name a few. Prices vary from free to $50 or more for a one year subscription. All of these programs can detect infections. Some do it better than others. We find that the free offerings are not as full featured as the applications for which you pay. That is why they are free. Companies that offer free software are usually hoping you will eventually want to pay for their full-featured versions. Regardless which application you use, if you are getting an alert from your security software, there is a good chance you need to take the action it is recommending.
Beware. Many of the infections we see are manufactured by malicious software. It may come if the form of a pop up advertisement. It may come as spam in your email. You may see an alert that informs you that your computer has been infected and that you need to download a piece of software to fix it. This is almost certainly a scam and the download you are instructed to start is the actual infection! DO NOT download anything that you have not gone looking for (and even then with caution).
Second, if you think you have a virus because of some alarming message you are receiving that is not generated by your own security application, see the preceding paragraph.
How do I stop the messages? We generally start with a couple of quick system assessments and cleanup strategies that will tell us what the next steps are going to be. Let's start with a general rule - if you have truly been infected, your operating system should never be trusted again. It is possible to clean up the system and make it seem as if there is no longer a threat. But there is no way to be absolutely certain. So, if it is apparent that the system has been compromised, a format and reinstall of the operating system is highly advised. That said, below are the steps we use for a quick cleanup and assessment.
Check hard drive
Check memory
Clear all temp files
Disable unnecessary startup programs
Look in usual places for malicious software
If, after performing the above chores, the system is still suspect, it is time to backup the data, if necessary, format the hard drive and begin reinstallation of the operating system.
