How to remove viruses from your computer

I think computer viruses should count as life … I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We’ve created life in our own image, Stephen Hawking

Viruses are nasty little pieces of software, the bane of every user’s existence. Let’s get rid of them.

An antivirus is a computer program designed to protect you from Malware. An Anti-spyware is designed to block spyware. Typically, companies bundle Antivirus and Antispyware into a single program with both features. They are usually free only for private use.

• Microsoft Defender is an anti-malware component of Microsoft Windows. It is one of the most effective software when it comes to eliminating threats and viruses in your computer. Enable it: Settings, Privacy & Security, Windows Security, Virus and Threat Protection, Virus and Threat Protection - Manage settings, and turn on the Real-time protection switch.

  To run an offline scan, open your Settings, then click on Privacy and Security, Window Security, Virus and Threat Protection, Scan options, scroll down and select Microsoft Defender Offline scan, and finally smash the Scan now button. Your PC will restart itself and begin the scan into a “clean” environment.

  To clean your computer, you need a safe and clean environment. One idea is to remove CDs and DVDs, unplug USB drives from your computer, delete any temporary files (Disk Clean Up), disconnect from the internet by unplugging the internet cable or disconnecting from your router/WiFi, and restart your computer in Safe Mode (Press F8 to bring up the Advanced boot options menu and click Safe Mode with Networking). A second idea is to boot from an USB drive with Hiren’s BootCD PE, Ubuntu, etc.
• You can clean your Windows from infected viruses using an Ubuntu live USB. Besides, you can scan and clean your Windows partition with ClamAV in a dual boot system with Windows and Linux.
• Hiren’s BootCD PE is a restored edition of Hiren’s BootCD based on Windows 10 PE x64. It contains many free tools to fix many problems related to your computer.

1. First, you need to download a copy of Hiren’s BootCD PE.
2. Create a bootable Hiren’s BootCD PE USB flash drive with Rufus or Ventoy.
3. Now you need to reboot your system, go into boot selection mode (F12), and select your Hiren’s BootCD PE USB flash drive.
4. Include with Hiren’s BOOTCD PE are Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.    

• There are other bootable antivirus software: Kapersky Rescue Disk, Best Comodo Rescue Disk, Trend Micro Rescue Disk, and Anvi Rescue Disk.
• Tron is an automated PC cleanup script, a glorified collection of batch files that automate the process of cleaning up and disinfecting Windows machines.

1. Reboot the computer.
2. Download Tron. The download links are in the top post in /r/TronScript.
3. Run the self-extracting .exe file and it will extract tron.bat and the resources folder to the current directory. Copy both of them to your Desktop.
4. Right-click on the tron.bat file, select Run as Administrator, and wait from 3 to 10 hours. Yes, that’s right, patience is a must! 
5. You’ll need to manually click “scan” in the Malwarebytes window that appears part of the way through Stage 3: Disinfect.
6. Reboot.

Free antivirus software

• ClamAv is an open source antivirus engine for detecting trojans, viruses, malware and other malicious threats.
• Free AVG Antivirus gives you protection against viruses, spyware, and other malware.
  Be aware, if something is free, you’re the product.
  
• Avast offers you free basic protection for all your devices.
• Ad-Aware Free is another free antivirus to stay protected.

ClamAV

• ClamAV is an open-source antivirus engine for detecting trojans, viruses, malware, and other malicious threats. Let’s install and use it in Arch, GNU/Linux.

# First, we need to install the clamav package. 
sudo pacman -Sy clamav
# Update the virus definition 
sudo freshclam
# Get the latest definitions at boot so that the virus definitions are kept recent.
sudo systemctl enable --now clamav-freshclam.service
# Start the daemon
sudo systemctl enable --now clamav-daemon.service
# Test ClamAV. The output must contain: stdin: Win.Test.EICAR_HDB-1 FOUND
curl https://secure.eicar.org/eicar.com.txt | clamscan -
# Install more signatures (databases) from other repositories
yay -S clamav-unofficial-sigs
# Enable the clamav-unofficial-sigs.timer. It will regularly update the unofficial signatures.
sudo clamav-unofficial-sigs.sh--install-all
# Scan for viruses and remove them
clamscan --recursive --remove ~

• Let’s install, configure, and use it in Ubuntu, GNU/Linux.

1. Installation: sudo apt install clamav clamtk (graphical front-end for ClamAV).
2. Updating the ClamAV Signature Database:

       sudo systemctl stop clamav-freshclam.service # It stops the clamav-freshclam.service service 
       sudo freshclam # It updates the signature database manually
       sudo systemctl start clamav-freshclam.service # It starts the clamav-freshclam.service service. 
   

3. Scan: clamtk, scan a file/directory using its graphical interface or open a terminal and type: clamscan ‐‐infected (print infected files) ‐‐remove (remove infected files) ‐‐recursive (all the subdirectories in the directory will be scanned) /home/user/.