Is your computer running slow?
As a blogger, my computer is very important for my job. If my computer does not run well, I can not do my job. I have had problems with my computer in the past with a computer virus and malware getting on my computer. Thankfully, I was able to use my husband's computer to do research on to solve the problem of fixing my computer. So this experience has increased my knowledge of how to keep my computer safe from bugs and viruses. This information in my go-to whenever my computer is running slow. When my husband complains of computer problems, I always tell him to run these programs.
Could it be a Virus?
This past week my father-in-law clicked on something that introduced a virus into his computer. He did not realize that he had problems until his email sent all his contacts an email saying he was stranded in Ukraine and needed money. That was when my husband and I asked to look at his computer. We found that his computer was infected with malware and it was a bad one. Thankfully because I had a virus back in December I knew what to do. This below information cleaned up his computer without having to pay for someone to fix it.
How do I fix my computer?
Most people are afraid of fixing a virus on their computer as they don't know what to do or what websites can be trusted. I once made the mistake of downloading what I thought was a program to help my computer and it instead introduced more problems into my computer. I have found a trusted site called http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ to download software to get a virus, malware and other junk off your computer. This is the website that fixed my computer in December and where I turned to fix my father-in law's computer. I had to download 3 programs to fix our computers.
Step 1 disable the bug
The first thing to do to get a virus off the computer is to disable the bug. I used a program called rkill. Go to http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/rkill/ to download the free program. This program will terminate the virus so you can begin to clean your computer. Do not restart your computer after to program as that will turn the virus back on.
Step 2 remove the junk
The next step is downloading a program called Junkware Removal Tool. Junkware Removal Tool is a security utility that searches for and removes common adware, toolbars, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) from your computer. A common tactic among freeware publishers is to offer their products for free, but bundle them with PUPs in order to earn revenue. This tool will help you remove these types of programs. Go here http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/junkware-removal-tool/ to download this program.
Step 3 find and remove the viruses
The next step which will take the longest, depending on how much crap is on your computer, is called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This program will scan all your files on your computer and find viruses and then delete them. The first time you run the program it will take a long time but your later weekly scans will take under an hour. Malware Anti-Malware is a great program to run weekly on your computer to keep it safe from problems. Go here http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/malwarebytes-anti-malware/ to download this program.
4. The last step is to restart your computer
The virus that was on my father-in-law's computer was a bad one and as when we went to download each program a new window opened up with a different fake program. So make sure you are downloading the correct program and if a different window with a program with a different name comes up just X it out. When we started the Rkill we had a program called RegClean Pro came up and my husband thought that was the program and started it but I quickly realized it was not and I Xed it out. I found a list of some fake virus remover software at wikipedia.org that you should check out.
I hope my experience helps you to know how to fix your computer. Feel free to ask me questions and I will try my best to answer them. I can say with confidence my father-in-law's computer is fixed for now.
Computer still running slow?
Another thing that could be making your computer run slow is temporary files. Most computers clear the temporary file folder but sometimes they do not get cleared. If you enjoy playing computer games, you might have temporary files that did not clear. My husband was complaining that his computer was slow and we did all of the above thinking that he had a virus. When the computer was still running slow, I did some searching for answers and discovered that his temporary file folder needed cleaning. That fixed his computer. To clean the temporary file folder, enter %temp% into your search bar on your taskbar. Then click on the %Temp % file folder and that will bring you to a list that you can delete the files by right clicking on them.
Update
Since introducing this information, I have downloaded a better virus protection program on my computer. My internet service provider provides my household with a Security program that you can purchase and this does a pretty good job of keeping my computer clean. I also installed a Smart Internet Firewall on my network for an added layer of protection. This Smart Firewall stops the connections to unsafe sites so my family can't go to bad sites on the internet. When I look at the weekly report for my firewall, I am always amazed at the number of websites it has blocked. No system is 100% safe so if I do notice that my computer is running slow or not performing correctly, I will run all of the above programs. When my husband complains about his computer and askes me what the websites are that he needs to download, I just tell him to go to my website and search for Virus and that will lead him this post. You can also search for mom knows best virus and that will lead you to this post. I hope you never have to deal with a virus on your computer but if you do, these steps will take care of it.
Has your computer ever had a virus?