4 Tips on Getting Rid of a Computer Virus

Even if you take all of the correct precautions, you may end up with a computer virus. After acquiring a virus accidentally, there are plenty of steps you can take to get rid of it—and plenty of mistakes that can the problem even worse. So what should you do if your precautions fail and you end up with a virus? What follows should help you decide what to do—and what to avoid—when getting rid of a computer virus.

Disconnect Your Computer

Many viruses are designed to rely on average computer users—unaware that their machine is producing viruses—to continue to spread the viruses, infecting other computers. As soon as you realize that your computer has a virus, take precautions to make sure that you do not accidentally give it to your friends, family, co-workers, and other people you are connected to on the Internet.

The simplest, most effective thing you can do is sever your computer's connection to all other computers. That means turning off your Internet connection. If your computer is connected to a modem, whether it is DSL, cable, wireless, or plugged in to your phone line, find it and unplug it. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not plug it back in until you have scanned for the virus and eliminated it.

Scanning

You should use commercial virus protection software to scan for viruses. Whatever program you select will run more or less automatically, and do most of the work of finding and deleting viruses for you.

If you use a free program, do a quick Internet search for its name before running it. Some free programs are not very good, and a few may slow down your computer with spyware or even viruses.

Warn Others

If you are lucky, disconnecting your computer from the Internet immediately will contain the virus. However, many viruses can spread on their own, and may do so before you even notice you have one.

Many viruses spread themselves between networks by hijacking messaging systems and impersonating the owner, mass mailing the owner's address book claiming to have a harmless link or attached file. This link or file is actually more copies of the virus.

Check over your sent messages in your e-mail, as well as any social networking sites you use. If you find any questionable ones sent to everyone in your address book, chances are your system had been hijacked. While it's impossible to retract the message, it is a good practice to send a second message warning them that the first message they received was not actually you. Make sure to warn them against opening files or clicking links in that message, even if they seem harmless.

Take More Precautions

If you ended up with a virus on your computer, it got there somehow. Once you have eliminated the virus, try to figure out if there are any gaps in your security. Do you install updates regularly? Are you in the habit of making sure every link is  safe? Thinking about your security now can prevent problems in the future.