All Categories » Viruses and Malware » Malware Detection

Can a virus be transmitted in a picture?
In general, it's very unlikely that a picture would become infected with a virus, but there are related scenarios to be aware of. (Continue reading...)

Can a virus destroy my computer or hard drive?
A virus attacks the software installed on your machine. Fixing it may take work, but hardware should not need to be replaced due to malware. (Continue reading...)

How did you clean up your friend's infected machine?
A friend brought me his machine infected with several viruses. I'll review the steps I took to clean it up. (Continue reading...)

How do I remove a file that my anti-virus says can't be quarantined?
Anti-virus programs are good at removing more problems, but occasionally they can't. We'll look at approaches to manually dealing with the issue. (Continue reading...)

How do I remove a virus from a memory card?
Lately memory cards, such as used in digital cameras, have been used as "carriers" of malware. The card is easy to clean. Your system may not be. (Continue reading...)

How do I remove a virus?
Once you've been infected with a virus or other malware, there are steps you can take to try to remove it, but only one approach is guaranteed to work. (Continue reading...)

How do I scan computers at my nuclear power station for viruses without an internet connection?
Scanning your nuclear power station's Windows computers for malware can present some challenges if the machines have been secured properly. (Continue reading...)

How do I stop my computer from being a zombie?
If your machine is sending lots of email without you knowing it, it may be a zombie. Zombies are preventable, but may be difficult to clean up. (Continue reading...)

How do i totally delete a virus on my computer?
Once infected knowing that you've removed a virus totally is theoretically impossible. In reality we most often assume that it can be done anyway. (Continue reading...)

I have a massive malware infection, should I just get a new machine?
For some reason many people's gut reaction to a malware infestation is to consider a new machine. That's just ... wrong. (Continue reading...)

I have annoying malware, but my anti-malware tools don't remove it. What do I do?
Every so often malware comes along that the current crop of anti-malware tools don't remove. We'll look at why, and what steps you should take. (Continue reading...)

I suspect spyware or a worm, how do I get rid of it?
In most cases getting rid of malware involves running up to date scanners for viruses and spyware, and then making sure you're behind a firewall. (Continue reading...)

Is Microsoft's new Anti-Spyware program any good?
Microsoft's Anti-Spyware (now called Windows Defender) turns out to be a reasonable anti-spyware solution. (Continue reading...)

Is it safe to install an infected drive into a working machine to clean it?
One approach to disinfecting a drive is to install it into another machine for cleaning. It's common, reasonable even, but there are risks. (Continue reading...)

My anti-virus cleared something off my machine. Should I change my passwords?
When your anti-virus program tells you that it caught something, your next steps depend on what, when and how it was caught. And it depends on prudence. (Continue reading...)

My computer has a virus infection; how much has been compromised?
Once infected it's often difficult to know what malware has done to a machine. What you do next depends on your concern and some legitimate paranoia. (Continue reading...)

My computer's infected with a virus, how do I clean it up?
Once infected it's difficult to guarantee that your cleaning efforts succeed. Best is to make sure that you never get infected in the first place. (Continue reading...)

What is "signature scanning"?
"Signatures" are the unique data patterns that malware scanners use to detect viruses as they scan your files or data. (Continue reading...)

What is msmsger.exe?
Msmsger.exe is, most likely, an imposter. Trying to look like something legitimate, msmsger.exe is probably malware. (Continue reading...)

When do I actually need to run a virus scan?
There are two types of virus scans: continuous or periodic. Which and how many you need and how often they're needed depends on your situation. (Continue reading...)

Where can I get a free antivirus for my computer?
There are many free antivirus programs available for your computer. We'll look at some of them, including the one I'm currently evaluating. (Continue reading...)

Why can't my anti-virus program open certain files?
Depending on how anti-virus programs work, certain files may not be scanned. In some cases that's expected and nothing to worry about. (Continue reading...)

Why can't this trojan be removed?
Occasionally, malware will infect files that are critical to Windows own operation. Repairing these types of infections can be difficult, at best. (Continue reading...)

Why do I get "This operation is canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer"?
'This operation is canceled ...' is an unfortunately common symptom of an all-too-common problem: a virus infection. We'll look at your options. (Continue reading...)

Why do some programs say to "disable anti-virus" before installing, and should I turn it on again after?
It's not uncommon for setup programs to recommend disabling anti-virus programs first. We'll look at why. But do turn it back on when you're done. (Continue reading...)

Why does my anti-malware software say a link is suspected phishing?
Anti-malware software examines links to see if they go where they claim to go. The problem is that valid links can be mislabeled as phishing attempts. (Continue reading...)

Why won't this "Your Computer Is Infected" warning go away?
If you're getting messages that you computer is infected, it might be. But you MUST be skeptical and extremely careful about the steps you take next. (Continue reading...)