Business: Technology & Systems

Today we would like to present you with a tried and true way to remove malware (aka spyware) from an infected computer system. This process works on about ninety percent of malware/spyware cases and is very simple to use. If this process does not work on a spyware infected machine, that machine will most likely need professional service help. Some removal processes can become very technical and some require a complete rebuild of the infected operating system depending on the severity of the infection.

To remove spyware off an infected machine you will need a second “clean” machine, to download the spyware removal tools, and a USB drive. This process is only for MS Windows based PCs and it won’t matter which version of MS Windows you are running.

On the ”clean”  machine, you will need to download two very useful and free products from the internet. The first product is called Malwarebytes and is an excellent anti-malware product that can be found at http://malwarebytes.org. You will want to download the FREE version to your USB drive. The second product is called Trend Micro HouseCall. It is also a FREE product that can be found and downloaded at this site http://housecall.trendmicro.com/. Make sure to download HouseCall to the same USB drive you have your Malwarebytes software on.

On the infected machine, you will want to reboot the computer into Safe Mode with Network Support. You can find instructions on how to properly boot into safe mode at Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true. Once you have booted into Safe Mode with Networking Support, ensure you can connect to the internet. Insure your system is either plugged in via an Ethernet cable or connected to your Wi-Fi network. If you cannot connect to the Internet, these programs may still clean your system, but they will not have the latest updates and may not be as effective.

Once in safe mode, plug in your USB drive and install the Malwarebytes and HouseCall products. Simply follow the default prompts for installation. If you can connect to the Internet while in safe mode perform the application updates. If you cannot connect to the internet, simply do not update the software.

We recommend first running Malwarebytes and have it perform a full system scan. The time it takes to scan a system may vary depending on how many files you have on your system. If Malwarebytes finds any issue have it automatically fix it. Continue to rescan the system until no more issues are discovered. Once Malwarebytes has fixed all the issues it has found its time to perform a full system scan with HouseCall. Scanning your system with HouseCall will ensure no secondary virus infections have been installed by the malware. If any issues are found, have HouseCall fix the issues and rescan the system until no more issue appear.

Once you have successfully run both programs and no more issues appear, you can pretty much (may not always be the case) guarantee your system is clean from malware. It may take hours to complete each scan so be prepared to take your time. At least the tools and instructions were free right?

To recap the process in a simple streamlined approach:

1. Download Malwarebytes Free Edition, and TrendMicro HouseCall from a “clean” system to a portable USB Drive.
2. Reboot the infected machine into Safe Mode with Networking Support
3. Install Malwarebytes and HouseCall from the USB drive while in safe mode. Perform the application updates when prompted.
4. Run complete scans starting with Malwarebytes and then HouseCall. Let the tools automatically fix all problems and rerun the scans until there are no more issues present.

That is it, pretty simple right? If your system does not come up “clean” or you continue to have problems at this point we highly recommend you seek a professional IT service company to resolve your issue and present you with your next options.

So, how do you find, and price, a new computer system (or laptop) that will be within your budget and fit your requirements without understanding and being up to date with the newest technologies? You might think that it is difficult task. How do you go about deciding on the processor type/speed, or how many gigabytes of RAM or how big your hard disk drive needs to be to suit your needs? The key to tactfully buying a computer for personnel or business use is to understand your budget, and then to work on buying the most computer you can for that amount.

This strategy serves two purposes. First, it makes sure that the system you buy will last you a long as possible based on the amount of funds available. Secondly, it insures that the system you purchase will perform the tasks you require it to. Now, I know it sounds over simplified, but the reality it is. You only have a specific budget for the system you are going to purchase the easiest logic to follow is to get the “biggest bang for the buck”.

Now on to a few simple rules to help those non-technical of us out there figure out how to buy a computer system. These rules will work well for you, because they are simple and allow you to get the most for your money. It does not matter if you are buying a desktop, laptop, PC, or Apple computer system.

Before we get to the rules though I must put out a quick disclaimer; these rules will only cover how to specify core components of the computer to fit your needs. They will not cover all countless options that are out there like monitor size, super performing graphics cards, or blue ray DVD ROMs. All those components will come into the price comparison shopping you will do. What is most important about the system you are buying is how it will function for the work you intend to use it for. Buying a system based on that
requirement will force us to look at four main categories, Processor Speed, Physical Memory (RAM), Hard Disk Speed, Graphics Memory.

Now back to the rules:

Rule 1: Processor speed, CPU, isn’t as important as it used to be, UNLESS you are performing intensive graphics intensive work or playing graphic intensive games. The higher the megahertz and the greater the number of processor cores the better performing the system will be.

Rule 2: The more physical memory, RAM, you can get for your budget the better off you will be.

Rule 3: Hard Disk Speed, measured in RPMs, is the key for better performance. The size of the Hard Disk is almost irrelevant since external drives are now so cheap. The speed to at which your internal hard drive operates is going to affect how your system performs.

Rule 4: Just like physical memory, RAM, the more Graphic’s memory you have the better your system will perform when access graphics, which is almost all the time now.

That’s it, very simple right? Your budget will determine what you can and cannot get out of all of those available options. But, to make sure you are getting the “biggest bang for the buck”, when you buy a new computer system you need to make sure that you simply buy the option that has the best processor speed with the most amount of cores, that has the largest amounts of graphics and physical memory, and has the quickest internal hard disk speeds.

To keep it simple, find the few systems you are interested in buying, compare the CPU, RAM, Graphics Memory, Hard Disk Drive speed, and then weigh in the other options to make your pick based on the budget you have. Buy the highest performing one you can for the money, since it will perform better over a longer period of time then one that is under powered.

Hope that helps take some of the technical complexities out of buying your next computer.