February 24, 2015

Virus Removal / Cleanup

Unlike most “Nerds” or “Geeks” in San Antonio, we pride ourselves on not having to reformat your computer when an infection occurs just to get you out the door in a hurry. We prefer to do things the right way. Most infections can be removed without upending your computer files and settings. We have decades of virus removal experience and can remove every kind of infection from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, ad-ware, to root-kits and other various forms of malware. We use the latest, up-to-date anti-malware scanning software and also utilize other advanced tools to track down and remove infections that can run in the background of your system.

We have combined virus and spyware removal experience that totals decades. We preform virus and spyware removal almost every day and are not just adept at removing viruses and other infections but are absolute professionals. Booya! We make sure to remove all viruses, malicious files and infections, not just the obvious ones. Our virus removal service also includes defragmentation, clean up of temporary files, registry cleaning, removal of unnecessary start up items, investigation and removal of suspicious and extraneous scheduled tasks. Once we have your computer in optimal form, we make sure to leave you with up-to-date virus and spyware tools, as well as tools that will easily allow you to clean your computer effortlessly.

How did I get this virus?“, is a question that we always get.    There are a number of ways to accidentally get a virus. Most times, they are downloaded in music, movie, or software files.  Some viruses can get on your computer just by you visiting a website.  The meanies that create the viruses work hard to find security flaws to exploit.  It doesn’t mean that you are doing anything wrong, or that your kids or significant other are visiting sites they shouldn’t.

But I have antivirus software! How come I still get viruses?“  Truth be told, anti-virus software cannot protect you from all viruses.  It does a great job of finding viruses that already exist, and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in programs and files on your computer, but it can only protect you from what it knows about.  This is why we like to recommend free anti-virus software that updates itself often.  See the links to the right for downloads.  If you do not update your virus database, your anti-virus software cannot keep you protected from new viruses.  After an update, the anti-virus software knows about viruses that it didn’t previously know about, so you should do a scan.

Why do people write viruses?” I don’t know.  They want to show how smart they are, and that they can be smarter than Microsoft, Symantec, or whatever software they are exploiting.  They are just mean.”

Is it true that Mac’s can’t get viruses?” No, it is not true.  The truth is that Windows based computers have a larger share of the market, so therefore they are just bigger targets. [source]  There have been viruses for Apple computers, and there will always be the possibility of getting a virus.  Security settings vary between operating systems such as Unix, Linux, Apple, and Windows, but if you connect a computer to another computer, to the internet, or put in any media such as a CD, DVD, USB stick etc., then you have the potential of getting a virus regardless of operating system.

  • Virus usually describes any type of malware, ad-ware, and spyware.  However, the true definition is a program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another.
  • Malware, short for malicious software,  includes viruses, worms, Trojans, most root-kits, spyware, dishonest ad-ware, crime-ware, and other malicious and unwanted software.
  • Spyware is any software that collects your information without your prior knowledge.  The information is sent back to the creator, and they use it for whatever purposes they want.  The information could include anything from browsing habits to credit card numbers and passwords.
  • Scareware is where a user is tricked into downloading a face anti-virus application.  Then the fake anti-virus program tells the user that the computer is infected and a full version must be purchased to clean it up.
  • Worms exploit security vulnerabilities and spread themselves automatically to other computers and networks.
  • Trojans, as you may have guessed is named after the Trojan Horse.  It is a program that seems harmless, but hides malicious code.