How to remove tough Viruses

Earlier, I had published an article on staying safe from Viruses. But even while following all precautions, a Virus may still enter your PC. Fortunately, almost all the viruses will get repaired or deleted by scanning your PC with a good anti-virus software. But, there are certain viruses that cannot be removed by an anti-virus software. So, to remove such tough viruses, one can :

(Note : The anti-virus will give you the name of the virus, the name of the infected file & its directory when it informs you of its inability to remove the virus.) 

1. Scan the infected file with other anti-virus softwares :

Note down the name &  directory of the infected file. Then, scan that particular file/directory with another anti-virus program. This should most probably remove the virus. If not, then,

 

2. Search for the virus' removal tool :

There are many such viruses which the anti-virus programs cannot remove. For some of these viruses, specially designed removal tools are created & are available in various places on the Web. 

To search for a removal tool, 

1) Open your favourite search engine & search for the tool by using the following syntax : " 'Virus Name' removal tool" (without quotes) where 'Virus name' be replaced by the name of the virus. 

ii) Then, from the list of search results, visit a result that you find more relevant. 

iii) The resulting page will provide a download of the removal tool. Thus, downlad the removal tool & follow its instructions properly to remove the virus.

If you cannot find a tool, then

3. Revert your PC to a previous date :

Note : To use this technique, you will need to know the date when the virus infected the PC.

Note 2 : This option can only be used if the PC has System Restore enabled. And further, system restore is only available in Windows ME, XP & Vista.

By using the System Restore feature, you can revert your PC to a previous date. This will turn the PC into exactly how it was on a previous date, which will obviously remove the virus, undo all installations, data changes, etc. done between the current & reverting date. Thus, before reverting, make sure that you save all your important changed data to an external medium like CD, Pen drive, etc.

Then, to revert your PC to a previous date :

1. Start System Restore. (From Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> System Restore )

2. Select the option 'Restore my computer to a previous time (XP) / Choose a different restore point (Vista) & click on Next.

3. Then, select the date to which you wish to revert your PC. (The date selected should be the earliest date before the date when the virus infected the PC)   

4. After this process, the virus should get removed.

Thus, these are some ways by which a tough virus can be removed. Good luck in the removal of your PC's virus!

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Introducing Cell Phone Beginners

Hello, everyone! Today, I would like to unveil my 2nd blog, named Cell Phone Beginners. As the name suggests, I will be writing articles for the Cell phone, aiming to write them in such a way, that even beginners can understand them. And, it's articles are going to start from tomorrow itself!

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How to find Software help effectively

There are many instances when working with a software that one does not know how to perform a particular function or does not possess the required knowledge. In such cases, one needs help. Here is what you should do for effectively finding help :

1. Check the Help file : Most softwares come with a help file built in. This file tends to fully cover all aspects of the software. Thus, it is likely that all your help needs will be fulfilled by it. 

You can access this file by pressing the F1 key or going to Help --> Contents. After opening the file, you can either go through its different sections or search for a term from the search tab, to get the information you need.

2. Online help : Some companies offer online help for their products. Thus, you can visit the product's web site (You can find the web page address from Help --> About). Then, you can search for the required information in a way similar to how you find help from the help file.

3. Search : You can also seek the info by searching for it on the Net. There are many reliable info sources online which can guide & inform you.

You can use the syntax "how to *** using 'software'" or "what is *** in 'software'"  (without the quotes) where *** stands for the required info & 'software' stands for the name of the concerned software.

4. Ask : You can ask for the required info in sites like Yahoo! Answers, Wiki Answers, etc. or in blogs (like this one) By this way, you will most probably get your answer. And, there's also the traditional way of asking an expert PC friend for the information!

Thus, these are the ways by which you can get help for a software effectively.

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How to stay safe from Viruses

Viruses are one of the most common problems for the PC users. They are very troublesome since they can result in slowdowns, instability, crashes, data loss, etc. So, here are some basic tips on being secure from viruses :

1. Use a good anti-virus software : This is the preliminary step towards a virus-free PC. AVG & Avast! Home Edition are powerful free anti-virus programs. Both of them provide excellent virus protection for the PC user.

Note : DO NOT use more than 1 anti-virus at the same time. Since anti-viruses offer real-time protection, using more than 1 anti-virus will cause conflicts between them, resulting in crashes. slowdowns & loss of efficiency.

2. Keep your Virus definitions updated before a scan : Virus definitions contain information on viruses for the anti-virus software, including removal details. Since several new viruses are created daily, these definitions are regularly updated by the anti-virus companies. If you scan your PC using old definitions, new viruses will not be detected. Thus, we should keep our virus definitions updated before scanning the PC.

3. Scan your PC regularly : As a general rule, you should scan your PC once a month (with updated virus definitions, of course) to ensure that you are protected from virus infections.

4. Scan removable media before use : Removable media (Pen Drives, CDs, DVDs, Floppies, etc.) are very useful as they facilitate easy moving of data between different PCs. But sometimes, an infected file may get copied onto the removable media. This infection can then spread to the other PCs where it is inserted. Thus, one should always scan any new removable media before copying any of its files to our PC .

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Why uninstall is better than delete

Many beginners are confused between the difference in deleting & un-installing a program. Sometimes, they simply delete the entire folder in which the software is located to remove the software. This is wrong. The reason is explained below :-

When a software is installed, the following things are added to your system :

• The main folder, with the software files.
• Entries in the Windows Registry, related to the particular software.
• Some softwares also store settings in My Documents or files in the System folders.

Now, the most natural way to remove the software is by un-installing it, since it removes all the items installed. Simply deleting the main software folder will result in the registry entries & other things remaining intact. These broken items (they are termed as broken since these become useless without the main software) clutter up your PC resulting in slowdown & wastage of space. Several broken items can hamper the PC performance drastically.

That is why, we should un-install the software to remove it.

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