If
a virus has got past the scanner(s) you are using and
infected you computer the chances are it can be removed.
Most will not cause any permanent problems.
The first step is to detect and identify the problem.
Identifying the virus will allow you to research
via the virus information sites as to what the virus does,
and what can be done to remove it. Some will have
to be manually removed, others may be removed by the scanner
software - disinfected - deleted - isolated ... whatever
the scanner terminology is that is used, and others may
have a specific tool for detection and removal.
You
do not want to disable or cripple your operating system
(windows) so the correct procedure must be followed. What
this means is that we can not always simply delete a file,
sometimes we can, but not often, just like you do not
delete a program, you uninstall it. Procedure is
important.
There
are occasions when the damage has already been done and
a hard drive failure and, or failure of some other piece
of hardware, is inevitable, irrespective of removing the
virus. This does happen!
Several
sites, the ones that I like best and recommend, offer
free tools for some virus removals. In some cases
you do not need to be running their particular scanning
software to be able to download a tool, print out the
instructions, and use it. You often will need to have
a high level of competence and confidence for the more
difficult removals. If you have doubts do not hesitate
to call in a more technical person.
The
instructions are usually well written and the explanation
of each virus' actions described well beyond that which
the average user may be interested in. If the instructions
are too daunting then I suggest you seek expert assistance,
especially if the instructions suggest you edit registry
settings, and you are not at ease doing this. The
worse case scenario is that you will have to reformat
your hard disk drive and reinstall all your software.
I will not emphasise it, but just cautiously mention
you may want to back-up important data.
Just
to waffle on a little ...
Personally,
I believe that all too often hard drives are reformatted
when there is no need to. It is the easy
option for those working in the computer industry
and usually saves only money for the customer,
if a full back-up set is not available to put back on
the computer. It is also a surer way of being totally
rid of a virus, but can lead to a lot of time required
to get your system back to the way it was, or should be.
While it saves the cost of having a technical person
fix the problem, it does not save time. This also
is the case in a computer needing a tune-up, so to speak,
which can take over four hours or more to rid the computer
of crap causing problems, not only viruses, but also spyware
and corrupt files (drivers and programs). Bare in
mind that the easy option may also be a cop-out for someone
that does not know how to fix the problem. It does
not mean the person is unqualified, which is often the
case with the kid next door that got a repair kit for
Christmas, or the 'full of shit bluffer' using terminology
they heard on Star Trek; what it does mean is that this
is just the nature of computers.
There are people that can fix the problem at varying levels
of skill, but it may not be cost effective to go
the long way. If the loss of data is not an option
it can be recovered, but in the extreme you may need to
know someone working for the FBI, CIA, or NSA ... and
with an electron microscope. However, there are
those that specialise in data recovery ... and it can
cost ...
If
you want to keep your data and set up as it is, then weigh-up
what it may cost you, time and money, and be aware that
full recovery may not be possible, not guaranteed, there
can be no guarantee, despite all reasonable attempts.
