Win32 Virus Removal

By James Derk, Scripps Howard News Service

As I spent the long weekend fixing various infected PCs, I lost count of the number of times I used a write-protected 16-gig thumb drive on which I have loaded a ton of amazing utilities.

I thought it best to share these free utilities so when you run into the same conundrums I do as a technician; you likely can solve some of them and save yourself some grief. Nearly all of these utilities can be obtained from FileHippo www.filehippo.com unless otherwise noted. Don't think you have to install all of them on your computer; they're to use when the need arises.

One of the first things I use when I clean a computer is ATF-Cleaner from Atribune.org. It quickly removes a bunch of junk from the PC and makes other scans run much faster.

Then I run the new Microsoft Safety Scanner (Microsoft.com/security). This all-in-one version of the Microsoft Security Essentials tool is self-contained and good for 10 days. You can run it online ("Get a Free PC Safety Scan" from that Web page) or download it and update as needed.

I keep Microsoft Security Essentials on my thumb drive, using it to replace anyone else's junky anti-virus product. You'd be surprised how many PCs I still run into with no anti-virus product. It is a darn shame Microsoft can't just ship Windows from the factory with it pre-installed.

I also use Malwarebytes, an excellent scanner for trojans and other malware that can infect your system. As a second option, I follow it with Spybot—Search and Destroy. Then I pull out the Sophos Anti-Rootkit and let it scan the system for rootkits, sophisticated viruses often buried deep in the operating system.

When you want to know what is running on a computer, a good basic tool is Trend Micro's Hijack This. It will tell you what is launching where; it often will give you the option of removing offending programs and items that launch at start-up. Just be careful you don't shut off something you don't understand.

If you lose your Internet connection after a virus repair, two good utilities are LSP-Fix and WinsockFix. Both do a good job of repairing connections damaged by malware.

I never, ever use "registry cleaners," which claim to do all kinds of things including raise your son's ACT score. However, I do keep on my thumb drive the Norton Removal Tool and the McAfee Removal Tool, both of which come in very handy to remove anti-virus products long out of date. In many cases, I have seen old Norton installations clog up Internet connections when they have expired.

Those are the basic utilities I have used to fight infections. The never-ending war will continue until a few trojan writers spend some time in jail.

James Derk owns CyberDads, a computer services firm in Evansville, Ind. Email him at jim@cyberdads.com.