6 Steps to Fix Your Computer’s Virus Infection

Avatar photo
Anthony Lewis

Cleaning Your Viruses in 6 Sort-of-Easy Steps

Some of our clients are the “DO IT YOURSELF” type so we thought we would try to spell out some basic steps to help you fix a virus on your own. Note: this won’t work for severe infections that require lots of manual tedious work. If you need help along the way just submit a request below:

[wpforms id=”3351″]

STEP 1: Download the Software Necessary Tools and Save Them to Your Desktop

STEP 2: Turn Off System Restore

Right click on the my computer icon and click properties. Then click on system restore and check the box to disable it. Viruses like to hang out in the system restore area so we need to disable it to make their life a little more difficult. In Windows 7 this is called System Protection.

STEP 3: Install and Run the First Four Viral Cleaning Tools

Each of the first four programs needs installed and then a full scan run. Once the scan finishes fix/remove any infections it finds. Some programs may ask you to reboot. DON’T. Wait until all programs are done before rebooting.

STEP 4: Reboot Your PC

Once it reboots, just login as normal.

STEP 5: Run ComboFix

Follow this guide at Bleeping Computer on the steps to running ComboFix. The guide has plenty of screenshots

Each of the first four programs needs installed and then a full scan run. Once the scan finishes fix/remove any infections it finds.

STEP 6: Run MVPS Hosts File

Not many people realize the effectiveness of this tool in preventing future attacks. Unzip the file. Explore the folder in created and run the mvps file by double clicking on it. It will seem like nothing happened, but it did. Continue through the prompt and you are done. This file prevents spyware from redirecting your PC to infectious websites in the future. It is not a guarantee, but it is an awesome preventive tool to have on your PC.

New Resources In Your Inbox

Get our latest cybersecurity resources, content, tips and trends.

Other resources that might be of interest to you.

How to Drive Resilience through a Culture of Continuous Learning

Every business will face challenges and setbacks—that’s inevitable. The question isn’t if you’ll encounter obstacles; it’s how you’ll overcome them. And the answer to that lies in your business’s level of organizational resilience. Organizations need t
Jesse Sumrak
>>Read More

11+ Practical Examples of AI in the Workplace in 2026

AI in the workplace sounds futuristic until you realize people are already using it. It’s now helping everyday people with everyday tasks like summarizing meetings, drafting emails, and analyzing spreadsheet data.  No, the transformation isn’t dramatic

Internal Penetration Testing and Small Businesses

Internal Penetration Testing What is Internal Penetration Testing? You may be thinking, “What even is an internal penetration test?” There is just something wrong about the phrase when you say it. The way it rolls off the tongue is just odd. Internal p
Avatar photo
Andy Gritzer
>>Read More