PC Magazine: How to Remove Malware From Your PC

If you suspect or know you're already infected on your Windows PC, what do you do? Take these steps.

By Eric Griffith
April 22, 2016

It should be drilled into you by now: Use antivirus software! These programs -- from the amazing free tools to the fee-driven antivirus utilities -- keep tabs on your Windows PC with scans, real-time monitoring, even heuristic analysis of files and processes so new threats can be identified. It's imperative, especially with Windows, that you have some kind of antivirus installed.

But even the best antivirus isn't 100 percent foolproof. A device already compromised by malware could get on your network, people can personally place malware on a system, and some malware, a Remote Access Trojan, lays dormant waiting to attack at just the right time. And no one can protect entirely against social engineering or phishing schemes that trick you into clicking on or downloading an infected link or attachment. Hell, there are even rogue programs out there that look like antivirus or antispyware, but when you install them, you get infected! Always download from the source—avoid the third-party download sites.

Sometimes, it's hard to tell when you're initially infected with the badness. But there are plenty of signs you should keep an eye out for -- incredibly slow performance where once the PC zipped along, browser pop-ups when no browser is even open, scary warnings from security programs you didn't install, and many more.

If you suspect, or absolutely with a certainty know, you've got a malware infection, here are the steps to take, immediately.

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