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Computers How to fix Windows 10 Update

Nowadays, new viruses, adwares and malwares appear and disappear within days or weeks. When Problems.
a new virus/adware/malware is released and users’ computers are infected, it takes several days How to fix Windows Update
for experts to identify them and then to specify the appropriate treatment/removal procedure. Problems in Windows 7/8/8.1 &
Server 2008/2012.

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computer with Malwarebytes 3.0
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During those days, users don’t have a way to try and remove them, but, instead, they have to wait
Web browsers & Network Devices.
for the solution to become public or they have to take their computer to an expert so that it can be
cleaned. To avoid this, I decided to write down a generic article that presents you the most Best Free Antivirus Programs for
common steps and the most useful anti-virus/adware/malware tools used to clean your computers. Home use.
So, in case your computer is infected by a virus you can’t identify, you can use these steps and
Quick Malware Scan and Removal
tools to try and clean it. As you can all understand, it may not always work, but I am sure that it
Guide for PC's.
will help you in most cases.
Full Malware Scan & Removal
ATTENTION: All the Anti-Malware programs and removal tools that suggested in this guide are Guide to Clean Heavy Infected
totally FREE. Computers

How to clean your computer from Malware, Adware,

Spyware, Rootkits, Viruses, Trojans, etc.
Important: Before you continue with the removal procedure, make sure that you have an
updated backup of all your important files.

Notice No1: If you cannot download any of the bellow suggested programs on the infected
computer, then you can download them on another clean computer and transfer them (e.g. by
using a USB flash disk) on the infected computer.

Notice No2: Add this page to your favorites (Ctrl + D) to easily find and follow the given
instructions.

Malware Removal Guide Steps:

Step 1: Start your computer in “Safe Mode with Networking”.

Step 2: Terminate known running Malicious processes with RKill

Step 3: Remove Malicious Registry Entries with RogueKiller.

Step 4: Remove Malware programs from Windows Startup with CCLeaner.

Step 5: Scan and remove hidden malicious Rootkits with TDSSKiller.

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Step 6: Delete Temporary files and folders from all users with TFC.

Step 7: Uninstall all unknown and unwanted applications.

Step 8: Clean Adware & Unwanted Browser Toolbars with AdwCleaner.

Step 9: Remove Junkware & Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP) with JRT.

Step 10: Clean Malware programs and files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

Step 11: Remove Temporary Internet files and Invalid Registry entries with CCleaner.

Step 12. Scan and Remove Viruses with your Antivirus Program.

Step 13: Delete infected Windows Restore Points.

Step 1. Start your computer in “Safe Mode with Networking”.

Start your computer in Safe mode with network support to avoid malicious programs and
unnecessary services to run . To do that

Windows 7, Vista & XP users:

1. Close all programs and reboot your computer.

2. Press the "F8" key as your computer is booting up, before the appearance of the Windows logo.
3. When the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" appears on your screen, use your keyboard
arrow keys to highlight the “Safe Mode with Networking” option and then press "ENTER".

Windows 10 , 8 & 8.1 users*:

* Also works in Windows 7, Vista & XP.

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.

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2. Type “msconfig” and press Enter.

3. Click the Boot tab and check “Safe Boot” & “Network”.

4. Click “OK” and restart your computer.

Note: When you finish with the virus scanning and removal procedure, then re-open the 'System
Configuration' utility and uncheck the “Safe Boot” setting. Then click OK and restart your
computer to boot Windows normally.

Step 2: Terminate known running malicious processes with RKill.

1. Download and Save RKill* to you desktop. RKill is a program that was developed at
BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal
security software can then run and clean your computer of infections.

* Notice: RKill is offered under under different filenames because some malware will not allow
processes to run unless they have a certain filename. Therefore when attempting to run RKill, if a
malware terminates it please try a different filename.

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2. Run RKill and let the program to terminate any malicious processes that may running.

3. When RKill is finished press OK and continue to the next step.

Step 3: Remove Malicious Registry Entries with RogueKiller.

1. Download and save RogueKiller utility on your computer'* (e.g. your Desktop). RogueKiller
is an anti-malware program written in C++ and is able to detect, stop & remove generic malwares
and some advanced threats such as rootkits, rogues, worms, etc.

Notice*: Download version x86 or X64 according to your operating system's version. To find your
operating system's version, "Right Click" on your computer icon, choose "Properties" and look at
"System Type" section.

2. Double Click to run RogueKiller.

3. Let the prescan to complete and then press on "Scan" button to perform a full scan.

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3. When the full scan is completed, select all items found in 'Registry' & "Web Browsers" tabs
and then press the "Delete" button to remove them.

(If asked, press Yes to reboot your computer and reboot again in "Safe Mode with Networking")

Step 4: Remove Malware programs from Windows Startup with CCLeaner.

1. Download and run CCleaner.

2. At “CCleaner” main window, choose "Tools" on the left pane.

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4. In "Tools" section, choose "Startup".

4a. Choose the "Windows” tab and then select and delete all unknown or malicious programs to
prevent them from running on Windows startup: *

Tip No1: We suggest that you disable (and not delete) any unknown entry if you are not sure
if it is malware.
Tip No2: Before deleting the malicious Startup entries, open Windows Explorer to find and
delete manually the malicious folders and files from your computer. (e.g. RandomFolderName,
RandomFileName.exe).

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4b. Then choose the “Scheduled Tasks” tab and delete (or disable) all unwanted tasks from
there.

5. Close “CCleaner” and reboot your computer to “Safe Mode with Networking” mode again as
described at Step 1.

6. After rebooting, run Rogue Killer again to scan & clean remaining malicious entries as
described at Step 2.

Step 5: Scan and remove hidden malicious Rootkits with TDSSKiller.

1. Download and save TDSSKiller Anti-rootkit utility by Kaspersky Labs on your computer (e.g.
your desktop).

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2. When the download process is complete, go to your download location (e.g. your desktop) and
double click on “tdsskiller.exe” to run it.

3. At Kaspersky’s Anti-rootkit utility program click on “Change parameters” option.

4. At TDSSKiller settings, check to enable the “Detect TDLFS file system” option and press “OK”.

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5. Press "Start scan" to start scanning for malicious programs.

When the scan process is complete, a new window opens with the scanning results.

6. Choose the "Cure" option and let the program finish the cure operation of the infected files.

7. When the "curing" operation is complete, reboot your computer.

8. After rebooting, run TDSSKiller again to scan one more time for Rootkits. If the previous
curing job was completed successfully, the program now will inform you that "No Threats found".

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Step 6: Delete Temporary files and folders from all users with TFC.
1. Download and save TFC by OldTimer to your computer.

2. When downloading is completed, run TFC and press the start button to clean all temporary files
and folders from your computer.

Note: The detailed instructions on how to download and use TFC can be found here: How to delete
temporary files using TFC.

Step 7. Uninstall all unknown and unwanted programs.

1. To do this, go to:

Windows 7 & Vista: Start > Control Panel.

Windows XP: Start > Settings > Control Panel

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Windows 8 & 8.1:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.

2. Type “control panel” and press Enter.

2. Double click to open:

Add or Remove Programs if you have Windows XP

Programs and Features (or “Uninstall a Program”) if you have Windows 8, 7 or Vista.

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3. When the program list is displayed on your screen, sort the programs to be displayed by
Installation date (Installed On) and then find and Remove (Uninstall)* any unknown program
that was lately installed on your system.

* Notice: If you receive the “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall” error message or you
face problems during program uninstall, then follow this guide to uninstall the program.

4. Close Add/Remove programs window and continue to the next step.

Step 8: Clean Adware & Unwanted Browser Toolbars with AdwCleaner.

1. Download and save AdwCleaner utility to your desktop. AdwCleaner is a powerful utility to
clean all the Adware, Toolbars, PUP & Hijacker programs from your computer.

2. Close all open programs and Double Click to open ”AdwCleaner” from your desktop.

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3. After accepting the “License Agreement”, press the “Scan” button.

4. When the scan is completed, press “Clean” to remove all the unwanted malicious entries.

4. Press “OK” at “AdwCleaner – Information” and press “OK” again to restart your computer.

5. When your computer restarts, close "AdwCleaner" information (readme) window and
continue to the next step.

Step 9: Remove Junkware & Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP) with JRT.

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1. Download and run JRT – Junkware Removal Tool. JRT is a security utility that searches for
and removes common adware, toolbars, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) from your
computer.

2. Press any key to start scanning your computer with “JRT – Junkware Removal Tool”.

3. Be patient until JRT scans and cleans your system.

4. Close JRT log file and and then reboot your computer.

Step 10: Clean Malware programs and files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
Download and install Malwarebytes 3.0 one of the most reliable FREE anti malware programs
today to clean your computer from remaining malicious threats. If you want to stay constantly
protected from viruses and malware threats, existing and future ones, we recommend that you
install Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium:

Malwarebytes™ Protection
Removes Spyware, Adware & Malware.
Start Your Free Download Now!

Quick download & Installation instructions:

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After you click the above link, press the FREE DOWNLOAD button to download Malwarebytes
3.0 Premium TRIAL.
* Note: After the 14-day trial period, Malwarebytes reverts to a free version but without real-
time protection for ransomware, viruses or malware programs.

At the installation screens, choose your preferred language, and just press the Next button in
all installation screens, to install the product.

When the installation is completed, click Finish.

Scan & Clean your computer with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

1. Launch Malwarebytes and press the Scan option on the left menu.

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2. Select the Custom Scan method and then click the Configure Scan button.

3. At Custom Scan options, check all available scanning options (1), then select all the available
disks (2) and finally press the Start Now button (3) to scan your entire system for malware.

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4. Now wait until Malwarebytes finishes scanning your computer for malware.

5. When the scan has completed, select all detected malware infections (if found) and then press
the Quarantine Selected button to remove all threats from your computer.

6. Wait until Malwarebytes removes all infections from your system and then restart your computer
(if required from the program) to completely remove all active threats.

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Step 11: Remove Temporary Internet files and Invalid Registry entries with
CCleaner
1. Run CCleaner program and proceed to clean your system from temporary Internet files and
invalid registry entries.*

*If you don’t know how to install and use “CCleaner”, read these instructions.

2. Restart your computer

Step 12. Scan and Remove Viruses with your Antivirus Program.
Open your Antivirus program and perform a full scan for viruses on your computer. *

Related article: Best Free Antivirus Programs for Home use.

* Suggestion: Before scanning your system with your antivirus program, download and run the
ESET Online Scanner utility, a power Standalone Virus Removal tool, to clean your computer from
threats. { At the "Computer Scan Settings" options select "Enable detection of potentially
unwanted applications" and in Advanced settings check all available boxes. (Remove found
threats, Scan Archives, Scan for potentially unsafe applications & Enable Anti-Stealth technology).
Then press Start to scan and clean your computer}.

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Step 13: Delete infected Windows Restore Points

After the removal process, you must remove all system restore points from your computer because
they still contain malware that can harm your computer in the future.

1. To disable System Restore points and clean disk space read this article: How to Enable or Disable
System Restore in Windows.

2. After doing that you must re-enable the System restore feature for safety and security reasons.

Conclusion: Hope that you find this article useful and effective and that your computer is now
clean from all harmful programs running on it. I will try to keep this article updated. From your
side if you want to learn how to stay protected on the future from malware programs read this
article: Ten+ tips to keep your computer fast and healthy.

If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1
can a make a huge difference for us in our effort to continue to help others while keeping
this site free:

If you want to stay constantly protected from malware threats, existing and future ones, we
recommend that you install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware PRO by clicking below (we do earn a
commision from sales generated from this link, but at no additional cost to you. We have
experience with this software and we recommend it because it is helpful and useful):
Full household PC Protection - Protect up to 3 PCs with NEW Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium!

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27 Comments

REPLY
nick
SEP 24, 2017 @ 11:13:26

you are a gem. very helpful.tnx

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REPLY
olsen
JAN 19, 2017 @ 09:25:52

hello sir,

when i finished all your steps 1-13, and restarted my computer, then turned it on, its stuck on a
BLUE SCREEN (LIKE A CLEAR SKY), after entering my pc password on the logon ,… i tried to run it
@ safe mode and its all good but then i tried it @ normal start up, it goes BLUE SCREEN again…

plz help me sir

REPLY
lakonst
JAN 19, 2017 @ 10:49:25

@olsen: 1. Boot in Safe Mode and by using "msconfig", disable all non Microsoft services.
(How to Clean Boot Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista..
2. Restart your computer and boot normally to Windows.
3. If Windows is starting without problems, then by using "msconfig" again enable one by
one the disabled services and restart your computer, until you find out which service or
program causes the problem.

REPLY
Dean76leap
DEC 16, 2016 @ 11:40:06

Are all of these steps to be done in safe mode w/networking? Or just up to step 8?

REPLY
lakonst
DEC 17, 2016 @ 13:08:47

@Dean76leap: For sure, YES.

REPLY
Monte
OCT 28, 2016 @ 20:28:57

Donation Sent! Thanks a bunch!

REPLY
pjay
SEP 28, 2016 @ 17:25:31

thanks peeps.i,m a complete beginer at this..its cleared up a lot of problems..

REPLY
Donna Figel
SEP 05, 2016 @ 16:39:12

I wholeheartedly agree, excellent article. Very clearly written. even the novice could follow this
guide. I received the link to this guide from a technician at a company that I work with. I will share
at every opportunity as well. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Job well done.

REPLY
Marko Saarinen
AUG 13, 2016 @ 17:31:07

Wohoo! Amen! =)

REPLY
SAR-rAAH
AUG 13, 2016 @ 07:48:49

Thank you so much for compiling this marvelous syllabus!

REPLY
GaryB
JUL 23, 2016 @ 01:34:37

Steps 3 (RogueKiller), 4 (CCleaner), 6 (TFC) and 8 (AdwCleaner) didn't work for me – 3, 4 & 8 the
downloaded executable files would run when double-clicked and TFC hung after a few minutes of
operation.

@Jangrik – you can't see the System Protection tab because your PC is in Safe Mode. Restart your
PC normally and it will appear again!

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REPLY
lakonst
JUL 23, 2016 @ 09:53:09

@GaryB: Are you running these programs in safe mode? If yes, then continue to rest steps.

REPLY
TimB
JUN 19, 2016 @ 21:05:01

Dude great article helped a lot, I'm a newbie to PC but helped alot

REPLY
Jangkrik
JUN 04, 2016 @ 10:53:23

Hey, it's very useful for me. My computer has many malware. Anyway, I have some problems with
step 3 and step 13. For step 3, my roguekiller can't work properly. It's stuck in some point and I
can't do anything even move my pointer :(( And for step 13, I cant see my system protection tab. I
think it is missing because f**** malware. Do you have any suggest for me? Thanks before

REPLY
lakonst
JUN 05, 2016 @ 09:58:23

@Jangkrik: 1. Download and run Eset Online Scanner to clean your computer for viruses. 2.
a) Open registry Editor and navigate to this key:
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore"
b). Delete the "DisableSR" value if exists. c) restart your computer.
If "System Protection" is missing again then launch it from
"C:\Windows\System32\SystemPropertiesProtection.exe" or
"C:\Windows\System32\SystemPropertiesRemote.exe" or type in search box "System
Restore".

REPLY
DAN
MAY 16, 2016 @ 05:56:46

Awesome work, thanks for the note it was really helpful.

I brought my machine back to life!

REPLY
Fabien
APR 30, 2016 @ 09:51:51

Merci de France =D

REPLY
jamal shaterian
FEB 17, 2016 @ 18:59:12

very handy article thank you

REPLY
BL
JAN 31, 2016 @ 07:56:10

Excellent article for both amateur and veteran PC users to rid their PCs of junk.

REPLY
Gabriel
JAN 21, 2016 @ 07:32:26

I downloaded and ran the RogueKiller and started the scan, but every time it stops at 58% and
gives me "RogueKiller.exe has stopped working." I've tried running it a few times, but no luck. Any
suggestions?

REPLY
lakonst
JAN 21, 2016 @ 10:46:04

@Gabriel: I think that Roguekiller's latest version has problems. Do not run it and continue
at the next step.

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REPLY
Jerome
DEC 23, 2015 @ 17:03:33

Very nice ! Thanks for this great article. Usefull to fight against all these virus craps.

REPLY
Alan
NOV 11, 2015 @ 13:25:20

Thanks a lot, appreciate on your hard work and effort.

REPLY
Suhas K
OCT 23, 2015 @ 22:09:09

Marvelous ! Neatly written & explained, and the tools are awesome to kick out residing viruses &
infections. Well Done & excellent job !

REPLY
Ryan
SEP 13, 2015 @ 12:54:12

Great article! Clear and well written. This process has improved the performance of my machine a
lot. Thanks.

REPLY
Romes
AUG 13, 2015 @ 10:01:00

The convenience of having all these tools in one place is great, and the article is well written for
those who are new to the art of Virus-Fu.

Thanks

REPLY
Chloe V.
NOV 11, 2013 @ 23:31:46

Holy Smokes! That's what I call a useful guide. Very nice collection of tools that pros actually use!
Thanks.

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