(I originally wrote this email for a friend; I’ve cleaned it up some, added some resources, and am presenting it here for reference – and I’m planning to gather more resources and put together a “first-aid kit” for myself this weekend. Other quick notes: good security software and another great tool.)
For starters, you can try downloading and running Microsoft’s malware removal tool and also running Trend Micro’s free online antivirus software.
Are you running any antivirus software right now? If so, run its update function and tell it to check the entire computer for viruses. I can’t tell you how to do this for any specific software, but it should be pretty obvious.
If you’re not using any antivirus software right now, download and install AVG Free. Its installation routine should walk you through some easy steps to get you started. Again, make sure it’s updated, then run a “full scan.”
Even if you are using some antivirus software, download and install the free/home version of SuperAntiSpyware. Again, its installer should walk you through updating and scanning. This tool checks for a lot of stuff that isn’t generally covered by antivirus tools. (Don’t worry about the “pro”/pay-for versions of these programs. It’s perfectly possible to run a secure computer without paying a cent for security software…I do.)
Go here: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/download/. Scroll down to “a-squared Free 3.5″, download it, and install it. It should walk you through everything.
Be sure to restart the computer after running each program – if it removes something, the change won’t take effect until the computer is restarted.
Microsoft also has some semi-useful information here.
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