Get Rid of Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse virus is a malware program that attaches itself to an innocuous file and embeds itself in your system. These files often come from spam or scam emails, or from clicking unknown links online. A Trojan virus can really mess up your day, but thankfully they’re fairly easy to remove. Follow this guide to clean out that unwanted Trojan horse virus from your system.

Steps

  1. Disable System Restore. Trojans have a nasty habit of infecting your System Restore points, which can cause your computer to continue to get infected, even after you remove the virus.[1]
    • Open your System properties. You can access this by right-clicking on Computer and selecting Properties. In Windows 8, press the Windows key + X and select System.
    • Click the “System protection” link.
    • Click the Configure button.
    • Disable system protection and delete all of the restore points saved on your computer. This will ensure that the virus does not replicate through System Restore. You can re-enable System Restore once the virus has been removed.
  2. Install an anti-malware program, if you haven’t already. There are several good free options available, including Malwarebytes or Avast!. You may have better luck with a paid program, as they tend to have more definitions that they can use to detect viruses.
  3. Reboot into Safe Mode. Reboot your computer and repeatedly hit the F8 key until the Advanced Boot menu appears. Select Safe Mode, or Safe Mode with Networking if you want to be able to download files during the removal process.
  4. Uninstall any unfamiliar programs. Trojans often install programs that you didn’t approve. Once you are in Safe mode, open the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features. Browse the list for any programs that you did not authorize and uninstall them.[2]
  5. Start a scan with your anti-malware program. Depending on the number of files on your computer, this could take up to several hours. Depending on the virus you may be presented with several results:
    • Your scan may detect a virus and successfully remove it. If this happens, run the scan again in Safe Mode. If nothing is detected, reboot your computer and run the scan again after booting normally. If the virus is not detected, you are most likely in the clear.
    • Your scan may detect a virus but be unable to remove it. If this happens, copy the exact name of the virus and enter it into the search at one of the major antivirus companies, such as Norton or Kaspersky. You should be able to find removal instructions specific to the virus you are infected with.
    • Your scan may not detect anything. If this happens, install a different anti-malware program and try scanning again. If the second anti-malware program does not return any results, and you are sure that your computer is infected with some sort of virus, backup your data and reformat your system. [3]
      • Major antivirus companies may be willing to work with you one-on-one to identify and remove the virus if their program does not detect it.[4]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/246224-system-restore-and-trojans
  2. ↑ http://www.combofix.org/what-is-trojan-horse-virus-and-how-to-remove-it-manually.php
  3. ↑ http://www.getridofthings.com/computers/get-rid-of-a-trojan-virus.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/tool-delete-or-remove-trojan-horse-virus
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