Hello Peter,
That's good to hear
There's a few things that I would recommend that you do, just to make yourself a little safer when using your computer. Here's the list:
1. Windows Update
- Hold the
key and press R to bring up the Run box
- In the box, type wuapp.exe and press enter
- On the side panel, there is an entry called Change Settings. Click it
- On the drop down menu, select Install updates automatically (recommended)
- Tick every box on that page
This ensures that the latest vulnerabilities in Windows and MS Office are patched, making it less likely that you get infected in the future
2. System Restore
To manually create a new Restore Point
- Go to Control Panel and select System and Maintenance
- Select System
- On the left select Advance System Settings and accept the warning if you get one
- Select System Protection Tab
- Select Create at the bottom
- Type in a name i.e. Clean
- Select Create
Now we can purge the infected ones
- Go back to the System and Maintenance page
- Select Performance Information and Tools
- On the left select Open Disk Cleanup
- Select Files from all users and accept the warning if you get one
- In the drop down box select your main drive i.e. C
- For a few moments the system will make some calculations
- Select the More Options tab
- In the System Restore and Shadow Backups select Clean up
- Select Delete on the pop up
- Select OK
- Select Delete
You are now done
Sometimes system restore points can be infected, and by using them now that your system is clean, you will only infect yourself again and bring us back to square one. So let's get rid of them and start over
3. Clear Temp Files
- Download TFC (By OldTimer), to your desktop.
- Save any open documents, then close any active programs/windows
- Right click on the file, and select Run As Administrator
- When it opens, click Start to being the process
- A reboot is required upon completion of this, if this is not done by TFC then do so manually
Remnants of infections may still be in your temporary files but by using this tool, we can remove all of your temporary files - purging the nasties out and freeing up disk space
4. MVPs HOSTS File
- Download the MVPs HOSTS File to your desktop
- Extract the files from the .zip folder
- Right click on mvps.bat and select Run As Administrator
- This should open up a command window, follow the on screen instructions
- Open your start menu, and type cmd
- Right click on cmd and select Run As Administrator
- When it opens, type the following:
ipconfig /flushdns
The MVPs (Microsofts Most Valuable Professionals) have made this host file which contains a very large list of advertising/malicious websites by redirecting them to the IP 127.0.0.1 (your own computers). This means that whenever you attempt to load one of these sites, your computer won't be able to connect to them hence making your browsing safer and slightly faster
5. Ensure all programs are updated
- Download and install Secunia PSI
- Run this regularly to ensure programs are not out of date
This program compares the current version number of all of your software against the most recent version number and displays which programs need updating. It also provides links to do this. This ensures that the latest security holes and vulnerabilities in your software are patched - reducing your chance of infection through an exploit e.g. a
PDF exploit
6. Create a system image
- Use Macrium Reflect to make images of your system every 3 months
- Not only does this backup your files, but it allows us to restore your computer to a date which is before the infection
- Make sure these images are stored on an external hard drive
This backups your whole hard drive partition that you have installed Windows on - core Windows files, programs and your files. Not only is this protection against data loss, but it can also be used in the event of a system failure as you can just restore your computer to a time before the problem
7. Backing up registry
- In the event of registry corruption/damage then you can restore your registry to a previous date by using this software
- Follow this tutorial to set up daily registry backups: ERUNT Daily Registry Backup Tutorial
This handy little tool will backup and rebuild your registry on a daily basis. Sometimes things can go wrong on your computer - perhaps caused by a virus, perhaps a bug - and this could lead to your registry being corrupted or damaged. This could have all sorts of adverse effects on your system and could potentially stop Windows from functioning or booting. By doing this, we are able to restore to one of these backups if needs be
8. WOT Link Scanning
- Install WOT (Web Of Trust) from here Safe Browsing Tool - WOT
- This program provides information about the safety of websites and links that you visit.
- The ratings can be found below:
Green - Website is highly rated
Yellow - Website should be used with caution
Red - This website should be avoided
- A complete list of the symbols can be found here
WOT provides colour coded link scanning for websites and allows you to see whether a link you are about to click on is bad - e.g. malicious
9. SpywareBlaster
- This software prevents the installation of Spyware on your system by blocking a specific list of ActiveX controls that are known to be spyware related.
- Once you have installed this program, make sure you update it.
- Open SpywareBlaster and tick the Enable Protection For All Unprotected Items
10. Make Internet Explorer More Secure
Some infections can be caused by malicious ActiveX controls, all this program does is block a large list of controls that are known to be malicious
11. Hide Hidden Files/Folders
- Hold the key and press R
- When the run dialogue opens, type CONTROL FOLDERS and press enter
- Go to the View tab
- Make sure the following boxes are set correctly:
- Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives = Checked
- Hide extensions for known file types = Checked
- Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) = Checked
- Click Apply then OK
There is no need to view hidden files or folders for everyday use, so if we hide them, then we wont be able to accidentally delete something important
Tom
And fingers crossed on not having a power failure!