Posted on 01/01/2014 10:42:51 AM PST by carlo3b
I am so sorry to take up space with such a stupid question, but my grandkids used my laptop, and computer over the Hollidays and must have picked up some tragic viruses on both of my computers..
I have downloaded Ccleaner, and Sophos Virus Remover, and some registry cleaner, but I still have problems with Pop-up, and slow..
HELP PLEASE!
My recommendation is either Kaspersky or Malwarebytes. I prefer Kaspersky, but it is a bit more complex than Malwarebytes.
Try these:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download
Keep us updated, and Happy New Year.
Hijackthis.com
I use a free virus checker that has worked fine for me it’s AVG free intivirus. Just google free avg.
In addition to common computer/ internet security software like McAfee and Webroot I have ran Malwarebyte on my computer. It has managed to get rid of the things that the others can’t.
I should have said that I tried that, and unless I don’t know how it works.. It didn’t do anything.. Thank you for helping.. Carlo
My kids did this too
Go to your control panel and uninstall some programs
Look for programs that take up a lot of space that were installed during the time they had your computer
I did this and got back my computer speed and cleaned out a lot of junk
Unless you already did that.
Too late now, but next time, create an account on your laptop that has very little privileges and give them that account to use.
You DO password-protect your account, right? :-)
Also, have you booted up in Safe Mode to run the scanner? Some malware or virii cannot be removed when running in normal mode.
I swear by avast. Last time I got a virus, a really nasty one that couldnt be defeated by the top anti virus software except for avast. Avast was thorough, took hours identifying and deleting infected files, but it worked beautifully.
http://www.avast.com/en-us/index
Reformat/Reinstall or Re-image the computer.
It’s the only way to be sure.
I have a brother in-law like that , now he can only use Linux machines when him and my sister visit . I always use Avast on all my machines except the one he used ,was testing a different one there , LOL
HijackThis
Free download from Trend Micro
Set up a guest account on your computer & only allow kids to use that account.
In my long experience with computers all those “cleaner” programs are worse than the virus. A free virus protector is AVG free version. I use it and it has been reliable for over a decade on all my machines.
A few questions you’ll have to answer is are they actually viruses or are they ad sponsored programs the kids installed. Go in to windows safe mode and uninstall anything with the installation date with the date the kids used the machine. If you have auto restore point active on Windows you may be lucky enough to have a simple button click.
Try windows update also. I would use “cleaner” programs as a last resort.
Good luck. It’s hard to really say without seeing the machine in question.
Or nuke it from orbit.
I’ve had to do that a few times.
You’ve already had good corrective advice from other responses, so now for a little proactive advice.
I realize this is hard, but once you’ve fixed your current problems, password protect your computer and do not allow anyone else to use it. This is especially true for children and grandchildren. They will screw up your computer. And your computer is too important to your life to be exposed to that certainty.
If you wish to be generous to your grandchildren, obtain a used notebook exclusively for their “guest” use.
I have given this advice to all of my friends with family. Those who heeded it were grateful. Those who didn’t were rueful.
OMG, I am such a dope.. I downloaded 2 of them but I can’t find them on my computer, anywhere.. This often happens with me..
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