What do they do that I can't?

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have had to take my computer (Toshiba laptop) in on three separate occasions to be cleaned up after having a virus attack it. DH & I try to be careful, not opening attachments we don't know, not visiting "weird" sites where you think a virus might lurk, just not careless in general, but still we get the things. I run my anti-virus software and do what it instructs me to do but sometimes that's not enough. I have to take it to this guy and pay him to get it back on track. What does he do that I can't? I want to be able to do this myself instead of paying someone else if possible. Any ideas or suggestions? I am not a compute geek, but can follow directions.:help:

[Alan]

In all my years of computing, I've only had one virus, but it was a double whammy. I was out of town and talking to my wife on Skype. She told me about something she had just seen on the internet and gave me a link to follow, which I did. We both got hit with the same virus at the same time at a distance of 800 miles from each other. A valuable lesson learned, don't let your guard down, even for your spouse. :D

That little piece of irony aside, I don't think there's an easy answer for you. I think the threats are too many and too diverse to provide a simple answer to the problem. The first thing to remember is where the threat lies. A lot of virus/malware/etc., are coming from social media these days. Be careful of the links you may follow on Facebook or Twitter, even from trusted friends and relatives. Often they've been infected themselves and did not actually post the link you see under their identity.

Making sure your virus definition tables are up to date and being selective of where you visit on the internet are your best lines of defense. But if you are infected, understand that it's then a troubleshooting process to identify and eradicate it. That means you need to really understand the processes your computer uses and what their vulnerabilities are. Most people don't and are better off letting others deal with it when a problem does arise.

There are lots of online scanners out there which can be valuable resources, keeping in mind that they are only as good as their latest definition tables. There's always a lag between a new virus coming out and it being discovered, analyzed and mitigated. I wish it were as simple as just following a few easy directions.

[shadowmoss]

One thing you might (should?) do is keep frequent backups. I use Ghost to make an image (one big file that is more like a picture of the hard drive at a given instant) and use that for my backups. Restoring it is all or nothing. If I got a virus I would wipe my hard drive and then restore the most recent image. There is a way to extract a single file from a Ghost image, but in general I use it to totally wipe out and restore. This is kind of the atom bomb method of virus removal.

That said, I don't do Facebook, Twitter or most other social networking. I do have a blog, and I visit message boards. I use AVG, a free anti-virus, and the first thing I do with a computer that hasn't been on the network for awhile is update the definitions (3 computers, one network cable...). I don't click on 'cute' cards sent to me even by friends. I am in general fairly careful. I haven't had a virus in many years. Of course, now I will probably get socked. :) Making a note to do my backups tonight.

[Miss Cellane]

One thing the pros have is more money and time to apply to the problem. Therefore, they have access to more software to clean up your computer. And they have the knowledge and skill that comes from dealing with all the different variations of viruses and how they attack computers.

You could always get an Apple computer. I've had nothing but Apple computers since about 1990, and viruses aren't an issue.

[goldensmom]

I go into the same few sites and don't open e-mails that I am not familiar with so have never had a virus but recently my husband got a virus on his laptop. He has mifi and the virus loaded before his anti-virus could stop it. Whatever it was, whenever he turned on his computer he got a black screen. He worked on it for 3 days (evenings that is) and finally fixed it. He told me what he did but it did not compute in my brain, the only thing I remember him saying was something about 'regedit'. Somehow he got his computer to reset itself to the day before he got the virus. I will ask him to explain it to me again and try to post it if I can. Frustrating.

[Alan]

Somehow he got his computer to reset itself to the day before he got the virus. I will ask him to explain it to me again and try to post it if I can. Frustrating.

He used a Windows System Restore Point. Forgot about that earlier. See more about it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I can see how naive my thinking was after reading just these few posts. I will leave it to the pros because I haven't a clue. Just wishful thinking that it might be something I just wasn't tuned into and could do myself.

Miss Cellane I have certainly entertained the idea of a mac, and when the time comes for a new one that is probably what we will get. I use macs at work and I am very pleased with them, plus apparently people don't bother with them (as far as writing viruses) like they do PCs.

Thanks for everyone's input - I don't feel so stupid that I can't do something now!

[goldensmom]

He used a Windows System Restore Point. Forgot about that earlier. See more about it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions

Yes, alan, that was what he did. Fortunately for me, if I ever do have computer problems I just go to him. So far it's worked for me.

[Weston]

He used a Windows System Restore Point. Forgot about that earlier. See more about it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions I spent a fortune on computer virus removal until I found out about system restore. It has been a godsend for our home computers although I still call in the experts for my work computers because I don't want to risk losing any crucial data.

[Alan]

I spent a fortune on computer virus removal until I found out about system restore. It has been a godsend for our home computers although I still call in the experts for my work computers because I don't want to risk losing any crucial data.
Yes, System Restore does a great job in most cases, although it's not a foolproof answer to the problem. System Restore does not effect personal files such as documents, spreadsheets, images, etc. There have been viruses that have attached themselves to these types of files and simply re-infect the computer on first use after a system restore.

Also, System Restore will eradicate any programs installed after the restore point, which could cause licensing issues upon re-installation.

[Spartana]

Yes, System Restore does a great job in most cases, although it's not a foolproof answer to the problem. System Restore does not effect personal files such as documents, spreadsheets, images, etc. There have been viruses that have attached themselves to these types of files and simply re-infect the computer on first use after a system restore.

Also, System Restore will eradicate any programs installed after the restore point, which could cause licensing issues upon re-installation.

I've done both the system restore "point" thing and the "total" system restore back to it's original factory condition thing. The later totally wipes out everything you have added from the time you bought the computer so must back up anything before hand.