My dormmates ask me from time to time about unusual things that happen with their Microsoft Windows XP systems. Because I am usually short on time, I seldom bother to search the Internet to find out what specific virus has infected a computer, and to look for specific fixes from Microsoft itself or from respectable anti-virus companies. In most cases, I just do the following, and oftentimes, the problem is fixed.
- Run Task Manager.
- Terminate the Explorer process. Explorer is the manager of the graphical interface of Windows. A large number of viruses inject instructions into this to recreate them if they are deleted, or to start the processes needed by the viruses again if the processes are terminated.
- Terminate suspicious and non-critical processes.
- Run msconfig.
- Make sure that Selective Startup is selected. In the Processes tab, a list of processes run upon boot up is shown. Only processes wished to be run upon boot up should be ticked.
- Reboot.
Some cases I’ve encountered required manual deletion of certain files after these are done. Others required uninstallation of malware. There were also a couple that required the restoration of one or two original Windows system files. Also, there are times when the Windows systems seem too corrupted that I just end up recommending reinstallation of the operating system.
Of course, I never forget to remind people to install security patches from Microsoft whenever new ones become available, and although I hated having an anti-virus software running on my Windows system before, I always tell my dormmates to install one if they don’t have any installed yet, and to update their virus definitions regularly. Preventive measures ought to help.