How to Remove Malware and Viruses from Your Windows 10 PC: A Comprehensive Guide

Malware is software with malicious intent designed to harm a computer or network. One strategy to keep your computer safe from malware is to prevent malware from accessing your computer. This is done using a firewall and antivirus software. But once infected, malware cannot be easily removed. This is because malware stays hidden on your computer and may even escape your antivirus scan, which is why it’s so important to follow the correct steps to get rid of the malware.

In this article we want to know How to Remove Malware or Viruses From my Windows 10 PC.

Stay with us until the end of this article.

How do you know if your computer is infected with malware?

• Pop-ups will appear when you connect to the Internet. These pop-ups may even contain links to other malicious sites.
• Your computer’s processor is too slow. It is because malware consumes a lot of your system’s processing power.
• Your browser keeps redirecting to an unknown site.
• Your system crashes unexpectedly, and you often get a Blue Screen of Death error.
• Some malware hides in your system without doing anything. They may be waiting for the right moment to attack, or they may be waiting for a command from their controller.

1.Disconnect your computer from the Internet

It is the first step to getting rid of the malware. Turn your Wi-Fi off, disconnect your Ethernet or even your router to disconnect from the Internet entirely, which immediately prevents the spread of malware and stops any data transmission without your knowledge, thereby stopping the attack.

2. Switch to Safe Mode

Safe mode works by allowing your device to download only original apps and malware and starts the machine like this.

Also, if the cyber threat is automatically loaded on your computer, here the safe mode will prevent it from doing so, and no more cyber threats will be loaded on your system.

By using this mode, it becomes easy to remove malicious software.

Below are the steps to enter safe mode:

1.On the left side of your screen, select the Windows logo.

2.Type in Settings and select the search result.

3.Click on Updates & Security.

4.On the left side of the window, find Recovery and select it.

5.Click on Restart now in the Advanced startup section.

6.When your device restarts, a blue screen with a few options will appear. Click on the Troubleshoot button.

7.Select Advanced options.

8.Click on Startup settings.

9.Click on Restart.

10.Once another blue window appears, find the Enable Safe Mode option. Select number 4 on your keyboard.

11.You are now in safe mode. 

If you notice that your system runs faster in Safe Mode, malware may be slowing down your system naturally. Also, some programs load automatically at startup and delay your system even more.

3. Uninstall suspicious programs

As you know, malware is seated on North’s system through programs that are infected. Note that releasing such programs is one of the most important ways to remove such threats.

Below are the steps to do this:

1.Select the Windows logo key in the left corner of your screen and type in Control Panel. Click on it.

2.Find the Uninstall a program button under the Programs section.

3.If the issue is recent, you can select Installed on to find any newly installed programs that might be suspicious.

4.Click on the application(s) you want to remove and hit Uninstall. Or, you can also remove it by right-clicking on the program.

4.Delete temporary files

Be careful because hackers are looking to put malware in the temp folder because users usually ignore this folder and forget to scan the temp folder with antivirus, which is a pleasant opportunity for hackers.

Below are the steps to remove malware in the temp folder:

1.Click on Windows + R key combination. It’ll open the RUN window.

2.In the pop-up window, type in %temp% and select OK.

3.The temporary file folder will open. Delete all files and folders that are in this destination.

4.Right-click on your Recycle bin. Hit Empty Recycle Bin.

5.Run a malware scan

Generally, you may want to use real-time antivirus software that constantly checks for malware. But your antivirus may not be able to detect any style of malware, that’s why your system is infected.

Therefore, you should scan your system for malware by installing antivirus software. If malware is detected, remove it and scan your system again to check for remaining malware.

Doing this will remove the malware from your Windows 10 PC, and your system will be safe to use. You can use several on-demand antivirus scanners to make sure your computer is safe from such threats. You should have real-time antivirus software and some on-demand antivirus software to keep your system free of malware.

6.Reinstall your browser 

Malware can also change your browser settings. After removing the malware, you should clear your web browser’s cookies. Additionally, check your browser’s other settings, such as the homepage.

Malware can change your home page to an unknown website, which may re-infect your computer. Also, if you avoid websites that your antivirus might block, this solution will help you.

7 .Reinstall Windows

While the above methods work for most users, your system may be heavily infected and cannot be recovered using the above methods. If your Windows still doesn’t work or can’t get rid of the malware, you may have to reinstall Windows.

Note: Before reinstalling Windows, you must remember to back up your PC. Copy your files to an external drive and back up your drivers using some tools. For apps, you need to reinstall them.

After you’ve backed up all your necessary stuff, you can reinstall Windows using the disc that came with your PC. If your computer supports it, you can use the factory restore option. After reinstalling Windows, you can successfully remove malware from your Windows 10 PC.

After removing the malware, you need to take a few more steps to keep your PC safe and clean. First of all, as soon as you get rid of the infection, you should check your social networks, email and bank accounts, etc. for any malicious activity that may have occurred. Also, change your password if it was saved by malware.

Malware can also hide in old backups created when your system was infected. You need to delete old backups and get new jams. If you shouldn’t delete old backups, you should at least scan them with an antivirus.

Always use a suitable real-time antivirus on your computer. It helps if you have an on-demand antivirus software ready in case of an attack. Always keep your antivirus up to date.

Since most malware is introduced over the Internet, you should take serious precautions when visiting unknown sites. You can even use services like OpenDNS to block any sites that might be dangerous to you.

Some software also provides sandbox mode for web browsers. In sandbox mode, the web browser runs in a fully controlled environment and is given only a few permissions necessary to prevent abuse.

Hence, handling your web browser in sandbox mode prevents downloaded malware from harming your system. Avoid suspicious websites and keep your Windows up to date.

Conclusion

By doing the above methods, you can get rid of malware and stop worrying about your system being infected.

What other methods do you know that can be used to remove malware and viruses on the computer?