Friendly Computer Systems Virus Removal Services

If you suspect that you may have a virus on your computer and you have virus protection software installed, we suggest you update your virus definitions and run a full scan on your hard drive(s). If you are not sure how to do this, or prefer for a professional to check over your system, we offer professional virus removal and protection services.

We use the professional virus/spyware programs to scan and remove all currently identified viruses from infected computers. The standard charge for the service is $75, but may be more if the computer is extremely infected. As with all our repair services, there is a 2-4 business day turn around time.

We also sell Norton Antivirus and can install and update it on your computer, for an addidtional fee, to give you the best virus protection available.

What are these things?

Computer viruses are software programs deliberately designed to interfere with computer operation, record, corrupt, or delete data, or spread themselves to other computers and throughout the Internet, often slowing things down and causing other problems in the process.

Spyware is software that sends your personal information to a third party without your permission or knowledge. This can include information about Web sites you visit or something more sensitive like your user name and password. Unscrupulous companies often use this data to send you unsolicited targeted advertisements.

Adware is software that displays advertisements on your computer. These are ads that inexplicably pop up on your display screen, even if you're not browsing the Internet. Some companies provide "free" software in exchange for advertising on your display. It's how they make their money.

Virus infections and spyware/adware threats are one of the most common problems experienced by computer users. The detection and removal of these programs is a multi-step process that, depending upon a variety of factors, can take multiple days to complete.

What we do

The first main step in our process is to scan the files from your computer hard drive onto a clean computer. The reason that we do this is to prevent any possible infections that your computer may have from infecting other files during the detection and removal process.

The hard drive will be scanned first for viruses. How long this takes depends on the size of the hard drive and the number of files stored on the hard drive. If any infected files are found, they are deleted from the hard drive. After the infected files are removed, the scan is started again. This process of scanning/removing/rescanning will be repeated until no further virus infections are reported. Not all viruses are reported on the first scan. Once the virus scan completes without reporting any infections we proceed to the next step.

The second item that we scan for is spyware. This step is just like the virus scanning step. The hard drive is scanned with a spyware scanner and any threats, if reported, are deleted from the hard drive. Also, like the previous step, if any threats are reported, the scan will be repeated until no threats are found. We have discovered that there is no one program that catches all spyware threats, so after the first scanning program has completely scanned the hard drive and reports no more threats, we scan again with a different program.

The next item that is scanned for is adware. The procedure here is the same as for the two previous items. If any threats are reported, the drive is re-scanned.

After these scans have been completed and there are no more reported threats, the hard drive is placed back in the computer and the system is booted up. At this point we try to determine if the operating system still functions properly. On systems that are very infected key operating system components may have been corrupted and removed. We will test internet connectivity and install our scanning software on the computer. If the computer seems stable and allows programs to be installed properly, we will then proceed with the next step. If the programs cannot be installed or internet/network communications are not possible, we usually recommend that the computer be wiped and the operating system be re-installed. If the operating system is stable and we can install our scanning software, we continue with the testing.

Once we have installed the scanning software, the computer is re-booted into SAFE MODE. Safe Mode allows the computer to operate, but does not load any programs other than the basic operating system software. This prevents possible malicious programs from infecting other files while the scanning process continues.

The same scanning process described above has to be done for each person that logs onto the computer. This means that if there are three user names shown when you start your computer, the entire scanning procedure must be done for each one, since files can sometimes be hidden from one user by another.

How you can protect yourself

The most important thing to understand is that there is NO MAGIC BULLET. Also, be PROACTIVE rather than reactive. Even though your computer is clean now does not mean that it can’t be re-infected. Take steps to protect yourself by actively utilizing the tools available to you.

No one program can detect and remove all the threats that you and your computer face. At the absolute minimum you need to have a virus scanner. You should also have a program that protects against spyware and one that protects against adware.

Next, more is not always better. You should only have one virus scanning program active on your computer. If you have more than one scanner installed, they will get in each others way and cause problems. This is also true of spyware and adware scanners. Make sure that you only have one of each type of scanner installed.

It’s not necessary to spend a lot of money to protect your computer either. While scanning software that you purchase is usually better and catches more threats, there are some free alternatives available. If you do decide to use a free scanner, make sure to research it first. Check with a trusted source like www.pcmag.com to see if a review has ever been done on the product before installing it. There are some malicious programs out there that masquerade as spyware and or virus scanners.

Make it a part of your normal routine to completely scan your system on a regular basis. This needs to be done in addition to the automatic protection that program(s) have built in. The frequency of these scans depends on how often you surf the web and download files. If you don’t connect that often, scanning once every couple of weeks should be adequate. If you are on-line more frequently (or if you have a high-speed connection like DSL or cable) you should scan your system once a week.

Finally, delete all cookies and temporary internet files from your computer after you finish surfing the web each day. The more frequently you do this, the safer your computer will be. The majority of all spyware is stored in the temporary directories of your computer and if you clean them out regularly, you eliminate those threats.

Friendly Computer Systems, Inc. & Friendly Network
1383 Main Street, Suite 201
Stevensville, MD 21666
(410) 643.4606 • (410) 639.7799 • fax: (410) 643.4216