Troubleshooting Common Windows' Viruses

Computer viruses are malicious programs that can infiltrate your computer through many different sources. Some of the common sources that may open paths for computer infections on your PC are:

• Infected external media.

• Malicious e-mail attachments.

• Dubious Web sites.

• Open Network shares.

The malicious programs replicate fast by attaching to programs and files on your computer. There many different types and forms of viruses. Their main purpose is to exploit the vulnerabilities of the operating system and software installed on your computer. Some of the most common types of viruses include:

• Boot sector viruses: These viruses attack the boot sector of your computer and prevent it from booting up. Michelangelo and Stone virus are examples of some of the common boot sector viruses.

• Program viruses: These viruses infect executables of program files. Some of the common file name extensions include .COM, .BIN, .EXE, .DRV, and .SYS. Sunday and Cascade are some of the common viruses in this category.

• Trojan Horses: These programs are hidden within programs and files that seem harmless on the onset. Once these programs infiltrate your computer, they take control of your computer and can perform several harmful tasks such as deleting the File Allocation Table or FAT on the hard disk.

• Stealth viruses: As the name suggests, these viruses use various methods and techniques to hide themselves from antivirus scanners. Frodo and Whale are some of the common viruses in this category.

• Backdoors: These programs gain access to your computer by bypassing all your security implementations. These programs, when used for malicious purposes, can provide a spyware or another intruder unauthorized access to your system. These programs often work by copying files with names similar to legitimate files on your computer. The iexplore.exe virus is an example of a backdoor virus.

There are several different ways that you can prevent and remove these viruses from your computer. Some of the most common methods are discussed below:

Antivirus Tool: Today, it is impossible to think of a computer without an antivirus tool on it. These tools not only help you remove malicious programs from your computer, but also comprise a real time protection feature that help enjoy your Web experience without worrying about malware files infiltrating your computer. There are several paid and unpaid tools available today. Out of these, Symantec and McAfee are frontrunners in paid tools, whereas free tools such as the AOL Free Active Shield are also quite popular among users. Whichever tool you choose, ensure that you keep it updated with the latest definitions to ensure that you are protected against the latest viruses.

Virus Removal Tool: Many times, when a new virus is discovered, security tool manufacturers release standalone tools to deal with this particular virus. This virus removal tool is well-equipped to thoroughly scan all nooks and corners of your PC and weed out any malicious information from it.

Registry Cleaner:  Just like all other programs on your computer, viruses also add several entries in the registry that enable these malicious programs to carry out operations on your system. This is the reason why to ensure complete removal of viruses from your computer, it is essential that you remove all related data from the registry as well. Although antivirus and virus removal tools also scan and remove virus information from the registry, it is recommended that you use a registry cleaner tool to completely clean viruses from the registry. A good and reliable registry cleaner tool, uses complex algorithms to perform a deep scan of the registry and remove all malicious information from it.