document updated 14 years ago, on Feb 15, 2010
Windows Malware Removal
FreeGeek does not remove malware (eg. spyware, viruses, worms) from Windows computers. The only thing we can do is give you this sheet with some pointers on how to get started.
There are some free options. However, please NOTE that removing malware CAN BE RISKY. There is a real possibility that you could lose your one-of-a-kind photos, documents, and music. If you aren't confident about your skills, or you want to avoid any risk, it may be best to pay a computer service to remove the spyware for you.
Your options generally are:
- run an anti-malware utility yourself (free, but risky, requires moderate expertise)
- reinstall Windows (free if you have a Windows install disk, only risky insofar as you need to make sure you backup all off your important files first, doesn't require very much expertise)
- pay a computer service to remove it (costs some money, low risk, requires no expertise)
Run an anti-malware tool yourself
Only use software written by well-known authors. There are unfortunately many "anti-malware" programs that simply install more malware.
All of these have free versions:
Reinstall Windows
If your computer has a particularly bad infection, this can often be the best solution.
If you don't have any photos/music/documents that you care about on your computer, this is probably the easiest thing to do.
If you do have photos/music/ducments that you care about, you have to be careful that you copy these files to another computer before you reinstall.
You also need to make sure you have an original Windows install CD (pictured), or a "recovery partition" built into your computer.
Pay a computer service to remove it
This is the least risky option, but it also costs money.
- TODO: list Sam
- Alex Hanson, 773-793-0961
- TODO: how do we decide who to recommend? There are a TON of spyware-removal places nearby.
- only list ones that promise to send us broken computers / volunteers, in exchange for sending referral business?
- call each one once, find out their prices, and ask a few questions to see if they're reliable?
- don't do ANY work, just remove any that we hear complaints about?
Avoid malware altogether
If you replace Windows with Linux, you won't have to deal with malware ever again. Also, FreeGeek would be happy to help you install Linux. (Sorry, we don't support Windows)
