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There are many security programs on the internet but I only stick to ones that I know have the capabilities of protecting and removing malware from a computer.  The newest program that I have added to my arsenal is A-squared anti-malware.  About a month ago, I had a chance to get a free one-year trial of A-squared and I jumped at the chance to test it out.  I am extremely glad that I did.

A-squared was created by Emsisoft and has a free and paid version.  A-squared scans your PC for infections of trojans, viruses, spyware, adware, worms, bots, keyloggers and dialers.  A-squared uses two scanning engines, the A-squared anti-spyware and Ikarus anti-virus engine.  According to a test done in October by the famous Malware Research Group, A-squared scored a 99.8% detection rate and was the top product out of 21.  The results can be found here at Anti-Malware Reviews.

A-squared has a laundry list of features and instead of listing them I have provided a link that compares the various versions and can be found at A-squared features.  A-squared has a nice interface and is easy to navigate.  Here is a screenshot of the interface.

A-squared Interface

One of the most important things about an anti-malware program is updating.  A-squared is constantly updating the virus signatures and there have been times that it updated around 4-5 times in an hour.

A-squared has four types of scans, quick, smart, deep, and custom scan.  The quick scan was completed in less than two minutes.  The smart scan took an hour and twenty minutes to finish and the deep scan finished in two and a half hours.  The scan times can vary depending of memory installed, hard drive, and if the computer is infected or not.

One thing that really stood out to me was an article I read about Malwarebytes versus A-squared.  The article was written by Donna Buenaventura of Bright Hub and Calendar of Updates, she tested Malwarebytes and A-squared against 100 positive malware samples.  Malwarebytes was able to detect 58 out of 100 malware samples while A2 Free detected 92.  The article can be found here at Bright Hub.

I haven’t tested A-squared against any malware but I like the software.  I have been considering conducting tests again to determine how good security program is but don’t have the time right now.  The best thing about A-squared is it uses an anti-virus and anti-spyware engine so I don’t feel the need to install a standalone anti-virus.  If you have been considering A-squared, you can’t go wrong.  The detection rates are among the best and the program is lightweight.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to get a one-year trial of A-squared.

In this post, I am going to discuss my methods on removing malware. Malware is short for malicious software. Malware can be anything from a virus, spyware, adware, trojans, etc. Before I move on, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to remove malware.

It might be hard to download and install some of the malware removal tools I will be discussing. Malware has the tendency to block access to antivirus or antimalware program Web sites. There are a few ways to get passed this but I will do a post on that in the future. I am also in the process of writing a free eBook on how to remove malware.

I help tons of users remove malware through Yahoo Answers. I have connected with people via Yahoo messenger, screen sharing, and phone consultation. There has never been a time where I was unable to figure out what the problems were or a time that I could not fix the problem.

The programs I use on a regular basis are Combofix, Malwarebytes (MB), SuperAntiSpyware (SAS), Hijackthis, CCleaner, and Crossloop. These are not in any specific order. I start by using Malwarebytes. MB is one of my favorite antimalware tools (along with SuperAntiSpyware). The reason I like MB is because it has a high detection rate and a quick scan is sufficient to remove the malware it finds. Once the scan is finished, the program will ask to remove selected, once this is done, you will have to restart the computer.

Once I am finished, removing any infections that MB finds, the next program I use is SAS. If MB misses something, then SAS will catch the rest of the infections. I personally own a copy of SAS professional edition. SAS pro is a phenomenal antispyware program and I paid $19.95 for a lifetime subscription (that is truly impressive for such an awesome program). If SAS finds anything, the computer will need to be restarted after the removal process.

After I have removed all the malware from the infected computer, I will use CCleaner to delete all the temporary files and invalid registry entries that the malware left behind. The last program I use is hijackthis. I won’t go into detail about hijackthis but it examines specific parts of a computer and gives a list of various things, examples are browser helper objects and startup entries.

The only time I use Crossloop is when the user wants me to connect to their computer and remove the malware. I can usually connect to a computer and remove all the malware in under an hour (it also depends on how fast the person’s internet connection is). Combofix is sort of a trump card; if the other programs don’t work I will bust out the big gun.

This is my standard procedure on removing any viruses or other computer parasites. The process might seem easy but this is not always the case. If anyone would like help in removing some malware, I am always here to lend a helping hand. I am not going to charge you anything either. I really enjoy removing viruses and I am always looking for a good challenge. I hope this short guide has helped you in some way. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email in the comment form on the sidebar. All the programs I use are free to use.

Having an infected computer can really drive a person insane.  An infected computer can be so bad that the computer is practically useless.  On the other hand, viruses can be very sneaky and it is hard to tell if the computer is infected.  What are some signs that I might have a virus?  This is a good question that I am going to try to clear up.

Here is ten signs and symptoms the computer might have a virus.

1.  Computer is really slow

Computer viruses tend to eat up a lot of CPU and memory.  One way to check this is to open up the task manager and check for suspicious process.  If one of the processes looks suspicious or is eating up the CPU, do a Google search of the process.  I guarantee you will find some sort of information on the process whether it be good or bad.

2.  Random Programs Opening Up

This is very common with all malware infections.  When I remove malware from computers, I notice there is a bunch of Internet Explorer processes in task manager.  This happens even if the user does not use Internet Explorer.

3.  Programs Freezing or Crashing

Again, I use the Internet Explorer Example.  If the person does not suspect anything, an error message might pop up and say Internet Explorer service has been shutdown or something along those lines.  I get questions about users receiving the Internet Explorer error when they don’t use it.  This can be checked by hitting ctrl+alt+del.

4.  Pop-ups

This is another common symptom of an infected computer.  The user might be browsing the Internet and receiving a bunch of pop-ups or they can receive them when they are not surfing the Internet.

5.  Browser Redirects

I have started to see this problem more and more.  When the user goes to search something like Facebook, they are redirected to some other site like Yellow Pages.  Lately, the infections I have been removing would redirect me to the Yellow Pages (strange and funny).

6.  Random Desktop Shortcuts

This has been a common occurrence.  I was helping a friend who had a ton of viruses on his computer and he had a bunch of random shortcuts on his desktop.  It was actually funny; he had some porn shortcuts that could not be deleted.  One was about bestiality and another about gay fetishes (LOL).

7.  Computer Sounds Like a Radio Broadcast

I ran into this problem a few times.  A couple of people I helped on Yahoo Answers were getting some strange voices coming from their computer.  I thought this was creative and I think I would be rather tripped out by that.

8.  Windows Task Manager Has Been Disabled

I ran into this problem a lot.  When the user tries to access their task manager, they get an error message saying they don’t have the proper privileges to access it.

9.  Fake Windows Security Center

This has a lot to do with rogue security applications or scareware.  Rogue security applications trick the user into thinking he/she has some viruses.  An unsuspecting user might think they have a bunch of viruses and proceed to buy the rogue.  I helped this person on Yahoo Answers that actually bought the virus or rogue.  He entered all his personal information to include credit card number and was getting charged like $49.99 or $59.99, can’t remember which.

10.   Computer Can Only Access Safemode

When the computer tries to boot into Windows it automatically restarts itself bringing you back to the black screen with various options.  The user has to access safemode in order to do anything.  Fortunately, there are programs that have the ability to run and destroy malware in safemode.

These are the most common occurrences I have seen.  Malware creators are getting more intuitive in order to bypass the standard security software.  If your computer is infected, I would be glad to assist you in the removal process.  Removing viruses have become a hobby of mine and I really enjoy destroying malware.  Here is another article that might help you remove any viruses, how to remove viruses for free.

It’s no secret that I am big on computer security. I frequently change around my security software every month (don’t ask why, it’s just a habit). Today I installed Comodo Internet Security (CIS). Comodo is one of the few security vendors that offer free internet security software.
CIS recently received a perfect score in Matousec’s latest security tests. Matousec conducts tests on the various security software on the market (if the vendors approve). This is the main reason why I switched to CIS. I have always been a fan of Comodo products and have installed the firewall on many computers.

Comodo is mainly known for their firewall and their antimalware product called BOClean. Once Comodo announced they were going to put together a free internet security suite, I was excited and at the same time a little skeptical. My skepticism is long gone.
Here are some of the features that CIS brings to the table.

• All-in-one Firewall & Antivirus
• Defends your PC from Internet attacks
• Detects and eliminates viruses
• Prevents malware from being installed
• Easy to install, configure and use
• Free to both business and home users
• Default Deny Protection (DDP)
• Only known and listed PC-safe files and applications are able to access your PC.
• Prevention-based protection
• Firewall and Antivirus combine to stop viruses and malware before they enter the PC.
• Personalized protection alerts
• Firewall quickly learns the rules you set for downloading software, and adjusts its alerts accordingly to fit your needs.
• Real-time access to updated virus definitions
• Automatic updates mean greatest possible protection possible against zero-day threats.
• One-click virus scanning
• Make sure your PC is clean with one simple button click.
• Uncluttered, user-friendly interface
• Quickly navigate through the various parts of Firewall protection without getting lost.
• Thorough security “wizards”
• Preset security settings for simple point-and-click setup.
• Unique “slider” to easily change your current security level
• Easily switch between presets to reflect your security preference at any given time.
• Exclusive access to Comodo’s “safe-list”
• List of over two million known PC-friendly files and applications so safe files and apps are allowed to run.

CIS is one the best free all-in-one security programs and outperforms most paid security software.  CIS provides rock solid protection right after you install it. If you have any questions about the setup, send me an email so I can assist you with the problem. CIS can be downloaded from the Useful Software section of this site.