So Your Laptop Has A Trojan

A Trojan is a computer virus which can cause your laptop harm or steal your personal information. Trojans infect your system concealed as or grouped together with apparently harmless programs, like screensavers and picture managers, that contaminate your pc at installation. You may get a trojan by opening a file or installing a program which has one hidden inside. These types of malware can wipe your drives, turn your pc off and on at apparently random times, create holes into your firewall program, log your pins and account numbers and a lot more.

Security Software - Most computer systems come with at least a trial edition of security suites, and if you have one installed you'll want to use it to scan your pc. You should delete the files, not just quarantine them, given that trojans can re-install themselves in different parts of your system. It isn't difficult to find anti-malware software which is both effective and free. In case you want more features, the ability to have much more control over your pc security or scans, there are a number of security services you are able to buy as well. HouseCall and Trend Micro are also a couple of programs you may want to look at which are especially aimed at trojan removal. They both operate from web browsers instead of your system, so it is considerably harder for trojans to hide from them.

Do It By Hand - If your anti-virus freezes  or is unable to remove the trojans you will need to go at it manually. Check the log from your cirus scan to see if if found anything  which may give a clue where to go to route the problem out. It's a good idea to check the program add/remove function found in your system's control panel to see if there are any programs you've never seen before. Pressing CTL ALT DEL you can watch the processes that are running on your system to see if anything sticks out. You may have to select to run the process manager as the Admin if you have any OS after XP. If anything stands out it's alright to stop the process , or at least investigate it online.

Find The Infection Point - Often times the key to removing a trojan is knowing exactly which one it is, and typically in order to do this you will need to figure how it got on your alarm. Search for the trojan by name, by symptom or by the file it came hidden in. Often you can find message boards full ofcomments, questions and hopefully answers concerning the same virus.

Community boards - Sometimes you are able to find technical support message boards which can help, although they are frequently full of trolls that want to misslead you or trick you. Most of the boards have a search function so you are able to look for information, or will often have a special thread for malware. Word to the wise, don't be the first to try the fix. Wait until someone a lot more experienced has confirmed that it works to avoid causing undue damage to your own computer. If a handful of people have tried it you are probably good to go.

Bear in mind that trojan's are grouped  not necessarily by their modus operandi but by how they taint your pc, therefore the means of removing one trojan may well not work for another.

Reinstalling the Operating System - This is your last ditch, Hail Mary, tried the rest option. It's is incredibly effective but you will have to reinstall any and all programs you have loaded onto your computer since you got it. By no means do anything whatsoever to your Operating system without backing up your critical information first. Even though your recover program claims it can undergo the process and keep all of your files, this really is one time where being safe never hurts and being sorry always does. This process can take hours, so don't expect it to be over and done with in the next little while. At least when it is done your computer will run as will as it did when you got it..

If at any point or at any step in this process you have any questions or doubts about what you are doing you need to speak to a specialist in virus removal.