Would your life drastically improve if you were considered the “Go To Guy” that everyone calls the minute their computers catch a virus infection?
Think of having the ability to remove spyware, rootkits, adware, viruses, Trojans and more from any and all computers? Today just might be your lucky day, as I have several tips that I want to share with you. These important facts will help you to realize the work, trial and error and time needed to become an expert at malware removal.
The following five skills are MANDATORY, for anyone looking to become a virus removal pro:
1.) Realizing which is the best (and worst) virus scanning software
Learning the best and most effective software to use when removing malware, is one of THE most important attributes of a virus removal pro. A vital component of becoming a virus removal pro, is knowing what software to use to remove malware. Not all virus scanning software is created equal; there are some expensive programs available that need to be renewed (re-purchased) yearly, yet several of these programs are not as effective as some FREE software! In other words, that $50 virus software in that shiny new box, will roughly detect a mere 3 out 10 viruses – that will CRIPPLE a computer!
Norton antivirus, or McAfee, or Panda, or the most robust solution, are NOT able to remove EVERY infection from a computer (bet you didn’t know that)! As a matter of fact, no ONE particular software is totally effective in removing all infections from a computer. It is important to use several types of software when scanning for malware, and knowing WHICH software to use is key in becoming a virus removal guru.
2.) The ability to educate users on how to avoid infection (and how to get infected in the first place)
Another skill that must be learned and then taught as an expert, is how people usually get infected in the first place! In other words, you will need to pay close attention to the various infections that are common in the present and not too distant past. Tracking different infections will allow you to also track the infection method, or what caused the malware to “execute” or spread. For example, did the customer click on a picture that they were emailed? Did they click on a “you are infected pop-up” (even closing it)? Did they allow an infected computer on their network?
Knowing how to communicate with and educate a customer on how to prevent infection, is a necessary skill that many technicians and consultants fail to learn or practice. Being hard to understand (“geek-speaking”), rude, pushy or is a step in the wrong direction for anyone looking to become a professional.
3.) Learn which processes that run in Windows are “normal” Operating System processes
In order to remove any and all malware from a PC, it is important to know what NOT to remove. Removing system files, folders or other important Windows files can cause a computer to become unreliable, lose data and in the worse case be rendered totally unbootable. It is extremely critical to know which processes running in Windows are valid processed.
This can be difficult to do due to the fact that, whenever software is installed on a computer (either trusted or malicious), that software has processes that run in Windows, or depend on Windows hosts processed (such as svchost.exe). One you are able to identify which processes run in Windows by default, and how to identify processes that are harmful, you are one step closer to becoming an expert. Unfortunately due to the vast number of processes and files that can run in Windows at anytime (and change depending on the computer), it is best to learn this through hands on experience.
4.) Knowing what to do at a time when “nothing else can be done”
There comes a time in every virus infection, when you aren’t allowed to install any software at all, especially antivirus software that you will use to remove the infection at hand. At the same time, the firewall will be disabled, Windows Security Center will be stopped, the internet connection may be disabled by the malware, the computer won’t boot in safe mode or may not even boot AT ALL!! What are you going to do at this point?
A virus removal pro has learned how to “workaround” the problems that an infection can cause. He or she knows how to use an external drive to backup precious data, then scan and clean viruses from a computer successfully. This expert also knows how to re-enable an internet connection that has been disabled by malware, as well as how to remove pesky and difficult viruses can cause internet browsers to “re-direct” to BAD websites (sites that contain more viruses).
An expert also knows how to reserve the damage done during a malware infection, to return a computer back to “normal,” especially when it comes to removing the hidden threats that MOST antivirus software NEVER detect. The same threats that steal passwords, credit card information, contact names and information, and more; then uploading it to other spammers and thieves. Editing the HOSTs file is one method to reverse damage inflicted by malware, as well as manually removing rogue files that usually appear in the same folder types, such as “System32.”
5.) The ability to learn by referencing step by step details or instructions
Is becoming a virus removal pro more difficult than you anticipated it to be prior to reading this article? I have learned “the hard way”, that it can take YEARS of hands on training – experiencing various scenarios, many types of infections and behaviors; as well as overcoming many of the issues experienced when removing viruses, to truly become a “pro”.
A significant amount of time is needed, as well as hands on experience with many different computers, to become proficient in tuning a computer to the level of performance that existed before becoming infected. Tune ups are needed after every malware removal, largely due to the fact that most infections cause a computer to run “slower” than it did prior to becoming infected.
A tune up consists of (among other things): cleaning the registry, removing unnecessary programs from start-up and in Windows, turning off unneeded services, cleaning temporary files, tweaking Windows settings for maximum speed and performance; and more.