[PCWorld]

Post your comments for How Do I Get Malware Off My PC Once and for All? here

[NancyNancy]

Just a heads up...for spyware/adware that just won't go away, the tech forums at plenty of sites can be extremely helpful. Just doing a basic search with Google with good keywords will give you many results of replies and forums where the same issues were already answered. If it happened to you, chances are it has happened to millions of others. When using the right tools, like Hijack This and Killbox (a program that will kill a program on reboot or any time you want it stopped), and a bit of techie hints and tips, pretty much most of the spyware programs can be removed relatively painlessly and easily. As you can tell, it's happened to me and removing them was almost "fun"...well, interesting, satisfying, and I learned things in the process! So don't reformat just yet...do a good search first and check the forums.

[armora]

Some malware may reside in the a restore point. Often I've had to turn off a client's restore function, reboot, remove the malware, and then turn system Restore back on. Typically I image a drive to an external drive before trying this procedure.

[retiredoldman]

Some malware can be VERY difficult (and may even be IMPOSSIBLE) to remove; one of the best forums I've ever seen for cleaning and protecting your system is located at MajorGeeks.com:http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=35That is a direct link to the Malware Removal forum; if you need help and don't know where to begin, follow the instructions at this link:http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407That link will open the "READ & RUN ME FIRST" Malware Removal Guide; if you even SUSPECT a problem with malware, open that page and start learning how to help yourself...The next link has excellent information on how to protect your system BEFORE you get infected:http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=44525The best way to keep your system safe when online is to use a firewall at ALL times; that last link has advice about some of the various firewalls available... most of the infected systems I've repaired over the years were not running a firewall, so a word to the wise...

[drmark]

I can't believe you missed a very basic step. Since much malware will hide itself in your startup points, you need to turn off Windows System Restore thus deleting all restore points, then scan. Once clean you can turn system restore back on. Otherwise your scans (and removal) will do no good as each time you reboot your computer the malware will simply reinstall itself.I have been using computers for over twenty years and have never yet had spyware or a virus that I could not remove. This trend to suggest reformatting one's hard drive as a panacea is, in my opinion, like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. 99.9% of the time reformatting one's hard drive is totally unnecessary and all too often offered as the cure by "experts" who are afraid to simply admit that they don't have an answer to a problem.

[noob]

lol...or you could just use linux