Undo Malware With System Restore

Tony Bradley — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:49:18 +0000

Windows XP offers a very helpful feature when it comes to battling malware of all sorts. Whether your computer has been compromised by a Trojan, infected by a virus or infiltrated by spyware, you can simply go back in time to a point before the computer had any problems.

System Restore periodically saves a Restore Point to provide a means of returning to a known-good configuration should something go wrong. Just about any time you install new software, a Restore Point is created. You can also manually create a Restore Point.

System Restore will undo programs and applications that have been installed since the Restore Point, but data files such as documents, spreadsheets or music MP3’s will not be touched. So, your personal data should survive the restore, but you may have to reinstall any programs that had been installed after the Restore Point.

If you notice that your computer is acting slow, weird, bizarre, funky or any other way than the way it is intended to run, perhaps it has been infected or compromised in some way. Follow these steps to return it to its former glory:

Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore
Choose Restore my computer to an earlier time and click Next
Using the calendar, select a day and Restore Point that you want to return to and click Next
Save your work and shut down any open programs. Click Next to confirm your wish to restore your computer to the designated Restore Point.

The computer will shut down and reboot, after doing some thinking and making some changes. When all is said and done, the computer will be restored to the state it was in at the designated Restore Point and all should be well.

To make sure you don’t end right back where you started from, you should make sure that your antivirus, anti-spyware and other security software are installed and running and that they are up to date.

Beta Test Windows Live OneCare 2.0

Tony Bradley — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:01:24 +0000

Are you still running your computer with no antivirus or other malware protection installed? Do you have really old security software installed that has not been updated to protect against current threats? Do you just like to play with new, cutting edge products to see what new features are coming out? If any of these scenarios applies to you, perhaps you should visit the Windows Live OneCare 2.0 site and download a Beta copy of the yet-to-be-released software.

The software will only work temporarily, but you will still have at least a few months of protection for the computers in your home and you can play with the new features of Windows Live OneCare. In addition to protecting against viruses, worms and other malware, Windows Live OneCare also maintains your computer and helps to keep it running smooth. According to the Windows Live OneCare 2.0 site, the software:

Runs quietly in the background, providing anti-virus, anti-spyware, online identity and scam protection (anti-phishing) and firewall protection
Updates itself to help you keep ahead of the latest threats
Runs regular PC tune-ups, even checking for ways to shorten PC boot-up time
Provides one-click solutions to most problems
Makes backups a breeze
Lets you see the status of all your computer systems at a glance

Essential Computer Security » anti-spyware

Undo Malware With System Restore

Beta Test Windows Live OneCare 2.0