How to Remove the Virus That Makes Computer Restart Automatically
By Terrie Berry
If you've recently visited a website or downloaded a program and suddenly your computer has been rebooting itself and crashing or running very slowly, you're most likely the victim of a computer virus. A computer virus is a software program that can get onto your computer when you download a file that contains the virus. The virus must be removed in order for your computer to run correctly. It can wreak havoc on a computer system and begin destroying files, so the sooner it is taken care of the better.
Step 1
Download anti-virus software if you currently do not have such software on your computer. There are several available and some of the very good ones are actually free for personal usage. Avast! Anti-Virus offers a free personal edition that is very good and is located http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html. AVG Free Anti-Virus is another excellent choice and can be downloaded from http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage.
Step 2
Visit the Microsoft update site in order to see if your computer needs any updates. It is vital to keep your operating system up-to-date since many of the software updates that release includes security updates. Before you can begin removing the virus, the operating system needs to be fully updated.
Step 3
Update your anti-virus software by clicking on the menu and choosing "Setting" or "Update." It is important to always keep the definitions updated on anti-virus software since new viruses are constantly circulating. Your anti-virus software sends out updates (called "definitions") for you to install.
Step 4
Scan your computer using your anti-virus software and choose a thorough or deep scan so that it scans the entire file system. This can take several hours depending how many files you have to scan. As the scanner detects viruses, it may pop up a question asking what to do with it. Choose "Quarantine" or "Delete."
Step 5
Select the setting on your anti-virus software to download new definitions automatically. This will ensure you are always up-to-date and secured from computer viruses.
References
Tips
- When looking for anti-virus software, try to find real user reviews on the Internet. A quick Internet search for "anti-virus reviews" will find several useful reviews; this will help you in deciding which program is best for you.
Warnings
- If the virus has corrupted your hard drive to the point your computer will not start at all, the only option is to take it to a professional and have them reinstall your operating system, which will mean that you may lose all of your data.