Eliminating Viruses/Spyware/Adware with Malwarebytes

I’m going to continue on with the theme of tool-related posts and bring you one on removing viruses, pop-ups, spyware, malware, and all those other scary virus-related words. In this post, we’ll cover in what situations you should use Malwarebytes and how to get it up and running.

When should I NOT use virus-removal software?

To start off, yes, there are situations when you should NOT use virus removal software to attempt to disinfect your computer. These situations typically include:

  • Identity theft
  • Internet account theft
  • Concerns of potential stalking (weird behavior webcam/microphone behavior)
  • Ransomware (hard drive encryption)

These situations are all quite frightening, but running anti-virus software to attempt to remove whatever nasty program stole your password is not the right move. Anti-virus software is no where near perfect and situations where identity theft has happened is best handled by backing up your personal data and formatting your hard drive. Only then can you be 100-percent sure your computer is no longer compromised. I understand it sounds a little crazy, but piece of mind after a tragic event like identity theft is a huge deal.

When should I use anti-virus software?

I know. I started off a little dark, but there are still plenty of times when you can safely use anti-virus software to clean up a potential computer disaster. I’ll outline a few cases below but try to understand I can’t possibly list everything.

  • Pop-ups
  • Unwanted software (fake anti-virus clients, video downloaders, free video games, etc)
  • General computer slowness

The situations I listed above are times when anti-virus shines. It can help you clean up unneeded software on your computer in a safe way without having to re-install Windows.

So why Malwarebytes? Can I use other product X?

I’ve been using Malwarebytes for over the last 5 years. It has been my saving grace on more occasions than I can truly count. So, that’s why I highly recommend it. Now, it has missed infections, yes. But as I said earlier, you cannot rely on anti-virus to solve all your problems. It just seems Malwarebytes does the best job of all the software I’ve used thus far.

In regards to other products, feel free to use whatever you like best or feel most comfortable with. In the end, if you’re happy with the performance and detection ability of your program, use it. But if you ever get into a bind, I do suggest you try running a Malwarebytes scan. You might be surprised what it finds.

Setting up Malwarebytes

In this section, I will go step by step on setting up Malwarebytes. This assumes your computer is still able to get on the internet. If your computer can’t connect to the internet anymore, you will need to grab the installer from the Malwarebytes website, put it onto a flash drive (or other alternative), and install it onto the affected computer then continue from Step #4.

  1. Grab the online Malwarebytes installer from Ninite (https://ninite.com/malwarebytes/)
  2. Open the Ninite installer, accept any UAC warning that appears
  3. Wait for the installer to finish, and exit
  4. Open Malwarebytes from the newly created desktop icon

  1. Launch a scan by clicking Scan Now

Enabling Rootkit Scanning in Malwarebytes

Rarely will you become infected with a rootkit, but for those that want to be extra cautious, Malwarebytes does have a built-in rootkit scanner. Follow the steps below to enable the rootkit scanner when you run a standard virus scan. Keep in mind, a standard scan will now take quite a bit longer (which is why it is disabled by default). If the lengthy scans bother you, you can always turn this option back off.

  1. Open the Settings pane (left-hand side)
  2. Choose the Protection tab (top)
  3. Under Scan Options, enable Scan for rootkits

I believe that wraps up today’s tool tutorial. I hope you learned some things about anti-virus software. If you have any questions about using Malwarebytes, feel free to throw them in comments below.

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