What should I do after removing malware from PC?

Malware can seriously damage your computer and is one of the biggest threats to Windows users. At worst, cyber criminals use it to steal personal information or extort money from victims.

At best, you will experience performance issues and instability when your system is infected.

Most of us know that good antivirus software can find and remove malware, but that’s not always the full story. Damage can persist even after a successful scan, resulting in continued errors, crashes, and other problems.

If you suspect your system is infected, here’s what to do.

How to get rid of malware and viruses on a Windows PC?

Malware and viruses are not always visible to the user. They infect hard-to-reach folders and files and can disguise themselves as regular software and Windows processes.

To properly remove these threats on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, fuse the following utilities and tools:

• Microsoft Defender – Windows 10 and 11 come with Windows Defender, a built-in antivirus program. Make sure that protection is turned on and run a full scan of your system. Any threats found will be quarantined and you can choose to permanently remove the threats or restore anything you’re sure is safe. To open this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Virus & threat detection.
• Antivirus Software – Along with Defender, it is always a good idea to run a second scan with a reputable third-party antivirus. These can often find malware and viruses that Windows overlooks.
• Windows Restore – If your system was recently infected, one way to revert back to the previous state is to do a system restore. However, you must already have made a restore point for this to work. To do this, use the Windows search bar, search ‘restore’, and click ‘Create a restore point’.
• Safe Mode – If your system is heavily infected and is having trouble launching antivirus software or even booting, you should first boot in Safe Mode. This is a diagnostic mode that starts your computer with a minimal set of drivers and services. To boot in Safe Mode, restart your computer and press the F8 key repeatedly until the Advanced Boot Options screen appears.

Once the malware has been removed, it’s time to check whether any damage was caused.

Does removing malware and viruses fully restore your PC functionalities?

Removing malware and viruses does not always return your computer back to its original state. Even when the threat is gone, any damage caused can remain and leave your system unstable.

Common errors that can persist after infection include: 

• Missing DLLs or other corrupted system files.
• Damaged hardware drivers.
• Corrupted Windows Registry and junk registry entries. 
• Missing files, software, and data loss.
• Unwanted software and unknown files.

Many of these problems can cause slow performance, crashes, and even critical errors like the blue screen of death (BSoD). These vulnerabilities may even make it easier for malware to return in the future. 

If your system has suffered significant damage or if the malware has been active for a long time, you should take additional steps to restore your PC fully. This includes repairing the operating system, reinstalling drivers, and restoring backups of your data.

Fortect does all the hard work when your Windows system is damaged. Instead of doing a full repair from a Windows boot disc or drive, it pulls clean system files from its up-to-date database and restores them automatically. The rest of your system remains untouched. 

What to do after cleaning a PC from viruses and malware?

After you’re certain that malware and viruses have been removed, it’s time to repair and optimize Windows. Here are the key steps to follow:

1. Run Fortect

First of all, you will need to download and Install Fortect on your PC. Launch Fortect and agree to a system scan. This will take no longer than a few minutes. It will then list all of your Windows problems.

An important result is shown under ‘Malware and PUA’. This identifies virus damage and leftover executables that might run malware if opened. Once you start a repair, Fortect will remove these files and will replace them with brand-new working versions from its repository.

Fortect will also find:

Crashed Programs – Software and other programs that have recently crashed, which may be the result of damage from malware.

Junk Files – Leftover installers, old software data, unneeded Windows caches, and temporary files that can be removed to free up space and improve performance.

Broken Registry – Corrupt or missing Windows Registry entries, DLLs, and other system files that may have been targeted by malware. Fortect replaces these with clean versions to repair the registry.

Privacy Traces – Sensitive information stored by your web browsers, including cookies and cache. Cleaning these adds extra protection when you browse the web.

You can view and fix individual problems or click ‘Start Repair’ (after product activation) to repair everything in one go.

2. Check your network connection

Some malware can hijack your internet connection to steal information, send you to phishing sites, or use your bandwidth for bot activity.

First, check that you are actually connected to your usual network and there are no other suspicious networks saved. Next, go to network settings and look for any changes to your DNS or proxy settings.

To do this, find your network, right click and select properties. Then highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and select properties. Make sure ‘Obtain an IP address’ and ‘Obtain DNS server’ are set to automatic.

You can also use the netstat command to view a list of active connections on your system.

Open the command prompt by searching CMD, and type ‘netstat –an’ to view a list of all active connections. Look for any suspicious or unfamiliar connections.

3. Check your browser

Viruses and malware sometimes change your browser settings or install malicious extensions. You should check to see if you recognize all extensions or add-ons, and remove any you don’t.

Also check that your homepage, bookmarks, or search engines in the address bar haven’t been altered. 

4. Restore backups

If you have any hard drive backups and data was lost during a malware infection, it is now safe to restore.  You can do this manually by copying and pasting, or by using a backup/restore program. Windows itself has a Backup & Restore tool.

This tool is located under Settings > Update & Security > Backup.

5. Look for Windows and other updates

If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your system, you could be missing out on important security patches and performance tweaks. Updates to check include:

• Windows updates (turn on automatic updates if you haven’t already).
• Software updates for the software you regularly use.
• Driver updates for your hardware.
• Browser updates for Chrome or other web browsers.
• Antivirus software and definitions updates to protect from emerging malware threats.

How to keep your PC safe from malware attacks?

To prevent malware from infecting your computer and causing damage to system files, you must combine safe browsing with real-time protection, and regular system scans. We recommend the following steps to stay safe:

Keep Windows up to date – Make sure that you are regularly checking for and installing the latest security patches and updates for Windows and that all the software installed on your computer is also up to date. This will help to close any known vulnerabilities that malware can exploit.

Turn on real-time protection – Windows Defender and other antivirus software can use real-time protection, which stops suspicious files and system changes before they happen. It’s better to prevent malware than to remove it afterward.

Keep virus definitions up to date – Malware and viruses are always evolving, so you must allow your antivirus software to install the latest definitions to stay protected from new threats.

Use a firewall – Firewalls monitor incoming and outgoing traffic and can alert you if it detects any suspicious activity, such as connections to known malware sites or unusual patterns of data transfer.

Windows Firewall is found under Settings > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection.

Be cautious with email attachments – Malware can spread through email attachments. Be careful when opening email attachments from unknown or suspicious senders. If in doubt, don’t open the attachment.

Beware of phishing attempts – Never click links in suspicious emails and always check your browser’s address bar to ensure you are landing on a legitimate website and not a phishing site.

Be careful when downloading software – Download software only from reputable sources and always check the reviews. Sometimes software is bundled with additional junk, so stay alert and uncheck any extras during installation.

Use an ad blocker – Sometimes malicious ads can appear even on legitimate websites. These can load malware onto your system. Ad blockers prevent most ads from initializing. 

Use system restore – Turn on Windows System Restore and create a schedule so you have clean restore points to revert back to if your system becomes severely damaged.

Browse using a VPN – A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and limits tracking, making it more difficult for attackers to target you with malware.

Make regular hard drive backups – To prevent the loss of personal files and other important data, it is a good idea to regularly back up your hard drives. You can store backups on external drives or discs outside of your Windows operating system. You can do this manually, with a third-party tool, or with Windows’ own Backup & Restore tool.

Scan Windows for errors – Using Windows repair tools like Fortect to scan your system regularly will quickly detect problems and vulnerabilities that can give rise to malware infections.

Conclusion

Malware does not have to cause permanent damage to your system. As long as you use a good antivirus program to remove any threats and then repair Windows using a tool like Fortect, you can bring your computer back to its optimal state or even better condition than before.