malware removal steps

Discussion in 'Malware Help - MG (A Specialist Will Reply)' started by peterr, Jul 23, 2009.

  1. peterr

    peterr MajorGeek

    Hello
    I have tried to research this myself but am still unsure.
    When the antivirus program quarantines a trojan, does it do any harm to leave it there?
    There are choices;1-remove,2-repair,3-report to Mcafee.
    I asked them but am getting contradictions and vague answers.
    I do not want to remove a necessary file with a 'simple' removal but how are you supposed to know what will happen when you click remove?
    I will continue to research this but could use an educated response.
    Thank you
     
  2. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    No, other than the fact that other scanners could detect it. Once you are sure that something that was quarantined was not a false detection, you can empty the quarantine.

    If something is truly malware, it needs to be fixed. Sometimes a fix means delete the file since it is not a necessary file; however, other times a file that is necessary for Windows or for some other program could truly get infected and the first thing you would like to do is repair (i.e. remove the infection) if possible. Sometime a repair is not possible and you will need to delete/quarantine the file and then replace it with a good copy. Care must be taken not to delete a file required for your PC to boot or run properly which is why sometimes a scanner may detect a problem but could say that it cannot be fixed. If the fix it, it could make your PC unbootable.

    Sometimes scanners will have False Positives (FP) which McAfee has quite a few of and you need to report them or they will never fix them and they will keep removing something that you may need.
     
  3. peterr

    peterr MajorGeek

    I have written 4 letters and erased them due to the complexity of steps to take when hit with a virus.
    Mcafee is difficult involving Avert and zip files -over the average person's head.
    I will leave a hit in quarantine and come here to ask for specific help not a general all encompassing format.
    Worst case, because repair could make the machine nonbootable, could I use my o.s. disk to reformat and reinstall with the virus in quarantine?
    Thank you
     
  4. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    Why do you want to format your PC?

    What specific problems are you having?

    It is rarely necessary to format a PC to remove malware; but there are some cases where it is the best or only solution. Things like Virut infections are a good example of where a format is best.
     
  5. peterr

    peterr MajorGeek

    Hi Again
    I had a trojan quarantined by McAfee and wanted to know if I could leave it there indefinelty. I now know you can't leave it there.
    That issue has been resolved.
    Hypothetically, if I get another trojan and it is quarantined I will come here with specifics as to what to do.
    Thank you
     
  6. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member


MajorGeeks.Com Menu

Downloads All In One Tweaks \ Android \ Anti-Malware \ Anti-Virus \ Appearance \ Backup \ Browsers \ CD\DVD\Blu-Ray \ Covert Ops \ Drive Utilities \ Drivers \ Graphics \ Internet Tools \ Multimedia \ Networking \ Office Tools \ PC Games \ System Tools \ Mac/Apple/Ipad Downloads

Other News: Top Downloads \ News (Tech) \ Off Base (Other Websites News) \ Way Off Base (Offbeat Stories and Pics)

Social: Facebook \ YouTube \ Twitter \ Tumblr \ Pintrest \ RSS Feeds