How do I remove hidden viruses?

ecbritz · Apr 26, 2012

My Avira AV program (paid version) reported hidden viruses. A popup message said I should boot up with the Avira Rescue Disk. This disk (i.e. CD) should be freshly created by downloading the Avira Rescue Disk ISO image, updated every day to contain the latest AV definitions. The freshly downloaded ISO image is burnt to a CD, and then you have your freshly created Avira Rescue Disk.

Everything went well with the recommended operation. However, my computer would not boot up with the freshly created Avira Rescue Disk. Perhaps I should have done something more to make the disk bootable. But no information on this was provided by Avira. It sounded as if the Avira Rescue Disk would be made bootable by burning the downloaded ISO image to it.

I started searching for another solution and was told that I should run my AV in Safe Mode, to remove hidden viruses. You enter Safe Mode by pressing F8 when booting up, just before the Windows Splash starts loading.

After this initial advice, I was told by someone else that not all AV programs will remove the hidden viruses in safe mode. Some will, some won't.

That left me hanging in the air again.

I removed Avira and downloaded Avast, because it has a "scan before bootup" function. Surely if an AV scan can be done before a Windows bootup, the hidden viruses would be even more exposed to discovery and removal than in Safe Mode.

I did the "scan before bootup" with Avast. I can only say that I hope no hidden viruses will be detected by Avira should I install this program again. Its getting very tiring, this jump from AV program to another AV program to remove the hidden viruses.

Could someone take me a step further? Which AV programs will remove hidden viruses in Safe Mode? Which won't? Just knowing that would be a great help.

Kestrel13! · Apr 27, 2012

Welcome to the Malware Removal Forum.

Please read ALL of this message including the notes before doing anything.

Pleases follow the instructions in the below link:

READ & RUN ME FIRST. Malware Removal Guide

and attach the requested logs when you finish these instructions.

**** If something does not run, write down the info to explain to us later but keep on going. ****

Do not assume that because one step does not work that they all will not. MGtools will frequently run even when all other tools will not.

After completing the READ & RUN ME and attaching your logs, make sure that you tell us what problems still remain ( if any still do )!

Helpful Notes:

If you run into problems trying to run the READ & RUN ME or any of the scans in normal boot mode, you can run the steps in safe boot mode but make sure you tell us what you did later when you post logs. See the below if you do not know how to boot in safe mode:

Starting your computer in Safe mode

If you have problems downloading on the problem PC, download the tools and the manual updates for SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes ( links are given in the READ & RUN ME) onto another PC and then burn to a CD. Then copy them to the problem PC. You will have to skip getting updates if (and only if) your internet connection does not work. Yes you could use a flash drive too but flash drives are writeable and infections can spread to them.

If you cannot seem to login to an infected user account, try using a different user account (if you have one) in either normal or safe boot mode and running only SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes while logged into this other user account. Then reboot and see if you can log into the problem user account. If you can then run SUPERAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, ComboFix and MGtools on the infected account as requested in the instructions.

To avoid additional delay in getting a response, it is strongly advised that after completing the READ & RUN ME you also read this sticky:

Don't Bump! It Only Hurts You!!!

Any additional post is a bump which will add more delay. Once you attach the logs, your thread will be in the work queue and as stated our system works the oldest threads FIRST.

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How do I remove hidden viruses?

ecbritz Private E-2

Kestrel13! Super Malware Fighter - Major Dilemma Staff Member