Got a problem with malware? Not for much longer – we’ll walk you through using a malware removal tool in this easy step-by-step guide.
Life has a number of unfortunate ‘sinking feeling’ moments where your stomach feels like it’s in freefall, rapidly plummeting into the depths of your torso – and one of those you may have experienced is the sudden fear that your Windows PC has been infected with malware. Maybe you’ve encountered an ominous pop-up message that looks harmful, or perhaps your PC is running more sluggish than usual and you have a suspicion there are some gremlins in the system. Whatever the case, in this step-by-step guide we’re going to show you what to do in the event that you want to give your PC a thorough check-up with an anti-malware tool, and how to remedy the situation if there is something malicious kicking about on your computer. Before you even start thinking about using malware removal software to clean the nasties from your PC, it’s a good idea to back up your essential files. In fact, before you embark upon any kind of more involved task – like an operating system update, for example – it’s always sensible to ensure your backups are up-to-date. So run whatever backup system you use, just in case of the unlikely event that anything goes wrong. We’ve rounded up the best backup software for those who don’t yet have a preferred option. And remember, never, ever, neglect your backups. When it comes to an anti-malware tool, we’d recommended that you use the number one pick in our roundup of the best malware removal software. That’s currently Malwarebytes, and you can download the app here. The good thing is that as a first-time user, you get the full premium version – which comes with real-time protection against malware, as well as on-demand scanning – as a trial for 14 days. You can of course use any malware removal app for this exercise, but for the purposes of this guide we’re going to talk you through using Malwarebytes. Whichever tool you choose, the process will be similar to what follows. When you click the download button, the app automatically downloads, and its EXE (executable) file will appear in the bottom-left of your browser (we’re using Google Chrome here, as the majority of folks will be doing).
