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I have had a couple of run-ins with viruses and malware before, and have found that a format and re-install of the OS is the easiest way of dealing with them.

But, my experience has simply been: PC acting funny > Run scan(s) to find virus/malware > Format & Reinstall > PC no longer running funny; scans don't find anything.

A lot of other guides suggest altering the registry, and deleting any specific .dll files and uninstalling any programs that relate to the virus. But that approach seems to be a more intricate/delicate approach than my "wipe it all and start over" tack.

So, will my approach actually remove a virus/malware? If you need specifics - Conficker and Trojans are the ones I have used this on.

Ben
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Not necessarily. It depends on the type of virus. If the virus is a trojan, attached to an executable, or something similar, then formatting will erase the virus. However, formatting will not get rid of a low level virus. If it is low level like firmware or a boot record virus (assuming you didnt wipe the master boot record).

There are many types of viruses and depending on how you were infected, even if you wiped it out by formatting, they can come right back. Perhaps your virus was a macro virus in a document. When you restore your documents and open it, the virus returns. Perhaps the virus was in an email attachment, opening that email again can reinfect you. Or maybe the virus is part of a program you download and use. There are countless ways of infection.

Having a virus scanner - or two - at the ready is a good idea.

Keltari
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