Steps to remove malware without antivirus
It may be that for some reason your team has infected with some virus. For example, if you have downloaded some malicious program, you have downloaded a file that you received by e-mail and it was actually a fraud, you have some vulnerability, etc. Whatever the reason, this type of malware can compromise your security and should be removed. However, we do not always have an antivirus installed, but even so, there are some actions that we can do and that sometimes work.
Task Manager
An option that you can take into account is to use the Windows task manager. It is a feature that allows us to see all the processes that are running at any given time. Browser processes, such as Chrome, as well as any software or features on your computer will appear there.
To access these features you have to press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del. There you have to go to Task Manager. When you are inside, you will see a tab that says Processes. That’s the one you have to open. You have to look for the process that you think may be problematic. For example you can see that it consumes a lot of resources and that it is causing problems.
To eliminate it you have to click with the second mouse button and give file location. There you will see the corresponding file and you can delete it. It is a simple process and can sometimes help you solve problems of this type.
Delete suspicious files
This is useful if you have recently downloaded a file that you think may be a security issue. If you suddenly notice that something is starting to go wrong, that the system is not responding as it should, you can look what have you downloaded Recently. Perhaps some program, some file that has come to you by e-mail, etc.
What you have to do is go to the folder where you download the files and see which one can be problematic. You just have to remove it from the computer. If it were a program that you have already installed, what you would have to do is go to Start, enter Control Panel, go to Applications and there you click uninstall.
Uninstall plugins
It is common for many security threats to arrive through add-ons that we install in the browser. Extensions are very useful, for example to group tabs or optimize downloads, but they can also be problematic. This can cause conflicts in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
If you see that you have problems with any extension you have installed recently, what you should do is just delete it. You can go to the menu at the top right of the browser, enter Settings and click on Extensions. It will automatically take you to a window where all the ones you have installed appear.
The idea here is to remove the last one that you have installed and that may be the one that is causing problems. By deleting it, the system could start working normally again and thus avoid problems.
Windows MRT function
Windows also has a function called MRT. It is another option to remove viruses without antivirus. This is a Microsoft malicious software removal tool. It can detect and remove some viruses and threats that may be on the system. It is not really an antivirus, but it can act to remove viruses.
To execute this function you have to go to Start, search for MRT and open it. Once opened you have to give Run and do a full scan. The idea is that it can detect threats that may be on the computer. If you see that it detects something that could be a threat, you should remove it from the system.
online services
Beyond the options that we have shown, you can also use some online services with which you can remove viruses without the need to install a program for it. There are different alternatives and they are also very useful to analyze any suspicious document that could be a problem.
The first thing is to use online security services such as Virus Total. What they do is analyze the computer, a folder or a specific file. If it detects something, you can remove it. It is responsible for comparing with a database where a list of numerous known threats appears. Other options like F-Secure and Trend Micro are also useful.
But there is an alternative option and that is to use Google Drive itself. Why do we say this? Google’s popular cloud platform has a built-in antivirus. Basically, what it does is track all the files that we upload and eliminate possible viruses that it detects. All you have to do is upload the file there.
What to do to avoid viruses
As you can see, you can remove viruses without having to install an antivirus. It will not always be possible, but there are some alternatives that can sometimes be useful. Now, the really interesting thing is to prevent viruses. What can we do to protect the system so that there are no problems?
Something essential is common sense and don’t make mistakes. Always avoid opening files if you don’t know the source. For example, Word or PDF documents that arrive by e-mail and you don’t really know who sent it. It could be a scam and your security could be compromised without you realizing it.
It is also important to have All updated. In many cases, hackers take advantage of vulnerabilities in a computer. For example, an uncorrected bug that affects Windows. Therefore, always install all available security patches and update any programs you have installed.
In short, there are options to be protected without having an antivirus, although that does not mean that you should not use security programs. The alternatives that we have shown can be taken as an option in an emergency and if you do not have an antivirus. Our advice is to always use security tools, no matter what system you are using.
