Want to Repair a Malware damaged PC? A malware attack can be very frustrating. The mere risk of losing your files (if you don’t have a backup) or having to reload your whole operating system is not something anyone would readily agree to when it comes to making their PC usable, however, it just might be the only option right? Wrong.
Although removing viruses and malware are usually as straightforward as clicking the “scan” button in your antivirus software, there are instances where these bad guys have eaten deep into your file system, windows folder and registry. Most security packages are only excellent at identifying infected files, infectious ones and removing potential threats, as for repairing the damages… err, let’s just say they don’t do that so well.
The malware system is quite complicated. On rare occasions even, removing an infectious file may result in more problems than solutions on your PC. Your system may actually become virus-free, but then, you begin to discover that it has come at a price; some software won’t run like they should; others won’t run at all; and in some instances, a DLL missing file error will occasionally popup to let you know all is not right on your PC.
Luckily, dealing with this problem doesn’t spell doom for your PC as there are one or two feasible steps that you can take to put the problem to bed once and for all.
Option1: Restore Computer to the Previous date
The first line of action is to use the Windows recovery feature and try to recover your PC to a state where you last know it was virus-free. This can be done via restoring a pre-infection system backup or by having to reload the OS and reinstall Windows. Whatever route you elect to go, it would be tasking but you can always be sure that at the end of the day, your system will be back to normal.
Option2: Reinstall OS
This is the option we’d be discussing here today and is a great shot at trying to manually identify and repair the areas that have received some damage from the effects of the malware that was on your system. Before we go on, it is imperative to note that this method can take hours and doesn’t always guarantee a solution. In some cases, you may truly have no option than to reinstall your windows operating system but this method is one that is worth the try if you have no backup and have a significant number of important information or software you’d want to hang on to.
Let’s get started
How to Repair a Malware damaged PC?
In many instances, even the most severe malware and virus attack damages can be repaired in a couple of minutes. If you know the right strings to pull, you can get your PC back to normal in no time and as such, we believe this first step is always worth a shot.
Step 1 – Rescan for Malware
If you have completed a full scan where your antivirus has claimed to remove an infection or two, but you still experience some misbehavior in your PC, then the logical thing to do is to investigate if the said malware is still active and causing problems.
To this effect, use a malware software like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to run a deep scan with every detection option ticked. Let the scan complete and look at the results. You may also want to get extra eyes on the matter by installing another antivirus, but bear in mind that having multiple antivirus programs installed can make your system to act up. You may elect to uninstall one package and try the other before proceeding. G Data is another one of the best antivirus and malware options out there.
Also, if you already installed multiple antivirus solutions earlier in an effort to rid your PC of the virus, a conflict between these software may be the reason for your headache. Instead, stick with one of them and uninstall the others.
Another solid recommendation is to have Windows self-examine itself for corrupt or missing files. To do this, navigate to start all programs accessories, then right click the command prompt and select “Run as Administrator”. If you’re running Windows 8 or later, you should find the Command prompt listed on the All apps screen. Remember to always run as administrator.
As soon as the black box window opens, type SFC/ SCANNOW and hit the enter key. Keep the window open and wait to see the results of the program report. If you can’t seem to still find a malware, it’s time to move to the next step and get manual.
If you do not have a system backup, now will be the time to start making one.
Step 2 – Restore default settings
At times, the methods that antivirus software use in employing their security systems may distort a few settings in Windows. What looks like a certain virus damage may yet be the effects of some unauthorised changes to delicate settings that restoring Windows defaults can fix.
It is noteworthy that you would lose all your customizations, settings and preferences once you do this, so, only apply these changes when you’re sure they may be related to the problems you’re currently facing.
For instance, you may want to see what’s happening with your Start menu. Right-click the start button and select properties, click customize and then pick “Use default settings” to see if there are any improvements.
You can also use the restore function for the Default program option to restore apps like internet explorer, your email client, Windows media player and more as malware (especially adware and spyware) often modifies your browser and explorer settings. This is very easy to recover.
Simply click tool, then select folder options and click “Restore defaults” in the view, search or general tab.
Also from the “set program access and computer defaults” in the control panel, select your default programs to solve issues related to programs not loading when you want to view a file associated with them. This setting allows you to make a particular program a default option for Windows to use with the associated file types.
Step 3 – System Policies
One of the reasons why malware are such badass is their ability to trick Windows to modify its system settings and policies to block users from running a select number of programs as well as preventing Windows from carrying out a plethora of maintenance tasks. A good indication at times may be the inability to run the Registry editor.
To solve this problem, download a free version of the Registrar Registry Manager software and navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Once you are this location, delete the “DisableRegistryTools” value if present in either of the keys. If you are also unable to run the Task manager utility, search the same keys and delete the “DisableTaskMgr” value.
If the malware has prevented you from running certain programs, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer (and the HKEY_CURRENT_USER version) for a RegistryRun value. If such value is present, delete it.
If you’re currently running a high-end version of Windows such as the Ultimate, Enterprise or Professional, you can try using the policy editor. Click Start and find the run app. Enter GPEdit.msc and press enter to bring this up. For instance, you may find the path User
Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer to see a list of common restrictions that you can then modify from the editor.
Step 4 – Network reset
If you currently face connectivity issues and you can’t access any local machines or connect to the web, the problem could be as a result of a break in network connection protocols by the malware. If your windows firewall is turned on (and it should be), you can start by clicking the “Reset Defaults” option in the Windows Firewall control panel applet. Reboot your system and observe the changes. If you can now connect to devices on your local network and access the internet, you are good to go. If not, you may need to try the next option.
The alternative option here is to restore Windows Firewall defaults. To do this, find the command prompt app in the accessories pane of the Start menu, right-click and run as administrator. As soon as the command prompt window comes up, enter nets hint ip reset C:\resetlog.txt {C represents your drive letter, if yours is D or E, input the appropriate alphabet}.
This command will reset the TCP/IP. Reboot your system and test the network functionality. If that doesn’t work, follow the same steps above and use the netsh winsock reset command and reboot your system. This command will remove many networking add-ons and may be enough to get the desired network functionality back. You may need to reinstall any programs that stop working as a result of this.
Step 5 – Deal with DLL files
DLL files are “Dynamic link library files”. These files are designed to hold multiple codes and procedural information for Windows programs. Sometimes, malwares can cause .dll files to become corrupt and missing and errors pop up when we try to run programs.
Again, you can use Malwarebytes Anti-malware to scan and fix the infected DLL files and use it to remove the infectious files. Also, you may opt to download and replace missing DLL files.
To do this, note the file name as soon as a DLL error pops up and head to DLL-file websites to search for that file. Take note of the path to place the files if there is a need for a manual location.
- Related: How to fix DLL errors in Windows
Step 6 – Use recovery tools
If you won’t like to hassle yourself with all these manual steps listed above then you can avail yourself of a couple of recovery tools. These free tools can reset different aspects of Windows settings and get your PC to normal function again.
It is imperative that you only take these tools as a last resort to solving your problems. If any of these contain a bug or tweak in some wrong settings, they can have detrimental effects and produce more harm or good. Only use this method when you’re certain that you have a full system backup handy.
Now that we’ve discussed the caveat, look to programs like Complete Internet Repair to fix your networking issues in one or two clicks. The software also repairs Internet Explorer and Windows Event Viewer. Another tool is SMART that allows you to reset your Windows services back to their default states. This is perfect for correcting disabled services especially if you’re not sure of which ones should be enabled and which ones shouldn’t.
Another tool is the Crisis Aversion Tool that can reset Windows, re-enable your Task Manager, fix Windows installer and updates with only a few clicks. The Windows Repair tool is arguably the best of the lot as it solves all registry, file system issues, icon settings, proxy and a host of other solutions. Again, if you choose to use any of these programs, make sure you have a backup and/or create regular system restore points before applying a particular fix.
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