How can I remove malicious spyware, malware, adware, viruses, trojans or rootkits from my PC?

Question

What should I do if my Windows computer seems to be infected with a virus or malware? - What are the symptoms of an infection? - What should I do after noticing an infection? - What can I do to get rid of it? - how to prevent from infection by malware?> This question comes up frequently, and the suggested solutions are usually the same. This community wiki is an attempt to serve as the definitive, most comprehensive answer possible. > Feel free to add your contributions via edits.

Answer 1

Easiest thing to do is put the device in safe mode then:

1. Use any virus scan of your choice - I recommend Malwarebytes (free) you can turn the rootkit option on from it's settings so it becomes a 2 in 1 scanner
2. Once you find the infection you quarantine it - you can use a secondary scanner if you like, Bitdefender is pretty good
3. Then boot it in to normal mode. Pretty simple.

***Pro tip - always keep stuff backed up because honestly...even though antimalware software exist the only way to be 100% for certain you're in the clear is a full wipe

Hope this helps!