Removing a Trojan Virus

Such a thwarting experience it is to fight a computer virus. Worst part? They bloody replicate! To make matters worse, you try to remove it yourself, little knowing that you could just add to the already complicated problem. We, self-proclaimed computer technicians, no matter how badly we all play with (read deteriorate) our computer systems, think of ourselves as professionals, only because it is about our computer and laptop, and no one else knows it better than us. Wooh... such smugness! So, we smartly buy an anti-virus, only to realize that it can just find the virus but can't remove it. Well, many kinds of virus do get removed, but it's not always the case with a Trojan Horse.

What is a Trojan Horse, really? Those who have found out that they've got their computer system infected by a Trojan Horse need to know that a Trojan Horse is one of the most insidious virus that may claim to free your system from virus, instead adds to the already existing virus. It finds its way into your computer system by attaching itself to files and programs that are downloaded from the Internet. Once downloaded, it will stick onto your files and folders, and will affect their speed big time. So, how to go about erasing a Trojan from your computer system? The following sections go into the detail of how to remove a Trojan virus from computers having Windows OS and Mac. Take account of.

On Windows OS

You need a good anti-virus software in order to carry out this process manually on your Windows XP. After you're done downloading the ant-virus program, follow the steps given below:

To start with, go to your computer's C drive, and select Program Files.

Step 2
In Program Files, you will see the Common icon. Click on that, and then on Microsoft Shared.

Step 3
Microsoft Shared has a tab called Msinfo, wherein, you will find all the processes that are running on your system. Those processes can be both hidden and unhidden. Go through the entire list, and detect the ones you know you didn't download, and that you know nothing about.

Step 4
When you find out those tasks, check the path they follow. Find out the folder they belong to, and scan through those files with the help of your virus scanner.

Step 5
Restart your computer, follow all the above steps again. You should find no unknown files in your computer system this time, for the Trojan Horse has been successfully removed.

Alternate Method: If the above method fails, there is always an alternate option to get rid of a Trojan virus on your computer system. To begin with, click on My Computer, and select Properties. This will take you to the System Restore option, which you need to Turn Off. When you've turned System Restore off, Shut Down your system. Start your computer again, and while it's booting, press F8 which will take you to the Windows Advanced Options. Select Safe Mode. Then, run your anti-virus software, and let your system take some time to follow this process. When you're done with it, Restart your computer, in normal mode. Running your anti-virus software again this time will shell out that the Trojan Horse has been removed from your computer.

On Mac

Removing a Trojan virus on Mac can be a comparatively difficult job, for when a Trojan virus attacks your Mac, it changes the DNS information of your system, thereby, routing all your traffic to obscene web pages. Hence, in order to set your DNS information to normal, and remove the Trojan Horse, you need to follow the steps given below:

Step 1
Go to Library, and select the Hard Drive icon in Finder.

Step 2
Again, go back to Library and click on the Internet Plug-ins folder. This folder contains a file called plugins.settings in cases where there is a Trojan Horse virus in the system. If you don't find this file, your computer isn't attacked by Trojan. However, if you find the plugins.settings file, go to Trash, and click on Empty Trash. Emptying trash will remove the tool that had set the unwanted DNS information.

Step 3
This is a crucial step because here, you will be required to type various codes. So, after emptying the trash, go to Applications, and click on Utilities. Select Terminal. Then, type sudo crontab -l (the letter L in lower case), and select Return. Now, you need to enter your admin password. If the system responds you with crontab: no crontab for root, there is a Trojan Horse in your Mac. However, if the code is something else, there is no Trojan in your system.

Step 4
When you receive crontab: no crontab for root, type in sudo crontab -r, and enter your admin password. Doing this will change your system's DNS information back to normal.

Step 5
Restart your Mac. It must show that the Trojan Virus has been removed from your Mac.

There is yet another method of removal which is definitely effective. If none of the above methods work, you can format your hard drive, which will not only remove all data, but also the Trojan virus. You could again fill up your hard drive with data. However, for future safety, make sure you don't download any content from the Internet without running a malware check.