Expert: Carolyn Meinel - 1/20/2008

Question
One of our PC's got some type of virus that seems to have loaded a mess of programs and is using 100% of the CPU.  I can't run my antivirus program and haven't been able to load remove/delete programs yet (still waiting . . .) Any suggestions?

Answer
Have you tried booting into safe mode? While booting up, hold down the F8 key until you get a safe mode menu. Since I don't know your version of Windows, you can check to see what you do next at http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm

It's a good idea to choose a safe mode option that doesn't include networking as it is possible that whatever has infected your computer might be bringing things in from the Internet. For example, some malicious programs feed unwanted porn into your computer, ugh!

One you are in safe mode, if your computer is now able to work OK, your best bet might be to use System Restore (if you have it). Choose the restore point closest to a time before you got all these unwanted programs.

Also, while in safe mode, you could run a complete scan of your computer with your antivirus and, if you have it, antispyware program. Some antivirus programs include antispyware.

If yoru computer is OK after all this, and you want to keep it OK, here's how to avoid this sort of problem in the future. Don't use Internet Explorer, as it is easily infected. Instead you can use the Firefox browser, free from mozilla.org. Don't use file sharing programs because you never know what infections lurk on other people's computers.

If none of this works, please let me know what your operating system and computer security programs are and I can give you some other ways to fix things.