For the last two weeks I've been explaining how malicious Web sites change your home page, add Trojan horses and viruses, and do other nasty stuff to your PC. My PC guru, Rod Ream, calls this type of Web and software attack malware.

For a refresher course, see "Steve Bass's Home Office: Beware of Sleazy Web Sites and Spyware" and "Steve Bass's Home Office: More Sleazy Web Sites."

This week I'm offering Rod's tips for removing malware from your computer and protecting your PC.

Rod's Strategies for Defeating Malware

Rod's got a whole regimen for rescuing your system from a malware attack. First you scan your system with up-to-date antivirus software and check for Trojan horses. Then it's time to repair Internet Explorer. Next, check out your Start menu and start-up routines and purge suspicious items. Finally, remove suspect entries from your registry. Read on for details.

1. Scan Your System

I'll lay odds your virus program's signature file--the one that keeps your virus program valuable--is dated yesterday. (Check the "About" section; most antivirus programs list the signature date there.) If it's dated 1998, kids, you're definitely not protected!

Here's where to go for quick links to some antivirus programs and their antivirus definitions or signatures. If I didn't mention your favorite, head for the company's Web site.

• Norton Antivirus
  
  
• McAfee VirusScan
  
  
• F-Prot Antivirus
  
  
• Trend Micro
  
  

Do you want a quick scan, like right now, with something as close to current as possible? There are some good ones to choose from. Remember--and this is important--these sites don't offer active or real-time protection.

• Panda ActiveScan is a solid antivirus tool that picks up infections others often miss
  
  
• Trend Micro's free virus scanner also detects and removes infected files
  
  

Quick aside: I've been experimenting with AVG AntiVirus, recommended by PCW's Scott Spanbauer. It's free and so far, it's working well.

Dig this: Have you ever had one of those days when it feels like even your T1 connection is kinda sluggish?

2. Check for Trojan Horses

Next, use a Trojan-horse checker often and early. The one I use (as does Rod) is The Cleaner. It hunts down and removes Trojan horses, either with a full scan or by file name.

There are other good Trojan horse scanners. You can find a bunch in the PCWorld.com Downloads library.

Dig this: Here's the coolest online clock I've seen yet (thanks to all those readers who recommended it). It came from The JavaScript Source, and was written by Kurt Grigg.

3. Repair Internet Explorer

Rod says that to recover from a malware attack you'll need to repair Internet Explorer. Go to the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs, and find Internet Explorer in the list of installed programs. Highlight and double-click the entry, then choose Repair.

4. See What's Loading Behind your Back

Launch Msconfig--go to the Start menu, choose Run, and type msconfig.

What? You're using Windows 2000 and can't find a copy of Msconfig? Look here.

Head for the Startup tab, and look for any entry that looks or sounds like "Connect2Party" or a portion of that phrase. If you find it, uncheck it to disable. If you're justifiably concerned by the other oddly named program entries, check out Denny Denham's excellent resource page for items loaded at start-up.

And here's at a great resource that lists thousands of files that might start up in your system. The site's author gives his opinions as to what you need and don't; just finding out where the file comes from and why it's starting is incredibly valuable.

You might be struggling with Msconfig, how it works, and what it does. Spend a minute and read a short tutorial I wrote, "Remove Unwanted Icons From Your System Tray."

5. Rope in the Registry

Tackling the registry is the toughest part of this entire project. Rod suggests that you back it up first. Then close all running applications, select Start, Run, type RegEdit, and choose File, Export. Search for Connect2 and 2Party, and delete the entries.

Quick tip: If you handle the registry often, you're probably familiar with the handy, but potentially damaging, .reg files. Scott Dunn's "Safer Registry Handling" trick in his Windows Tips column will delight you--as it did me when I discovered it while writing this column.

Rod's Rules for the Road

Machines don't get attacked by malware on their own--some user interaction is needed. So take precautions:

• Back up your system often. Yeah, I know, you hear this all the time. But like flossing your teeth, it's still a good idea even if you don't do it.
  
  
• Practice safe computing by using antivirus software and keeping the definitions up to date.
  
  
• Pay attention to sudden changes in machine behavior and find the cause right away.
  
  
• Batten down the hatches when surfing on the back streets of the Internet. Crank up your antivirus software's options and get Finjan's SurfinGuard Pro v5.6 beta. Because it's beta, be sure to read the site's FAQ first.
  
  

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