MARCH 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 85Safe Mode. Note that if you want to connect to any
onlinescannersyou’llneedtoselectoption5,which
isSafe Mode with Networking.
You may find that your PC runs noticeably faster in
Safe Mode. This could be a sign that your system has a
malware infection, or it could mean that you have a lot
of legitimate programs that normally start up alongside
Windows. If your PC is outfitted with a solid-state drive
it’s probably fast either way.
Step 2: Delete temporary files
Now that you’re in Safe Mode, you’ll want to run a virus
scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary
files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free
up disk space, and even get rid of some malware. To
use the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows
10 just type Disk Cleanup in the search bar or after
pressing the Start button and select the tool that
appears named Disk Cleanup.
Step 3: Download malware scanners
Now you’re ready to have a malware scanner do its
work – and fortunately, running a scanner is enough
to remove most standard infections. If you already
hadanantivirusprogramactiveonyourcomputer,
youshoulduse a different scanner for this malware
check, since your current antivirus software may not
havedetectedthemalware.Remember,noantivirus
programcandetect 100 percentofthemillionsof
malwaretypesandvariants.
There are two types of antivirus programs. You’re
probably more familiar with real-time antivirus