ISSUE 381|COMPUTERSHOPPER|NOVEMBER 2019 103
anyMicrosoft applications running, as well
as anyapps that areclearly to do with your
hardware(graphics drivers, motherboard
utilities and the like).Stopany applications
from auto-loading that youdon’t use
regularly and would prefer to launch
manually.Don’t worry:ifyou stop akey
utility from running, youcan go back to this
screen and re-enable it.
Delete adwareand PUPs
As well as malware, there’s adwareand
other PUPsthat caninstall themselves on
your computer and slowitdown. Adware
canchange systemsettings and insert
adverts into webpages, and canbehardto
remove.Other PUPsare ofteninstalled by
accidentwhen youinstall free softwareand
canhaveanegativeimpact on system
performance. Most security softwarecan
nowdetect adwareand PUPs, although you
havetofind and select the option.
To find and remove existing adware, run
the free portable program AdwCleaner
fromtinyurl.com/DownloadAdwCleaner.
Runthe downloaded application (it doesn’t
need installing). Click Iagree on the first
dialog box, then click the Scan button to
search your PC foradware, Trojans,
browser hijackers and more. If it finds
anything malicious, click the Clean button
to remove the software. Rebootyour
computer and re-run the scan to be sure
that everything has gone.
Eventhis won’tfind everything, so run
Malwarebytes Anti-MalwareFree(tinyurl.
com/AntiMalwareFreeDownload). Runthe
file youdownloaded to install the software.
When youclick Finish at the end of the
installation, Anti-Malwarewill start
automatically.Click
the Scan button to
start scanning your
computer.Ifit
detects malware,
youcan click Review
Detected Items to
investigatethe
infection while the
scan is still running.
Youcan then
remove selecteditems safely and
completely by clicking
Quarantine Selected at
the end of the scan.
Unwanted software
cancause alot of damage
that isn’t undone when
youremove the offending
software. As such,
clearing up at the end is
vital. The best waytodo
this is with Malwarebytes
Anti-Rootkit Beta (tinyurl.
com/AntiRootkitBeta). Download and
extract the softwaretoyour Desktop (this is
the default option).
Open up the mbar folder on your
Desktop. If youwanttoscanfor hidden
malware, run the mbar.exe application. To fix
the damage done to your computer and
restoredefault settings, go to the Plugins
folder and run FixDamage. This will start a
newCommand Line window; typingYwill
getFixDamage to restoreWindows’main
settings back to their default.What should you remove?Being facedwith ahuge list of applications can make it hard to knowwhattoget rid
of, but here’s some guidanceonwhatyou can remove and whatyou should keep.
If you’re still notsure about an application, Google the name to see whatitdoesREMOVE
Old applications
If youhaveanapplication that youno
longer use or youonly installed forone
purpose, youshould remove it.Bundledapplications
If youhaveany trial softwarethat
came installed with your computer or
utilities that youdon’t want or use, then
it’ssafetoget rid of these.Old drivers
Peripherals such as printers often
install aload of softwarewhen youset
them up. If youspotsoftwarefor apiece
of hardwareyou no longer have, then
it’ssafetoremove this.KEEP
Branded software
If yousee softwarethat’smade by the
manufacturer of hardwareyou’reusing,
such as foryour motherboard, monitor,
mouse, keyboardorsound card,then
keep this softwareasit’sprobably
doing something useful.Useful utilities
Keep anysoftwarethat youknowis
doing auseful job, such as Dropbox
or your security software.Microsoft software
Anything written by Microsoft is generally
useful or comes as apart of Windows,
so youshould keep these items.ABOVE:Yo ucan controlwhat applications start
with Windows easily
LEFT:AdwCleaner is
simple to use, and it
will remove alot of
malicious softwareLEFT:Anti-MalwareFreecan
remove dodgysoftwarefrom
your computerABOVE:FixDamage canrestoreWindows back
to its default settings, fixing anyerrors that
malicious and junk softwaremay havecaused