Remove and Delete Viruses Without Antivirus Software

This article will show you four effective ways to remove viruses from your laptop without antivirus software. Continue reading for detailed instructions.

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How to Remove a Virus from Your Computer Without Antivirus Software

I downloaded some free anti-virus software, but then found out that it wasn't really free! Some asked for money upfront, or allowed me to scan for malware but not to remove it unless I paid.”

"Most antivirus software is very expensive, and I don't want to spend a lot of money testing an unknown antivirus. Surely there must be a way to remove a virus without having antivirus software. How can I do this?"

In addition to seeking free virus removal, some users may also want to know how to check for and prevent viruses on their computer. In the following three sections, we'll provide practical solutions to help you address this issue, cleaning all viruses from your computer and external storage devices without losing any data.

How to Tell if Your Computer Has a Virus

A computer virus is a type of malware designed to replicate itself onto any drives connected to your computer. When a virus infects your PC, it can cause it to run slower and prevent it from working correctly. You may need to consider removing a virus if you notice any of the following:

• An unknown program starts up on its own
• Pop-up messages that appear for no reason and are difficult to get rid of
• Your computer or laptop is running slower than usual
• The sound of a hard drive constantly working

Part 1: Removing a Virus from a Computer or Laptop Without Antivirus Software

In this section, we'll guide you through the complete process of thoroughly removing viruses from your Windows computer or laptop without using antivirus software or tools. Follow these steps carefully to ensure comprehensive protection for your device:

# 1. End processes related to the virus in Task Manager

This involves running programs related to the virus on your computer, in a controlled way that stops it from spreading further on your device.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open the Task Manager.

Step 2: On the "Processes" tab, examine each running process listed in the window and select any that you don't recognize. Search online to confirm if it's related to a virus. Once you've identified a malicious program, click "End Task" to stop it from infecting your computer and devices.

2. Disable Unknown or Suspicious Processes at Windows Startup

It is a decent defense against odd malware or viruses that try to take over your computer on startup.

Step 1: Open the System Configuration utility or Task Manager and go to the "Startup" tab.

Step 2: Scroll down and select all programs from unknown manufacturers, then click Disable.

Normally, programs with unknown manufacturers are associated with malware or even viruses.

Prevent programs related to the virus from starting up automatically.

3. Turn on Windows Defender Firewall

That way, you'll prevent more viruses from infecting your computer and storage devices.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel > Click on "Windows Defender Firewall" > Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.

Step 2: Check the box next to "Turn on Windows Firewall" and click OK to confirm.

4. Remove the virus using Windows Defender's Virus and Threat Protection

Virus and threat protection is a built-in Windows feature that can protect your Windows computer from viruses and even remove them. You can enable this feature and scan for viruses right away by following these steps:

First, turn on Virus & threat protection in Windows Defender.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select Settings > click on Update & Security.

Step 2. Under Windows Security, click on Open Windows Defender Security Center.

Step 3: In the new window, click on Virus & threat protection > Manage settings for Virus & threat protection.

Step 4: Turn on Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Automatic sample submission.

Typically, once this feature is enabled, Windows Defender will automatically scan all drives and files to detect and check for viruses on your computer. If it finds any viruses, follow the prompts to remove them.

Next, use Virus and threat protection to remove any viruses that are already on your PC.

Sometimes, you might also run this feature manually to scan and remove viruses from your Windows computer.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security.

Step 2. Click on Virus and threat protection.

Click the “Scan Now” button under “Threat History” to scan for viruses on your computer.

Run Windows Defender to remove the virus

Then, restart your computer, and the device should now be free of viruses and malware.

5. Disconnect from the Internet

As you know, some computer viruses spread by using an Internet connection. So it's a good idea to disconnect from the Internet to prevent further damage.

Step 1: Right-click the network connection icon on the taskbar, and select “Open Network and Internet settings.”

Step 2: Click on “Network and Sharing Center,” then click on “Change adapter settings.”

Step 3: Right-click or long-press the connection you want to disable, then select "Disable." The icon for the connection will turn gray, indicating that it's disabled.

Please disconnect your computer from the Internet - 3

6. Restart Your PC into Safe Mode in Windows 10

These steps will work for removing malware of any kind from any type of computer or laptop. This solution is just as effective for getting rid of Trojans as it is for viruses. The solution is to restart your computer in Safe Mode.

Step 1: Restart your Windows 10 computer. When you see the login screen, hold down the “Shift” key and click on the power icon in the bottom right corner, then select “Restart.”

Step 2. Windows 10 will restart and prompt you to choose an option. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Read also: How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10 in Different Ways

If your computer is infected with a specific type of virus, like a read-only virus or a shortcut virus, you may need a different solution, as the above methods are mainly for removing viruses from your computer.

Below you can find some tutorials that might help you remove specific viruses from your PC and storage devices:

• 4 Ways to Remove Shortcut Virus
• How to Remove Write Protection from HDD/SSD/External Hard Drive/USB

Part 2: Restore Files After a Virus Removal on Windows

After removing a virus from your Windows computer, you can check it and continue using your device and files. If you lost some files on your computer because of the virus, don't worry.

First, refer to Part 1 to remove the virus from your computer. Then, you can recover any lost or missing files using the data recovery methods outlined in this part.

Method 1: Recovering Deleted or Lost Files after Virus Removal

After you remove malware, you should check for data loss on your storage devices. In addition to deleting or hiding files itself, removing malware can accidentally take non-malicious files with it.

A reliable data recovery tool, such as Data Recovery Wizard, can scan your entire storage device for any lost files due to accidental or virus-induced deletion.

This software offers a simple exercise in recovering data deleted by a virus:

Step 1: Select the disk drive from where files got missing after using antivirus program and then click on “Scan”.

Step 2. Once the scan is over, all lost and deleted files from the selected disk will be displayed. You can try locating the item removed by antivirus software from the tree-view panel on the left or use the "Filter" feature to specify a particular file type, such as images, videos, emails, documents, etc.

Step 3. Preview the files by double-clicking them. After that, you can select the files you need and click "Recover" to get them back at one go.

Method 2: Using CMD to Display Hidden Virus Files

Sometimes, viruses do more than just take control of your computer; they can also encrypt your files and hold them for ransom. Some will hide your files, making you think that they have been deleted.

Actually, the files are not lost but hidden on your computer. You can also try running the following CMD command to unhide files hidden by the virus:

Step 1: Run Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:\*.* and press "Enter." (Replace F with the letter of the infected hard drive or flash drive.)

Step 3: Type del autorun.xxx (where xxx is the shortcut extension of the virus) and press Enter.

Part 3: Protecting Your Computer and Data from Viruses

Aside from offering reliable solutions to remove viruses from your computer and recover lost files, you might also have concerns about virus prevention and data protection.

We have gathered some common questions here with brief answers, hoping to assist you:

1. How can I check if my laptop has a virus?

There are many symptoms and signs that your computer or laptop might have a virus. For example, it might crash unexpectedly, your hard drive could become encrypted, or your files turn into shortcuts. How do you check for a virus? You can run a “Virus and threat protection” scan like in Step 4 of Part 1, or use an antivirus cleaner program like Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton 360, AVG, or Avast to scan for and remove viruses and malware from your computer.

How can I protect my computer from virus or encryption attacks?

The simplest and free way to protect against viruses is to turn on Windows Defender's real-time protection and enable virus and threat protection on your computer. You can also run antivirus software like AVG, Avast, Avira, or Kaspersky to protect your device.

How can I prevent my files from being deleted or infected by viruses? To protect your files from deletion or virus infections, you can take the following precautions: 1. Install and update antivirus software: Make sure you have a reliable antivirus program on your computer and keep it updated. Regularly scan your system to detect and remove viruses. 2. Be cautious when downloading: Download files only from trustworthy sources. Avoid clicking on links and attachments from unknown emails or websites. 3. Update your operating system and applications: Keep your operating system and all software up to date, as these updates often include security patches that fix vulnerabilities that viruses could exploit. 4. Be careful with attachments and links: Do not open attachments and links from unfamiliar email or messages, even if they appear legitimate. 5. Use strong passwords: Set strong and unique passwords for your accounts, as this can prevent malware from gaining access to your device through weak passwords. 6. Backup important files: Regularly back up your essential files to external storage devices or cloud services to safeguard against potential loss. 7. Educate yourself: Stay informed about the latest online threats and protection methods to maintain good cybersecurity awareness. By following these steps, you significantly reduce the risk of your files being deleted or infected by viruses.

First, make sure that Windows Defender's real-time protection is turned on, or that you have antivirus software running on your machine. Next, back up all important files to an external hard drive. That way, if your computer is compromised by a virus or malware, your files will be safe.

Here, you could use a reliable file backup software to back up all the necessary files to an external hard drive in one go.

Make sure to choose your external hard drive as the target device for the image file.

Step 1: Tap on the "Select Backup Content" button to start the backup process.

Step 2. There are four backup types to choose from: Files, Disk, System, and Mail. Click on Files.

Create File Backup Step 2

Step 3: You will see a listing of both local and network files on the left. You can expand directories to choose which files to back up.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen wizard and choose where you want to save your backup.

Click on "Options" to encrypt your backup with a password under "Backup Options", set up a schedule for the backups under "Backup Schedule", and choose to start a backup after certain events. There are many other options to explore, which you can use to customize your backup tasks as needed.

Step 5. You can save the backup to a local drive, the tool's cloud service, or a NAS.

Step 6: Todo Backup lets you back up your data to third-party cloud drives as well as its own.

If you want to back up to a third-party cloud, choose "Local Disk," then scroll down and add your cloud device. Log in to your account.

You can also choose to use the cloud storage of the tool itself. Click "Tool Cloud" and log in with your tool account.

Step 7. Click "Backup Now" to start the backup process. When it's done, the backup will appear as a card on the left panel. Right-click the backup task for further management.

Extra Tip: How to Use Antivirus Software to Remove a Virus from a Laptop

If your PC or laptop has a virus, you can remove it by following these simple steps to get rid of a virus on a laptop.

1. Download and install a virus scanner.

2. Disconnect from the Internet.

3. Restart your computer in Safe Mode.

4. Delete any temporary files...

5. Run a virus scan.

6. Remove or isolate the virus.

7. Restart your computer.

8. Change all your passwords

9. Keep your software and operating system up to date with the latest versions.