Regular computer viruses are pretty easy to remove. Just run your antivirus software scan and it will
either remove or quarantine the virus. But, a rootkit is a whole different animal. A rootkit, such as the latest trojan called Popureb will store code in the mater boot record (MBR) of the infected PC. Basically, every time the PC would start up, it would read this code and continue to be infected. Even with a factory restore or Windows reinstall, the PC will most likely still be infected due to this hard-to-reach code.
How do you remove a rootkit virus?
- Download the Norton Bootable Discovery Tool.
- Run the tool and follow the instructions to ultimately save it to a USB external drive or CD/DVD.
- Boot up to the media with the tool and run it to fix the MBR.
- After the MBR is fixed, you’ll be able to run your antivirus software scan to find and remove the threat.
The latest rootkits that are floating around hide the infection from your antivirus applications. That’s why the MBR fix has to be accomplished first to expose and then remove the rootkit. To prevent a rootkit from initially getting on your computer takes having an active version of antivirus and antispyware software on your computer.
I recommend Norton Internet Security as that packs virus and spyware protection. Even with security software installed, there is always a chance for a virus to get
through. So, be careful where you download from and who you open attachments from. The best rule of thumb is that if you’re downloading free stuff, don’t be surprised to also get a virus. So, try to stay away from the free sites where a lot of rootkits lurk.