How can I remove a virus from my Windows 98 computer?

[soarwitheagles]

My dad's computer [stanb] has one or more viruses. We also suspect it has been hijacked to serve porno. We desperately need help on how to detect and remove these viruses, malware, trojan horses, etc.

Please, can someone help us?

What specific steps can we take using Windows 98?

Thank you,

Freddy and Stan

 

[Alvin.C]

Hello,

Install and run antivirus software, and a spyware/adware scanner.

There are many free and commercial antivirus software available. For example, Avast! Home Edition is a widely used free antivirus software, and McAfee VirusScan Plus is good a commercial antivirus software.

As for getting rid of spyware and adware, download and run Spybot Search&Destroy. It's free and does the job. Make sure that you 'search for updates' in the program before performing a scan, to ensure that you've got the latest detection rules. Alternatively, Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Edition is a popular anti-spyware and adware program.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Hello,

Install and run an antivirus software.

There are many free and commercial antivirus software available. For example, Avast! Home Edition is a widely used free antivirus software, and McAfee VirusScan Plus is good commercial software.

Thank you Alvin! Alvin, can you tell me which anti virus would still work with Windows 98?

Thank you,

Freddy

 

[soarwitheagles]

Osiris and Makaveli,

Can either of you help my dad and I on how to locate/identify the virus on his windows 98 system?

Thank you,

Freddy and StanB

 

[Alvin.C]

Thank you Alvin! Alvin, can you tell me which anti virus would still work with Windows 98?

Thank you,

Freddy

All antivirus and anti-spyware/adware software quoted in the previous post are compatible with Windows 98. Most are.

 

[soarwitheagles]

All antivirus and anti-spyware/adware software quoted in the previous post are compatible with Windows 98. Most are.

Alvin C.- thank you again for your help. We appreciate you and the time you have given us. We look forward to helping my dad get his computer virus and spyware free!

Have a great day Alvin!

Freddy and StanB

 

[stanb]

My son Freddy asked me to provide my SYSTEM INFORMATION.

SYSTEM INFORMATION
Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.2222 A
Clean install using OEM Preinstall Kit /T:C:\WININST0.400 /SrcDir=C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS /IS /IW /IQ /ID /IV /IZ /II /NR /II /C /U:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
IE 5 6.0.2800.1106
Uptime: 0:01:25:23
Normal mode
On "STAN" as "stan"
emachines
GenuineIntel Pentium(r) III Processor
192MB RAM
57% system resources free
Windows-managed swap file on drive C (7428MB free)
Available space on drive C: 7428MB of 13024MB (FAT32)

COMMENT:

I believe I have isolated the virus.....It's on a computer looking icon... when I mouse over it, I see "Internet Gateway: Disconnected". When I change the "Disconnected" to "Enable" my system really slows down....almost comes to a stop..

stanb

 

[soarwitheagles]

Hey Dad!

I suppose we should go ahead with downloading the Avast first, then run it. If that will not work, we will try the Tech-Dump's Spyware Removal Guide.

Let me know what happens after you download and run Avast.

Freddy

 

[KSoD]

Well sadly the only real answer i can give is this. Using Windows 98 is like having a bulls eye painted on you.

Windows 98 has not been updated or patched in almost a year now. So even if you clean your system today you can be right back to this situation tomorrow. It will be a never ending series of cleaning.

That is my honest opinion. Windows 98 is old and not even Microsoft supports it anymore. In my honest and humble opinion i would upgrade to a new PC with at least XP on it. At least that way you can know that it isn't something that is left unpatched by Microsoft that is leaving you vulnerable to attacks on the web.

You can run Avast and all that. Try to clean the system and see if you can find a firewall to use on 98. I would also suggest a router to help further protection. But only a update can even remotely guarantee that you will be at least a little bit more secure.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Well sadly the only real answer i can give is this. Using Windows 98 is like having a bulls eye painted on you.

Windows 98 has not been updated or patched in almost a year now. So even if you clean your system today you can be right back to this situation tomorrow. It will be a never ending series of cleaning.

That is my honest opinion. Windows 98 is old and not even Microsoft supports it anymore. In my honest and humble opinion i would upgrade to a new PC with at least XP on it. At least that way you can know that it isn't something that is left unpatched by Microsoft that is leaving you vulnerable to attacks on the web.

You can run Avast and all that. Try to clean the system and see if you can find a firewall to use on 98. I would also suggest a router to help further protection. But only a update can even remotely guarantee that you will be at least a little bit more secure.

Makaveli,

Thank you for your clear and honest answer. My dad will read your good advice tomorrow and hopefully we can talk him into upgrading.

Have a great day and we appreciate your time and wisdom in this situation.

Freddy