How to Access Failed SD Cards

Although SD cards -- often used in cameras, computers and video game systems -- are convenient for storing large amounts of data, the failure or corruption of these "Secure Digital" devices can result in a frustrating loss of data for your small business. However, there are a few methods that help recover damaged files or allow you to format the card for further use.

 Step 1

Ensure that the SD card is not write-protected. Sometimes the memory card becomes locked accidentally and this makes the disk seem unusable. Check the switch on the side of the card, typically labeled "Lock." Move the switch to the opposite side so that it is unlocked. Insert the card again and check for files.

 

Step 2Attempt to repair the card. Click Start, then click "My Computer." Select the drive for the card, then right-click. Select "Properties" on the pop-up menu, then click the "Tools" tab. Click "Check now" to scan the disk for errors.

Step 3Download a file recovery program. Programs such as EaseUS, Zero Assumption Recovery and SanDisk's Rescue Pro can help locate and restore corrupted files thought to be lost. Although some programs charge a fee, many offer free trials. Recovering precious photos of loved ones or an important, time-sensitive document can be worth the cost.

Step 4Format the card. Sometimes scanning the card for errors will not repair the issue and recovery programs do not find your files. Although the data is lost, formatting the card often fixes the problem and you can use it to store new information. To format the card, locate the drive using "My Computer" and right-click to bring up the options menu. Select "Format," then click "Start."

Source  smallbusiness.chron.com/access-failed-sd-cards-46959.html

Microsoft Enlarges Surface’s Screen So It Can Be Used for Work, Too

Many people have both laptop computers and tablets and use them for different tasks. Microsoft on Tuesday redoubled its vision that the two devices should be one and the same, introducing a new version of its Surface tablet with a larger screen.

The company’s new product, the Surface Pro 3, has a 12-inch screen, larger than many small laptop screens. The more spacious screen reflects a sharpening of Microsoft’s belief that it can still distinguish itself in the tablet market, where it is currently an also-ran, with a device that meets professional and personal needs.

Microsoft argues that current tablets, most notably the iPad, are great for watching movies and other forms of entertainment or reading, but are far weaker when it comes to getting work done. The company’s proposition is that the Surface can do both well. A bigger display, Microsoft argues, will let people look at more than one application on their screens at the same time — like email and a word processor — as they can on their laptops.

 

We want products and technology that enable people to dream and get stuff done,” Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft, said at an event in New York.

This has been Microsoft’s approach since it introduced the original Surface in 2012, however. Earlier Surface versions had a 10.6-inch screen, larger than those on most other tablets.

Microsoft has won praise from many quarters for the design of the Surface, including a cover that also doubles as a laptoplike keyboard and track pad. Critics of Surface say a hybrid device forces too many design compromises. Timothy D. Cook, the chief executive of Apple, once said in reference to the Surface that “you can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but these things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user.

Sales of the Surface have been disappointing, and the company is losing money on the devices. During the first quarter of the year, Microsoft’s share of worldwide shipments in the market for tablets and two-in-one computers — tablets with detachable keyboards like the Surface — was 1.3 percent, putting it in seventh place in the market, according to IDC, the technology research firm. Apple was No. 1 with 32.7 percent.

The new Surface will start at $799, $100 less than the previous comparable version. The Surface Pro 3, which can be preordered starting on Wednesday, will be available in the United States and Canada on June 20.

Before the event on Tuesday, many people expected Microsoft to introduce a smaller Surface, to compete with the iPad Mini, the most popular product in Apple’s tablet family. Microsoft is working on such a device, according to a person briefed on the discussions who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. But the company decided against announcing the product on Tuesday, the person said, after Mr. Nadella asked the managers of the Surface team if they believed strongly that the device was ready to be shipped.

The Surface team felt the smaller device was not ready, in large part because of software issues, this person said. Microsoft has not completed a version of its Office applications for touch-screen devices running the company’s Windows operating system. Microsoft was concerned that the current Office applications would be difficult to operate on a Surface with a small screen, the person said. A version made for Apple devices has already been released.

“This continues to be a massive uphill battle for Microsoft and Nadella,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. “It feels like a small step in the right direction from a product perspective and strategy perspective.”

The innards of the Surface Pro 3 include a microprocessor made by Intel, the chip giant that makes the microprocessor inside most conventional PCs. That means Microsoft’s device can run applications written for PCs, unlike the iPad and other tablets.

The new Surface will inevitably be compared with the iPad, and not favorably in many respects. At 1.76 pounds, the Surface Pro 3 is heavier and more expensive than the 1-pound iPad Air, Apple’s largest tablet, which starts at $499. Yet Microsoft believes a more apt comparison is Apple’s MacBook Air, an ultraslim laptop that is a hit among professionals and starts at $899 and weighs 2.38 pounds.

“This device actually makes a much better argument for consolidating into one device,” said J.P. Gownder, an analyst at Forrester Research.

Panos Panay, a corporate vice president at Microsoft and a creator of the Surface product line, emphasized repeatedly that Microsoft’s new product elegantly balanced the capabilities of both devices.

“I am sure that this is the tablet that can replace the laptop,” Mr. Panay said

Best Computer Processor

 

 processor definition

 

 A central processing unit, also referred to as a central processor unit, is the hardware within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system

 

While buying a new personal computer, which is the one thing that matters above anything else? It's the computer's central processing unit (CPU) or processor. Silicon based chips are the brains of a computer that control every single one of its functions. The choice of processor decides the speed of computing and its multitasking ability. If you are planning to buy a new desktop or laptop computer, you would want to know which is the best processor to buy in the market.

Every computer chip today is a piece of silicon etched at nanometer (10-9 m) scales to form billions of transistors that together constitute the central processing unit of a computer. Today chip manufacturers have reached a limit in terms of the number of transistors that can be etched on a silicon chip and have instead opted for multicore chips. There are two, four or six chips that form a computer processor today, by working in coordination. This multicore design has helped chip makers like Intel to surpass the clocking frequency barrier and create faster chips.

Best Processors On the Market

The things that you look for in a computer processor are high speed of computing (represented by a high clocking frequency), multitasking, ability to handle intensive 3D graphics, larger cache size (which grants more working memory) and of course reasonable cost. The best processor chip for the money is expected to possess more than one of these features.

There are more than one way of choosing the best computer chip depending on what you are really looking for. There is the topmost processor that is above all others and beats them in all departments of computing and then there is the budget choice, which offers the best at moderate cost. We will consider both types here.

Unarguably the Best Processor to Buy - Intel Core i7 990X
If you are looking for simply the best and cutting edge for your laptop or desktop computer, the Intel core i7 990X is 'The One'. It is simply the best processor on the planet. The most power packed processor launched by Intel till date, this is a beast of a CPU, with 6 cores, 12 threads, 12 MB smart cache and a maximum clocking frequency of 3.46 GHz that can touch 3.73 GHZ on demand, thanks to Intel's Turbo Boost technology. Its 32nm architecture means that it is a leaner, yet more powerful beast than its 45nm build predecessors. Get over quad and dual cores, six core processors are here!

This is unarguably the best computer chip for gaming. Its power as a processor is boosted by Intel's Hyper threading, virtualization, 6.4 GT/s Intel QPI and speed step technologies. It is a processor born to rule and conquer gaming aficionados and power users. With all these features, the price tag on the chip is $999. The price is truly justified by the phenomenal performance and brute force powered by its 6 cores and 12 threads. It is truly one of a kind in the computing market today. In the same Intel core i7 extreme series, there are a few more processors to watch out for, which include (The processors with 'M' in their name are laptop processors):

Intel Core i7 980X (12 MB cache, 3.33 GHz)
Intel Core i7 975X (8 MB cache, 3.33 Ghz)
Intel Core i7 965 (8M Cache, 3.20 GHz)
Intel Core i7 940XM (8M Cache, 2.13 Ghz)
Intel Core i7 920XM (8M Cache, 2.00 Ghz)
Intel Core i7-2960XM (8M Cache, 2.70 Ghz)
Intel Core i7-2920XM (8M Cache, 2.50 GHz)

Best Budget Buys
The only problem with Intel core i7 990X and other processors from that series is the price which sets it beyond the reach of most mortals. However, there is a lot of choice in the lower ranks to choose from. As an AMD versus Intel chips comparison would reveal, top processors belonging to the other chip giant - AMD aren't in the same class as Intel's core i7. They are therefore competing with Intel by offering quad core chips at much lower prices. As the war between AMD and Intel processors rages on, we consumers are the one to benefit from the competition.

Here are some of the best CPUs to look out for, that fall in the medium and low-budget category, for you to choose from.

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T - $265
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T- $169
AMD Phenom II X4 980 - $185
AMD Phenom II X4 975 - $175
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4 GHz - $195
Intel Core i5 750 2.66 GHz - $196
Intel Pentium Processor G6950 2.80 - $87(!)
AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1 GHz - $102

If you are looking for the best computer chip, any one from the above list will meet your requirements. This list of best processors only includes those which offer great computing power at medium to low prices. Though they may not reach the dizzying heights of computing power reached by Intel core i7 990X, they are good enough for most gaming applications, as well as office or home use. Choose one that suits your budget. Going for the best is always the right choice.

For search: Best Computer Processor, computer, Best Processor, Processor,

How to Manually Remove a Virus

Our computers have a threat from different types of computer viruses. In this write-up, we will know how to make our computers free of viruses.

Computers have become an integral part of our life. Along with computers, Internet has also become an indispensable part. However, there is a negative side to the Internet technology, which is the rampant spread of computer viruses. Therefore, computer security becomes a matter of major concern for every one. Although it is recommended that we should have an antivirus software installed on our machines, there are times that we may not have it installed and that is exactly when the computer may be infested by a software. This brings up the question, what are the steps to manually remove a virus so that the machine is not infested with the threatening virus.

Steps to Remove a Virus

You will need some computer programming skills to get rid of the computer virus. You will just need the knowledge of basic syntax. The first step you should take before you start with the computer viruses removal process is to take system back up. It is essential so that in case you delete a wrong file in the process, you will not lose important data. In some cases, the file may be necessary to run the computer system. The data should ideally be backed up in an external device. Once the data has been backed up, you can format the system to get rid of the virus totally. However, it is not recommended that you use the system restore option to get rid of the virus, as this often leads to virus multiplication as opposed to removal.

The other process is a lengthy one which will need technical expertise. In this process, the first step is to identify the virus as there are many different types of computer viruses. To identify the virus you can seek help from various antivirus websites. From these websites you will be able to see the way the particular virus makes files. Now you will have to look for the behavioral pattern of the virus. Once that has been identified, the next step is to go to task manager. From the task manager stop the virus processes so that there is no chance that the virus replicates itself. The next step is to go to the file registry and delete the virus files, taking help from the information you have found from the different websites pertaining to the virus.

Steps to Manually Remove a Trojan Virus

If you do not want to use the options available online for the removal of the Trojan, you will have to undertake the process of removing the virus manually. To remove Trojan virus, you will have to first identify the system files which are infected by the virus. The next step is to erase the files so that normal functioning of the system is possible. You can seek help from online forums or antivirus software websites.

I would recommend that although there are steps one can take to remove the virus manually, it is best to invest in a reputed antivirus to avoid attacks to your system where your data is at risk.

Types of Computer Security Threats

With the wide scale use of internet, there are different types of computer threats, that the computer networks are susceptible to. Each of these threats can cause potential damage and cause a lot of harm, if the data is lost. It is important to know the different types of threats, so that the data can be safeguarded.

Computer network as well as stand alone systems are susceptible to a number of computer threats. The damage caused by the threats can cause very high loss to the company. The danger increases, when the computer network is connected to the internet. Although there are different types of threats to computer systems, they have a common bond. They are designed to trick the user and gain access to the network or the stand alone systems or destroy the data. Some of the threats are known to replicate itself, while others destroy the files on the system or some infect the files itself.

Types of Computer Security Threats

The classification of the types of information security threats is made on the way the information in the system is compromised upon. There are the passive threats and the active threats. The passive threats are very difficult to detect and equally difficult to prevent as well. Then there are the active threats. Since these threats continue to make changes to the system, they are easy to find out and fix as well.

Virus: The most common of the types of cyber threats are the viruses. They infect different files on the computer network or on the stand alone systems. Most people fall prey to the viruses, as they trick the person into taking some action, like clicking on a malicious link, downloading a malicious file, etc. It is from these links and files, that the virus is transmitted to the computer. There are also cases of the viruses been a part of an email attachment, which may be downloaded from the internet. In some cases, the viruses can also spread through infected portable data storage as well. Hence, it is important to have an antivirus on the system, which can not only detect the virus, but be able to get rid of them as well.

Worms: The other common types of internet security threats are the worms. They are actually malicious programs, which take advantage of the weaknesses in the operating system. Like the worms in real life crawl to move from one place to another, similarly the worms in the cyber world also spread from one computer to another and from one network to another. The most prominent feature of the worms is that they are able to spread at very high rates, which can lead the system being at risk of crashing. There is a type of worm, called net worm. These worms replicates itself by sending complete and independent copes of itself over a network, thereby infecting almost all the systems on the said network.

Trojan: This is a different type of computer virus, which is disguised under the garbs of a friend. The Trojans derive their name from the legend. They make their way into the software, which may not be noticed. It is often seen, that the Trojans are a part of the different attachments in emails or download links. In some cases making a visit to certain web pages also puts the computer system at risk.

Spyware: Spyware as the name suggests spy on the network and the computer system. They may be downloaded unintentionally from different websites, email messages or instant messages. In some cases, they may also make their way through different direct file sharing connection. In some cases, clicking on 'Accept User License Agreement', can also put the computer at risk.

Rootkits: The job of the rootkits is to give cover to the hackers. The best or the worst part about rootkits is that they are able to hide themselves from the antivirus software as well, due to which the user is not aware that a rootkit is present on the system. This helps the hacker and he is able to spread malware on the system. Therefore, it is important that one opts for antivirus, which also has a rootkit scanner, which will be able to detect the invasion.

Riskware: They are dangerous applications, who often become a part of software applications. They are often seen as a part of development environment for malicious programs and spread to the software applications. In some cases, these applications can also be used by hackers as additional components to gain access in the network.

Adware: The recent addition to the list of computer threats are the adware. They are actually advertising supported software. It is not uncommon to see different advertisements or pop ups coming up on the computer, when certain applications are being used. They may not pose a lot of threat, but often lower the speed of the computers. There are chances that the computer system may become unstable because of these adware.

Cookies: When we visit a website, there are files due to which the website is able to remember the details of the computer. They are more of a threat to confidentiality as opposed to the data on the computer. In most cases, cookies may be stored on the computer without the consent of the user and data may be stored on them, which is passed back to the website server the next time, one visits the website. The data gathered may be sold to third parties and depending on the interests, which may lead to different advertisements flashing on the screen.

Phishing: Often people appear to get emails from trustworthy organizations, like banks. In some cases, the emails may come from bogus sites, which may resemble the original site or it may superimposes a bogus pop up, due to which confidential data is gathered. They are often a part of different scamming activities and often poses to the financial threats.

These were the main types of computer threats. It is important to be on the look always to ensure that the network and/or standalone systems are protected from the threats. As soon as any of the threats are detected, measures will have to be taken to get rid of them at the earliest, so that the data is protected.

Computer Diagnostics

The diagnostics that are associated with computers can help to identify any problem or failure that computers show when they are having problems.  Diagnostics are used to test out the computer system, which includes both the BIOS and memory, software, and even the hardware that is attached to the computer.

The most common types of problems will occur when your computer is down to very low resources, which can either be a low amount of RAM, or a low disk space.  These conditions are very common, and generally result in your computer running very slow.  This can easily be fixed, all you have to do is defrag your hard drive, and get rid of some programs and files that you no longer use or need.

Almost all types of computer diagnostic software can find and fix just about any problem that you are having.  It normally starts off with a BIOS examination, and goes on from there.  PC diagnostics
software can determine a lot from the BIOS, from the common settings to those that have a major impact on both boot up and performance.

No matter what you do, you should never modify or tamper with the BIOS settings, as it can lead to serious problems.  If you do plan to modify or mess with your BIOS, you should always create a backup first, just in case something goes wrong.  The BIOS settings can be very tricky, although they are responsible for a lot to do with your computer.  If you have never been in the BIOS before, you really shouldn’t be modifying anything inside of it.

Depending on the diagnostics program that you are using, there will be several different features available.  Right now, two of the most popular are Norton Systemworks and PC Doctor.  Both of these programs offer full diagnostics software, good for fixing just about any software related computer program you can imagine.  

Once you run the program, you’ll be able to select the diagnostic test that you are planning to run.  Some offer you a full system scan, which will scan your entire computer and then display any problems that you having.  After displaying any problems, the software will normally give you an option to go ahead and fix it.  As long as the problem is nothing serious, the diagnostic software can generally fix it.

The more complicated problems, such as hardware failures or hard drive crashes, are a totally different story.  They will require a technician who is very experienced, that can rebuild the hardware.  Diagnostic software can report hardware problems to you, although most of the time it is unable to fix it.

There are other computer diagnostic software that you run after starting the computer or rebooting, that will check everything from BIOS.  These types are great, although the types such as Norton and PC Doctor are by far superior.  They offer far more features, including defragment, cache cleaner, and the option to delete your temporary Internet files.  These features are great to have, especially if you aren’t the technical type.

For more reasons than one, computer diagnostic software is the ideal way to find and prevent problems with your computer.  Norton Systemworks offers you Ghost as well, which is the perfect way to back up your data.  You can back up certain files, or just go ahead and back up your entire hard drive.  Systemworks and Ghost are very easy to use, even if you are completely new to computers.  For everything they offer you - computer diagnostic programs are the ideal way to prevent problems before they happen.

How to Clean An Infected Computer

The truth is that it's a lot easier to keep a computer malware free than it is to clean one that is already infected. However, with the advice given in this article you should be able to remove any type of malware from your computer and get it back to working order. The main problem with most malware removal guides is that you have no way of knowing if all of the infections were removed. However, with my approach you can easily tell if even just running a single scanner was able to entirely clean the infection. Thus, this can save you the hassle of having to run many different scanners and the uncertainty of whether your computer is really malware free.

Make sure you follow this article in order so as to clean the infections with as little work as possible. The idea is that most people won't have to go any further than the first approach in order to clean their computers of active malware. Thus, effectively this article is actually much shorter than it appears to be.

However, before attempting to remove any infected files you should first back up all important files. These may include documents, pictures, videos, etc... This way if anything goes wrong with the cleaning process, which is a very real possibility, your important documents will still be intact. However, do not include any program files as it is possible that these may be infected. Please note that if your computer cannot boot you should follow the advice on this page in order to back up all important files. Also, while cleaning the computer it's important to remember that all scanners can sometimes be guilty of false positive detections. Therefore, before removing any files which you believe could possibly be safe, you should check them using the methods I discuss in How to Tell if a File is Malicious.

Index

1. Make Sure Computer Is Actually Infected
2. How To Clean Your Computer And Make Sure It's Actually Clean
    ​A) Clean Computer With CCE and TDSSKiller
    B) If Still Not Clean Then Scan With HitmanPro, Malwarebytes, And Emsisoft Anti-Malware
    C) If Needed Try These More Time Consuming Methods
    D) If Necessary Make A Bootable Disk
3. What To Do If The Above Methods Are Unable To Clean Your Computer
4. What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed

1. Make Sure Computer Is Actually Infected

Before attempting to clean any infections from your computer it's important to make sure that the computer is actually infected. To do this please follow the advice I give in How to Know If Your Computer Is Infected. If the results of this do in fact show that your computer is infected then continue to follow the steps in the next section. Make sure that you follow them in order.

2. How To Clean Your Computer And Make Sure It's Actually Clean

Please note that advanced users may just want to skip to the last part about how to Make A Bootable Disk and clean the computer that way. This approach is the one which is most powerful, but it is also one of the more time consuming approaches. That said, if you wish you can jump directly to that section and then come back to the beginning again if the infection is not entirely removed.

A) Clean Computer With CCE and TDSSKiller

Download Comodo Cleaning Essentials (CCE). Make sure to select the correct version for your operating system. If you're not sure if your computer is running a 32 or 64 bit operating system then please see this FAQ. Also, download Kaspersky TDSSKiller . Note that if neither will not download correctly, or your internet connection is not working, you should download them on another computer and transfer them to the infected one via a flash drive. Make sure there were no other files on the flash drive. Be careful with the flash drive as the malware may actually infect it when you plug it into the computer. Thus, don't plug it into any other computers after transferring these programs. Also, I would like to point out that both programs are portable. This means that once you're done using them no uninstall is required. Just delete their folders and they will be gone.

After downloading CCE unzip the file, open the folder for CCE, and double click on the file called CCE. This will open the main program for Comodo Cleaning Essentials. If it refuses to open then hold down the shift key and, while still holding it down, double click on the file called CCE. After CCE has successfully opened you can let go of the shift key. However, do not let go of it until the program has fully loaded. If you let go of it even during the UAC popup it may not be able to forcefully open correctly. Holding down shift should allow it to open, even on heavily infected computers. It does this by killing most of the unnecessary processes that could be interfering with its launch. If it still will not launch then download and run a program called RKill. This program will terminate known malicious processes. Thus, after running it CCE should be able to open fine.


Once it's opened perform a "Smart Scan" with CCE and quarantine anything it finds. This program also scans for system changes which may have been caused by malware. These will be shown with the results. I would advise letting it fix these as well. Restart your computer when prompted. After the computer restarts run Kaspersky TDSSKiller, perform a "Smart Scan", and quarantine anything it finds. If anything was quarantined restart your computer once more.

Also, if your internet connection was previously not working please check again to see if it is now working. If not then you should go to this section of my guide about How to Fix a Malware Infected Computer and follow the advice given to fix your internet connection. A working internet connection is required for the remaining steps of this section.

Once you have verified that your internet connection is working, again open CCE. Hopefully it will open up normally this time, but if not then open it while holding down shift. Then open up KillSwitch from the tools menu in CCE. In KillSwitch, select the option to "Hide Safe Processes" from the "View" menu. Then right click on all processes which are flagged as suspicious or dangerous and select the option to delete them. You should also right click on any unknown processes that remain and select the option to "Kill Process". Do not delete processes flagged as FLS.Unknown. Next, open up Comodo Autoruns from the tools menu in CCE, and select the option to "Hide Safe Entries" from the "View" menu. Then disable any entries belonging to files which are flagged as suspicious or dangerous. You can do this by making sure the check box next to the entries is unchecked. You should also disable any entries flagged as FLS.Unknown, but which you believe likely belong to malware. Do not delete any entries. 

Now restart your computer. After it reboots, again check your computer using the advice I give in How to Know If Your Computer Is Infected. If all is well then you can skip to the section about What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed. Remember that a disabled registry entry is not a risk. Also, note that even if your computer is found to be clean of active infections there could still be pieces of malware on your computer. These are not dangerous, but don't be surprised if running another scanning program still detects malware on your computer. These are the inactive remnants of what you have just removed. If you are not comfortable having these remnants on your computer then you can remove the vast majority of them by scanning with the programs in the next section.

However, if your computer is not yet clean of active infections, but at least one of the programs was able to run, then go through the steps outlined in this section once more and see if that is able to remove the infections. However, if neither program was able to run please continue to the next section. In addition, if even following the advice in this section a second time is not enough to clean your computer you should continue to the next section.

B) If Still Not Clean Then Scan With HitmanPro, Malwarebytes, And Emsisoft Anti-Malware

If the above steps failed to fully remove the infections then you should download HitmanPro  Install the program and run a "Default Scan". Note that if it will not install please continue to the next paragraph and install Malwarebytes. During the installation of HitmanPro, when asked I would recommend you choose the option to only perform a one-time check of the computer. This should be suitable for most users. Also, if malware prevents it from loading correctly then open the program while holding down the CTRL key until the program is loaded. Quarantine any infections it finds. Please note that this program will only be able to remove infections for 30 days after it is installed. During removal you will be asked to activate the trial license.

Once all detected infections are removed by HitmanPro, or if Hitman Pro refused to install, you should download the free version of Malwarebytes  Note that it has chameleon technology which should allow it to even install on computers which are heavily infected. During installation I would advise that you uncheck the box to "Enable free trial of Malwarebytes Anti-malware Pro". Make sure that it is fully updated and then run a quick scan. Quarantine any infections that it finds. If asked by either program to restart your computer, make sure that you restart it.


Next download Emsisoft Emergency Kit . Once it's finished downloading, extract the contents from the zip file. Then double click on the file called "start" and open the "Emergency Kit Scanner". When prompted allow it to update the database. Once it's updated select the option to go "Back To Security Status". Then go to "Scan now" and select the option to perform a "Smart Scan". Once the scan is complete quarantine all detected items. Restart whenever required.

After scanning your computer with these programs you should restart your computer. Then once again check your computer using the advice I give in How to Know If Your Computer Is Infected. If all is well then you can skip to the section about What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed. Remember that a disabled registry entry is not a risk. However, if your computer is not yet clean then go through the steps outlined in this section once more and see if that is able to remove the infections. If the programs in part A of this section were previously not able to run correctly you should go back and try and run them again. If none of the above programs were able to run correctly please boot into Safe Mode with Networking and try scanning from there. However, if they were able to run correctly, and threats still remain even after following the advice in this section a second time, then you should continue to the next section.

C) If Needed Try These More Time Consuming Methods

If the above steps were not able to completely remove the infection then you likely have some very inhospitable malware inhabiting your machine. Thus the methods discussed in this section are much more powerful, but will take much longer to complete. The first thing I would advise doing is to scan your computer with another anti-rootkit scanner called GMER. It can be downloaded from Remove anything shaded in red. Make sure you do click on the Scan button once the program has finished its quick analysis of the system. Also, if you're running a 32 bit operating system you should download a program to scan for and remove the ZeroAccess rootkit. Information about this rootkit, and a link to a program to remove it from 32 bit systems. The AntiZeroAccess tool can be downloaded from the link in the second paragraph.

After scanning with the above programs you should next open CCE, go to the options, and select the option to "Scan for suspicious MBR modification". Then select OK. Now perform a full scan with CCE. Restart where requested and quarantine anything it finds. Note that this option can be relatively dangerous as it could possibly identify problems where there are none. Use it carefully and make sure everything important is already backed up. Note that in rare cases scanning with these options may render your system unbootable. This rarely happens, but even if it does it should be fixable. If running this scan renders your computer unbootable please see this section of an article I wrote about How to Fix a Malware Infected Computer. It should be able to help make your computer bootable again.

Once CCE has completely finished, again open up CCE while holding down the SHIFT key. This will kill most unnecessary processes which may be interfering with your scans. Then open KillSwitch, go to "Tools", and choose the option to "Hide Safe Processes". Now, once again delete all dangerous processes. Then, you should also right click on any unknown processes that remain and select the option to "Kill Process". Do not delete them. You should follow the advice in this paragraph each time you restart your computer in order to make sure that the following scans are as effective as possible.


After killing all processes not verified to be safe you should open HitmanPro while holding down the CTRL key. Then perform a "Default Scan" and quarantine anything it finds. Then perform full scans with Malwarebytes and Emsisoft Emergency Kit. Quarantine anything they find. Then download the free version of SUPERAntiSpyware from this page. During installation be very careful as other programs come bundled with the installer. On the first page make sure to uncheck both options about adding Google Chrome. Then click on the option for "Custom Install". During the custom install you will once again have to uncheck two boxes about adding Google Chrome.

Other than that the program will install fine. When asked I would recommend that you decline the option to start a free trial. Once the program is fully loaded select the option to do a Complete Scan and click on the button to "Scan your Computer...". Then click on the button to "Start Complete Scan>". Remove all detected files and restart wherever required.

After following these steps you should restart your computer. Then once again check your computer using the advice I give in How to Know If Your Computer Is Infected. If all is well then you can skip to the section about What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed. Remember that a disabled registry entry is not a risk. However, if your computer is still not clean then go through the steps outlined in this section once more and see if that is able to remove the infections. If it is not then you should continue to the next section.

D) If Necessary Make A Bootable Disk

If the above methods were not able to completely remove the infection, or you cannot even boot your computer, then you may need to use a bootable CD/Flash-Drive, also called a bootable disk, to clean your computer. I know this may sound complicated, but it's really not that bad. Just remember to create this disk on a computer that is not infected. Otherwise the files may be corrupted or even possibly infected.

Because this is a bootable disk no malware can hide from it, disable it, or interfere with it in any way. Thus scanning in this way, with multiple programs, should allow you to clean almost any machine, no matter how infected it may be. One exception to this is if the system files on the machine have themselves been infected. If this is the case then removing the infection may cripple the machine. It's largely for that reason that you backed up all important documents before starting the cleaning process. That said, sometimes it's possible to get around that by following the advice I give below.


To do this you should download the Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility (SARDU). This is an excellent program which will allow you to create a single rescue disk with multiple antivirus programs on it. It also has many other useful functions, which I will not be discussing in this article. A few very useful tutorials for SARDU can be found on this page. Be very careful about the added offers now included with the installer. Sadly, this program now tries to trick people into installing extra programs, which are largely unnecessary.

After downloading it extract the contents and open the SARDU folder. Then open the correct executable for your operating system, either sardu or sardu_x64. Under the Antivirus tab click on whichever antivirus applications you would like to add to your disk. You can add as many or as few as you wish. I would recommend that you scan your computer with at least Dr. Web, Avira AntiVir Rescue System, and Kaspersky Rescue System. One of the nice things about Dr. Web is that it sometimes has the option to replace an infected file with a clean version of it instead of just deleting it. This may allow you to clean some infected systems without crippling the computer. Thus I'd strongly recommend including Dr. Web in your bootable disk.

Clicking on the names of the various antivirus applications will often direct you to a page where you can download the ISO for that particular antivirus. Sometimes it will instead give you the option to download it directly through SARDU, which can be found under the Downloader tab. If given the choice always select the option to download the ISO. Also, after downloading the ISO you may need to move it to the ISO folder inside the main SARDU folder. Once you have moved all of the ISO's, for the antivirus products you would like to include, to the ISO folder, you are ready to create the rescue disk. To do this go to the Antivirus tab and make sure that all desired antiviruses have a check next to them. Then either click the button to make a USB or make an ISO. Either will work fine. It just depends on whether you want to run this off of a USB drive or a disk.

After creating your rescue disk you will likely need to change the bootup sequence in your BIOS settings to ensure that when you insert the bootable CD, or flash-drive, the computer will boot from it instead of from the normal operating system. Here is a useful article on How To Change the Boot Order in BIOS. For our purposes you should change the order so that the "CD/DVD Rom drive" is first if you want to boot from a CD or DVD, or that "Removable Devices" is first if you want to boot from a flash-drive. Once that's done just follow the advice given in this other article about How To Boot From a CD, DVD, or BD Disc in order to boot from the rescue disk.


After booting from the disk you can select whichever antivirus you want to first scan your computer with. As I previously mentioned, I would recommend starting with Dr. Web. Once it's finished, and you have repaired or deleted everything it finds, you should shut down the computer. Then make sure to again boot from the disk and then scan with another antivirus. Continue this process until you have scanned your computer with all of the antivirus programs you have put on the rescue disk.

After cleaning your computer with whichever programs you've put on the disk you should now try booting your system into Windows again. If it is able to boot into Windows then check your computer using the advice I give in How to Know If Your Computer Is Infected. If all is well then you can skip to the section about What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed. Remember that a disabled registry entry is not a risk.

If your computer is not yet clean, but you are able to boot into Windows, then I would recommend trying to clean your computer from inside windows, starting from this section of this article and following the suggested methods. However, if your computer is still not able to boot into Windows then again try fixing it by following the advice in this section of an article I wrote about How to Fix a Malware Infected Computer. It should be able to help make your computer bootable again. If even that can't make your computer bootable then try adding even more antiviruses to the boot disk and then rescanning your computer. If doing that still does not work then please read the next section.

3. What To Do If The Above Methods Are Unable To Clean Your Computer

If you followed all of the above advice and were still not able to clean your computer, but you're convinced that the problems are due to malware, then there's not much more I can do to help. I'm actually hoping that nobody ever reaches this section. This article is meant to allow you to completely clean an infected computer. Thus I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a comment below that explains what you tried to do in order to clean the computer, and what symptoms remain that make you think that your computer is not yet clean. This is very important in order for me to improve the article.


You can also seek advice from a specialized malware removal forum. A forum which I have found to be very helpful is MalwareTips. However, if even after seeking help on a malware removal forum your computer is still not free of malware, it may be necessary to format your computer and start over. This means that you will lose anything on the computer which you did not back up. Make sure that if you do this you do a complete format of your computer before reinstalling Windows. This will be able to destroy almost any type of malware. Once Windows is freshly installed please follow the steps in the next section.

4. What To Do After All Malware Is Confirmed To Be Removed

After confirming that your computer is now clean you can now try to repair any damage that may have been caused. For this I have written an article about How to Fix a Malware Infected Computer. Please follow the advice in this article in order to fix any damage that was caused by the infection. If after doing this your computer is running fine, then you can also open Comodo Autoruns and select the option to delete those registry items you had previously only disabled. This way they will no longer be on your computer at all.


Once you have successfully cleaned all infections from your computer, and repaired any leftover damage, you should take steps to ensure that it does not happen again. For this reason I have written a guide about How to Stay Safe While Online. Please read through it and implement whichever methods you feel best fit your needs.

After securing your computer you can now restore any of the previously backed up files that were lost during the cleanup process. Hopefully this step is also not necessary. Also, before restoring them make sure that your computer is very well protected. If you don't lock the computer down strongly enough then you may inadvertently infect it and again have to clean the infections from the computer. In addition, if you used a USB drive to transfer any files to the infected computer you can now plug that back into the computer and make sure there is no malware on it. I would recommend doing this by deleting all files left on it.

 

If you have any problems, or are confused by my directions, please leave a comment below and I will try to help you. Trust me, if you are having a problem then so are many others. I need to know this so that I can improve the advice in this article. Also, I do realize that there are a plethora of programs that can be used to clean an infected computer. I have selected these particular programs, and arranged them in such a way as to emphasize their positive qualities while at the same time compensating for their weaknesses, in an attempt to simplify the malware removal process. Please let me know if you see any problems with the approach I have outlined.
In addition, please help by rating this article. If you believe this article deserves anything less than 5 stars, please leave a comment below explaining how you think it can be improved or where you find fault. This article is written by me but fueled by the community. Thus your opinions and advice are not only much appreciated, but actually necessary in order for this article to grow and improve.

A malicious virus known as Remote Administration Tools (RATs) can be used by hackers to switch on your webcam and control the machine without your knowledge. Andrew McMillen reports.

'Alex', the NSW boy who taught himself how to hack.

The 14-year-old couldn't believe his eyes. The virtual currency he'd worked so hard to amass in the online role-playing game Runescape had vanished. He'd lost the equivalent of $700 in the blink of an eye, after investing his pocket money into the game's economy for months. All that remained was an instant message dialogue box: "Haha, you got RATted!"
Sitting in his bedroom in Wauchope, on the mid-north coast of NSW, the teenager wrote back: "What does that mean?" He didn't know at the time that his machine had been compromised by a Remote Administration Tool (RAT), an aggressive form of malware that allows hackers to access a victim's entire computer. It was too late. The thief had disappeared. "He ran away with my money, like a girl," laments Alex (not his real name).

When I started, it was hard to learn. I was confused. I helped others because I wanted them to feel how I felt when I first started RATting – that feeling of excitement. I wanted to empower them. 
'Alex' the NSW hacker

Weeks later, his desolation and rage had been replaced by joy. After researching RATs and spending an entire day spreading an innocuous link using Runescape's in-game chat function, in the hope that someone would visit the page and run the Javascript application embedded within, Alex had his mark.

An image uploaded to a hacking forum showing a woman picking her nose as seen through her webcam.

Within a few clicks, the teenager had access to a stranger's entire computer, without their knowledge. "I was the happiest kid in the whole entire world," he says. "I could see their desktop, what they typed, the history of what they'd typed, stored passwords, files – everything."

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His victim didn't have a webcam, so Alex wasn't sure of their gender or their appearance, although he assumes they were male. But he knew that they played Runescape, so he got straight to work on what mattered: looting their gold, just as he'd recently experienced himself.
After emptying the stranger's account, the teenager watched, intrigued, as his mark realised that he'd been hacked, and began trying to close the connection. Fifteen minutes later, Alex's first "slave" – hacker shorthand for a compromised user – had disconnected himself.

An image uploaded to a hacking forum showing a woman sleeping as seen through her webcam.

The RATted had become the RATter. "I felt unstoppable," says Alex, now 17 and studying Year 11. "I was really insecure about myself at the time. I felt like the most powerful person on Runescape."
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The senior security manager at antivirus software company Trend Micro has another name for RAT: Remote Access Trojan. "It's a piece of software loaded onto somebody's computer that allows it to be controlled or accessed from a third-party location," says Adam Biviano in Sydney.

An image uploaded to a hacking forum showing a woman starting at her computer as seen through her webcam.

"They often arrive on a computer masquerading as something else," he says. "Just like the mythological story, you open your gates up and you allow it inside your protected walls. All of a sudden, you think you're getting one thing, but in reality you're getting what they call a 'RAT'. You're giving access to your computer to ... who knows who."
A 14-year-old boy motivated by revenge is probably one of the last people you'd want to have unmitigated access to your computer. Especially if you're female, given that one of the most commonly exploited features of RAT software is the ability to spy on a user's webcam. Many modern laptops will display a green light when the webcam is in use; however, RAT developers have long since worked out how to disable that tell-tale sign on some computers.
The cumulative effect is a gross breach of privacy, often without the user's knowledge. Think of where your computer's webcam is positioned, and what someone might see if they watched you constantly: your bedroom antics, perhaps, or your daily nude stroll around the house. They might even see you take your laptop to the toilet with you.

An image uploaded to a hacking forum showing a woman looking at her computer as seen through her webcam.

Discussion threads in the Remote Administration Tools section of HackForums.net overflow with webcam screenshots, to celebrate both "hot female slaves" and "ugly slaves".
Alex goes by a pseudonym on HackForums that Fairfax Media has chosen to keep secret in order to conceal his identity. He's been a particularly active community member over the past 12 months, clocking more than 6000 posts – about 17 a day – while establishing himself as a helpful source of information for those new to RATs.
"When I started, it was hard to learn," he says. "I was confused. I helped others because I wanted them to feel how I felt when I first started RATting – that feeling of excitement. I wanted to empower them."
The teenager says he's never had a job, yet he's drawn a respectable income from his RAT activities for more than two years. His parents began asking questions when he connected his PayPal to his bank account, and sums of up to $500 at a time would flow in: profit from his Runescape thefts. "I sat down with them and told them what was going on," says Alex.
"They understood. They said, 'If you get caught, you're in serious shit.' My parents are laidback about it, because they knew I was smart with computers when I was younger. I've gotten way smarter since then." Their son may not have been completely honest about the precise source of income, though: "They don't really know what happens behind the scenes when I'm on the computer," he admits.
Trend Micro's Adam Biviano isn't surprised by Alex's exploits, nor his age. "I've been in the anti-malware industry for about 15 years," he says. "A lot of these attacks start off with people who are quite young. It's that younger element that probably doesn't understand the legal implications of what they're doing. They think that because it's online, it's simply a bit of harmless fun.
"We also see that those skills are put to far more malicious use these days, by moving on to target businesses, to target individuals by stealing their identities, even cross-border espionage using RATs,” he says, referring to a malware outbreak in the fractured state of Syria last year. "[Virtual goods theft] is one of the more benign uses of RATs, but it can certainly get nastier from there."
The Attorney-General's Department responded to questions with this statement: "The Commonwealth Criminal Code contains a range of offences that apply to the unauthorised access to or modification of data, as well as offences that relate to the possession, control or supply of data with an intent to commit a computer offence."
Federal penalties for these offences range from two to 10 years' imprisonment; the states and territories also have laws prohibiting the installation and use of surveillance devices, including listening, optical, tracking and data surveillance devices, which may also apply to those caught using RATs for malicious purposes.
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy says it does not have a position statement on the use of RATs among private citizens.
Remote access technology is not new – Windows has had this functionality in-built for many years – but the malware form of delivery is a constant headache for security companies such as Trend Micro, especially since some of these products are marketed as "FUD": fully undetectable, by either software or user.
"That's the unfortunate part of the business we're in," says Biviano. "For a malware writer, we're part of their quality assurance process. A piece of malware will be sold for far more money than a competing product if it's undetectable by current anti-malware products. That's the sad reality of life right now."
Trend Micro's labs deal with RAT infections on a daily basis, not just on personal computers, but increasingly, mobile devices. "This year alone, we're anticipating that we'll see nearly one million forms of malware just on [the] Android [mobile operating system]. A lot of these will have RAT built in. It's very rare these days that we see malware that doesn't have some sort of remote access capabilities."
RATs have a long history of legitimate, non-malicious uses: IT departments throughout the world benefit daily from the ability to view their colleagues' screens when troubleshooting, as do workers who wish to access files on their home computer from the office.
Chris Gatford, director of Sydney security consultancy HackLabs, uses this type of software when performing penetration testing for clients on four continents. "We're engaged by our customers to compromise their environment," says Gatford. "We use social engineering as the mechanism to gain access to the organisation, using "RAT-like" functionality in commercial security testing tools to perform our work.
"In our experience, when performing this testing, we're very rarely detected, and therefore most organisations aren't able to detect it," he says. "I would say the majority of Australian organisations certainly wouldn't have the capability to detect whether they were infected by RATs, if [the software] was being used by attackers correctly."
Using freely available RATs with names such as DarkComet and BlackShades, Alex was able to gain control of up to 1000 computers simultaneously. The dual monitors in his Wauchope bedroom became a window to the world. "I've had a guy in Vietnam working in a store," he says of his "slaves". "I've had a whole Asian family looking at the computer at once. I've had a lot of ugly people; one guy in his nineties or something, who looked like Santa Claus," he says, laughing.
He has clicked onto people masturbating to child pornography. He didn't like that one bit. "I basically destroy their computer if I see them looking at that shit, because that's just wrong." With a few commands, he'd delete their computer's "system32" folder; without those files, Windows operating systems won't function.
But those days are behind Alex now. In mid-March, he posted a thread on HackForums saying goodbye to using Remote Administration Tools. The 17-year-old feels he's learned all there is to know about RATs. He's had some fun, made some money. Now he's setting his sights on learning to code, while balancing his Year 11 workload. He's fond of software design, IPT and English, but hates maths. He's looking forward to studying at university – something to do with computers, naturally – and building a career in penetration and vulnerability testing.
The only thing that's stopped the teenager from accessing strangers' computers without their knowledge is boredom. That initial buzz – that feeling of being "the happiest kid in the world" – has long since worn off. Gross invasions of privacy have lost their lustre. Alex maintains that he never touched any bank accounts while RATting: "That shit's lame," he says. "I know people do it, but it's a dog act."
If he got caught by the police – not that he ever came close – he'd have justified his behaviour thus: "I know it was wrong to steal virtual goods, but I didn't do it for bad reasons.
"I did it for educational purposes. Hacking isn't just about 'bad' things. Most people hack to learn."
Asked whether he's proud of what he did, he laughs. "I kind of am! I felt bad when I got my stuff stolen, though." But it was okay when you did it to others?
He pauses. "Now I'm confused ... How do I say it? RATting is bad, and good. People do it for knowledge; people do it to steal shit; people do it to mess around. It's a thing that hackers these days need to learn, before they move on."

How hackers can switch on your webcam and control your computer

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/