Today we are going to be talking about how to remove a virus without any anti virus software. There are many ways to remove viruses and malware from your computer. Most ways to remove viruses require often expensive software such as Kaspersky, Norton, AVG etc. You can also find Linux based virus scanners you can run through a boot disk if you cannot open the operating system at all. However, you can use the Windows DOS command prompt to do some basic commands to search for viruses. In the process we are going to talk about below, we will find hidden virus autorun files and executables. We can rename or delete these files to stop the virus automatically running on the infected drive.

Step 1: Start your command prompt. Type Cmd into your search bar (if you are using Windows Vista or 7) then press enter. This will bring up a DOS prompt in which you can type commands.

Step 2: We need to select the drive which has been affected by the virus. The default drive for your computer is C but you will need to check this. Type (without the speech marks) “C:” and then press enter. To see the content of the drive type “dir” then enter.

Step 3: Here is when it starts to get a bit more difficult. Type “attrib –s –h *.* /s /d then press enter. Type “dir” to check whether it contains unusual .exe files. 

Note: The -s means we are looking at system files. The -h means we are looking at hidden files. the *.* indicates we are looking for all files.

Step 4: Delete any files that have “autorun.inf” next to them as they are likely virus files. You can also rename the “autorun.inf” files to whatever you like to deactivate them. Now you can access the drive without affecting the virus.

Hopefully this was of some help to you. Nerd out. 

With the advent of wireless networking and cloud computing more people are using computers in makeshift environments at home and at work. Many of these adhoc workstations have not given much thought to the way frequent use of the computer can impact our body. Given the amount of time people are spending in front of computers it is important to consider are you using your computer in a healthy way. In this article we try to help you think about how to carry out your daily tasks without doing unnecessary damage to your body. 

Note: we are not doctors and our advice is general so please check with a registered doctor before following any of this advice. 

Many different parts of the body are affected by our use of the computer. Some of the parts of body affected include our:

- Eyes and the computer monitor / screen we use and the lighting choices we make.

- Ears and amount of noise our computer generates or general background noise.

- Hands and wrists which can easily become strained due to poor choice of computer, keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, and laptop touch pad.

- Back and shoulders due to the computer screen (monitor) or computer desk being at the wrong height.

In order to ensure that we keep our bodies in optimal condition when using a PC I suggest the following 5 rules.

1. The 90/90 rule: Position your hands, waist and feet at a 90 degree angle to the computer.

2. Keep the different parts of your body relaxed. If you find any muscles tensing then try and stretch the muscle and then return to your computer.

3. Make sure that no part of your body is dangling in the air. This will cause excess strain. Ensure you have something to rest your feet, wrists and elbows on.

4. Make certain that your computer screen (monitor) is at eye level so that you do not strain your eyes or neck.

5. Take short breaks frequently. Get up and stretch your body. Let your eyes focus off in the distance. Walk around and keep the blood circulating to the body.

Through these simple tips not only will you look after your body but you will also ensure that you feel most comfortable. Being more comfortable means that you will be more focussed and less likely to become distracted by other things. These tips apply for both home and work computing. 

This article was written by Newtons Nerds laptop and computer repairs Sydney. We are computer consultants for home and business computer users. If you have any healthy computer tips we missed please let us know in the comments below.