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Removal Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I remove a virus?

If a virus was detected in your computer, your AVG software will block access to the file to prevent the spreading of the virus and help you remove it.

When the virus infected file is not a system file, you can easily remove it choosing one of the options your AVG software will give you on the detection pop up:

  • Heal: this is the recommended action when available. It will remove the virus and restore the file to before it was infected.
  • Move to vault: when the Heal option is not available, this is the recommended action. It will move the file infected with the virus to quarantine where it cannot do any harm to your computer.
  • Go to file: opens the location of the file so you can remove it manually.
  • Ignore the threat: will do nothing to remove the virus, however the file will be blocked so infection won't spread.

Need a hand?
Have a look at our Virus Removal Guide or contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

2. How to remove a virus from a website?

AVG offers a free tool for webmasters and site owners that will allow you to directly view a list of any compromised URL's that have shown up during the last 15 days as reported by AVG users. This should help you to identify any problems that may exist from hacked or exploited pages.

The instructions are the following:

  • Go to AVG Threat Labs and login with a google, facebook or hotmail account.
  • Once logged in, you can add a site to your domain watchlist (this will sign you up for alerts should a page ever be reported as compromised).
  • Follow the instructions to claim your site as a site owner.
  • Once verified, any compromised URLs will show up in your report.

We recommend that you consult with a competent professional who can help you manually remove the threats from the infected pages or site.

3. How to remove a virus that keeps coming back?

Dealing with a recurring computer virus can be tricky and may require a high level of technical knowledge to remove.

The first and easiest thing to try is:

  • Restart the computer in Safe Mode and run your AVG Anti Virus software. In Safe Mode your computer is only running the vital processes, therefore your Anti Virus will be able to scan more files.
  • To start your computer in Safe Mode, press the F8 key right when Windows starts, usually right after you hear your computer beep when you reboot it.
  • If a virus is detected during the scan in Safe Mode, remove it like a normal virus (see also Question 1) and restart your computer.
  • Run a virus scan again in normal mode. If the infection was detected and removed in Safe Mode, it should come clean.
  • If the virus continues to return, it could be accompanied by an undetected rootkit or infected system file. In this case we recommend you restore to a previous version of the operating system (see also Question 5), or contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

4. What do AVG pop-ups mean?

Online shield alert pop-up:
This pop-up indicates that the web site you were about to visit contains active web viruses. AVG automatically blocks access to malicious web pages and keeps them from being loaded to prevent any harmful content from entering your device. No virus removal is necessary.

Resident shield alert pop-up:
This pop-up indicates that a virus infected file was being downloaded from a web site, an email or other online source. However, AVG detected the virus and blocked the file from being saved to your computer, before it could do anything harmful. No virus removal is necessary.

Accessed file is infected, virus detected
This pop-up indicates that there may be a file infected with a virus in your computer. Use AVG to do a complete system scan.

Need a hand?
Have a look at our Virus Removal Guide or contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

5. How to clean system files?

If a virus is detected by AVG on an important system file, it will not be automatically removed. This functionality has been added to prevent accidental removal of infected system files that are running the operating system.

Below you may find examples of important system files:

  • WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
  • WINDOWS\system32\user32.dll
  • WINDOWS\explorer.exe

If a virus is detected in a system file, you can restore the infected file with a clean one from the system back-up. More information on how to restore the operating system to a previous state can be found in Microsoft’s knowledge base at:

Need a hand?
Contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

6. How to remove cookies?

AVG detects and automatically moves Tracking Cookies to the Virus Vault, blocking them from doing anything to your computer.

However, you can protect your PC further from these files by:

  • Removing all cookies manually through your web browser, the same way you delete your navigation history
  • Disallow third-party cookies from being downloaded by your web browser

Need a hand?
Have a look at our Virus Removal Guide or contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

7. How to add file, folder or URL exceptions to AVG scans?

If you need to exclude a certain file, folder or URL from any detection by AVG, please follow these steps:

  1. Open the AVG Admin Console
  2. Go to "Options" menu then click on "Advanced Settings"
  3. Click on "Exceptions" on the left hand menu
  4. Click on the "Add exception" button located in lower left hand corner of this window
  5. Choose the Exception type this dialog window
  6. Now find the file or folder you want to exclude and click OK to save these changes

These exceptions can be used for "Potentially unwanted programs" only. If you set the exception for a viral file (Trojan horse, I-Worm, Worm, W32...), this file will be still detected by AVG tests and the AVG Resident Shield.

Need a hand?
Have a look at our Virus Removal Guide or contact our TechBuddy experts, available 24/7, to solve your device's virus problems for you. Get help now.

8. How can I be fully protected from malware and spyware?

AVG Internet Security 2013 is our best virus protection. It not only detects and stops viruses, threats and malware, but also:

  • Checks files before you click so you can download and share safely
  • Stops instant messaging viruses
  • Keeps your email protected from online spam and scammers
  • Protects the personal information you enter online so you can shop and bank online without worries
  • Blocks hacker attempts to access data stored on your PC
  • Comes with QuickTune to keep your PC running more smoothly

Start your protection today
Try AVG Internet Security for free!

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