How to use the Malicious Software Removal Tool

Sometimes, malicious software is bound to get on your computer even if you have your antivirus and security updates. Let me show you one tool that can help you remove malicious software without installing anything new. In Windows there is a built in malicious software removal tool that you can run by typing “mrt” at the run command prompt.

According to the knowledgebase entry for this tool “Microsoft released the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to help remove specific prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, or Windows 2000“.

After you download the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, it runs one time to check your computer for infection by specific types of prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps remove any infection it finds. Microsoft releases a new version of the tool every month.

The interface is a wizard driven step by step process – you just have to click next button to go to the next step:

There are 3 types of scans: quick, full and customized. Go for full scan to scan your entire system.

It will then start scanning your system:

An ideal output will be a completed scan with no malicious software detected. If it detects a threat, it will ask you to remove the malicious software.

Remember that this tool is run only on demand and does not run in the background all the time – there is no real time spyware protection. Also, take note of the other reasons why you should still have to have an antivirus software:

The tool removes malicious software from an already-infected computer. Antivirus products block malicious software from running on a computer. It is significantly more desirable to block malicious software from running on a computer than to remove it after infection.
The tool removes only specific prevalent malicious software. Specific prevalent malicious software is a small subset of all the malicious software that exists today.
The tool focuses on the detection and removal of active malicious software. Active malicious software is malicious software that is currently running on the computer. The tool cannot remove malicious software that is not running. However, an antivirus product can perform this task.

This means that this tool is not a substitute for a more complete antivirus solution like McAfee or Norton. If you suspect that your computer’s antivirus is not detecting all active viruses on your computer – running this tool is one way to check it. If the tool detects a malicious software that your antivirus did not detect – you might need to check if your virus definitions are updated.

If you need to learn more about the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool visit the its official knowledgebase article: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=890830