How to Find & Fix Infected Files on My Computer for Free

If you are a PC user, then you've probably been bombarded with emails about protecting your computer against viruses, trojans, worms and spyware. You've also probably downloaded applications from the Internet that have corrupted or harmed your computer. Some programs, such as McAfee, offer free trials of their file cleaning and protection software, but after 30 or 60 days, you will have to pay for protection. Most PC users don't mind paying for peace of mind, but there are other ways to track down corrupted files and repair them for free.

• 1

  Back up all of your files by copying them to a hard drive, flash drive or by burning them to a CD.

• 2

  Download a reputable antivirus program. AVG updated its free antivirus software with its 2011 edition. The Viper Rescue Program is a free program which can be run from a flash drive and steps in to clean and fix files that are already infected. Housecall by TrendMicro offers free online scanning and repair if you use the Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers.

• 3

  Restart your computer in Safe Mode by pressing F8 while your computer boots. Run the virus scan using the program you downloaded. Files that you cannot clean or repair will have to be deleted; if the files are not deleted, they can later corrupt other files.

• 4

  Restart your computer once more in its normal mode and check to make sure the files you deleted are actually gone. This has to be done manually by using Windows Explorer and searching for the specific files.

• 5

  Protect your computer from future malware and spyware issues by downloading a free protection program as well. Microsoft's Security Essentials is a free program that continually guards your computer from viruses. This is important because sometimes it might be too late to just run a virus scan and delete or fix infected files. This is especially true if your PC has been infected with trojans or worms, which are powerful viruses that can crash your entire hard drive.