"8 Steps" missing a couple of important ones!

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I am really surprised that the oft-quoted "8-step Viruses/Spyware/Malware Preliminary Removal Instructions" do not include two of the most important steps of all when diagnosing/fixing/cleaning any system:

Disable System Restore. (XP and beyond)
Back up your system. Or better yet, have automatic backups on an external drive and/or offsite that you have verified.

Then the other steps can be followed.
Let me explain why these two other steps are critical.

1. System Restore - Many malware products use the system restore feature to their advantage and that is EXACTLY how they keep coming back time after time, even after you remove them. The system restore function can be used by these malevolent processes to reinstantiate themselves every single time you reboot.

2. Backup - This should go without saying, but sadly a tiny percentage of users EVER back up their system and very few of them do it regularly or completely (verifying the ability to restore those files). A good backup will allow you to recover from absolutely any malady that befalls you and if you do incremental backups you can pretty much "go back in time" to a point before the affliction occured.

Hi NunjaBusiness

Friendly not smarta?s answer to your premise to clear SR!

If you have issues Hardware Software or Malware a SR point is better than no point.

Never never never clear SR until system is clean and working properly.

The reason it is not part of the 8 Steps is because of the reason above and the fact that the Malware Pros here always advise when to create a new SR point first and then remove only the old points. The old and bad can be removed without clearing all.

Some Malware cleaners do in fact eradicate from the System Volume.. and some times in so doing kill (not always) that point.

Point is simply "A bad restore point is better than no point at all" until an expert advises otherwise.

I hope no one jumps the gun and clears SR!

Mike

I will grudgingly agree with you to a degree ... until the user can't remove an infected file from that restore point.

I have found that System Restore Points are awfully unreliable except for rolling back driver versions and fixing minor registry issues. Of course it has only been around for what, 8 years?

Suffice it to say, I would much rather have one actual backup (or disk image) of all files on disk than 100 restore points of what Windows decides should be saved.

OK, so ... let's just say the Backup message should really be emphasized a lot more here.