Find malware that antivirus software doesn’t

By Kim Komando

August 1, 2019

As hackers keep occupied with generating malware that is beyond sinister and untraceable, security companies continue to improve antivirus programs’ ability to find malware before your computer system suffers irreversible damage. Unfortunately, even the best of antivirus applications can miss some malware during a scan of your desktop. Without question, the notion of malicious software making its way through your files concealed from a system scan is disconcerting. However, the Norton Power Eraser is a free tool that can eliminate threats, such as malware, that your common antivirus software may miss. Symantec, the developer of the Norton Power Eraser, deems it is an aggressive technology and warns the software may indicate valid programs need removing. The good news is you can undo the results of a scan to ensure your genuine programs are safe.

How to download Norton Power Eraser

Norton Power Eraser is only available for Windows and is designed to work in conjunction with your existing antivirus product, regardless of its provider. Here’s the rundown on how to use this program. Downloading Norton Power Eraser is straightforward. No installation is required, simply visit the Rescue Tools page on Norton’s website and click download. After opening up the exe.file you will click Yes to allow the app to make changes to your device. Click accept after reading the End User License Agreement. Now, you are ready to scan your system.

How to perform a scan

Click the Scan for Risks icon. By default, Norton Power Eraser will perform a Rootkit scan, which will require a system restart. If you want to skip the Rootkit scan go to Settings and uncheck Include Rootkit Scan. Once the scan is complete, it is time to repair or remove detected files by clicking Remove or Repair next to each file. The cloud icon allows you to perform an additional scan if you still suspect a file is corrupt. Be sure to check Create System Restore Point before proceeding with the fix. Click Fix Now and Restart Now if asked to restart your computer. Other options include Unwanted Application Scan, Advanced Scans, and Undo Previous Fix, which will undo the results of your last scan if needed. Need assistance? Click the Help option in the upper right corner where you will find a tutorial on using the Norton Power Eraser. In addition, the video below provides a step-by-step walkthrough. If you are an advanced user, you may want to utilize the alternatives in Advanced Scan. While this program is efficient at removing troublesome files and apps, Norton Power Eraser may indicate genuine files as bad and is unable to remove ransomware, which leaves you needing an additional program to tackle that issue.

Tags: apps, hackers, malware, security