2 Ways to Use Malicious Software Removal Tool on Windows Computer

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Once in a while, we all come across malicious software that ruins our productivity and puts us in a lot of trouble. Right?

Well, we understand the pain you might have faced recently from such malicious software and that’s why we’re here to help you eliminate the root cause from your laptop once and for all.

Yeah, in this article, I’d like to give you a detailed overview of MSRT (Malicious Software Removal Tool by Microsoft). And, I’ll also give you some helpful tips to make the best use of this tool to remove malware and other unwanted trouble-causing software.

What Is MSRT?

It may sound like an antivirus, but it’s not. Yeah MSRT is a malicious software removal tool that comes built-in with all Microsoft Windows 10 systems.

Moreover, this tool is designed to find and remove some specific malware definitions from our computers. However, to stay updated with all the latest malware definitions, they update this tool frequently & regularly.

Also, MSRT’s scope is limited to find & remove malware and it’s neither capable of providing real-time protection nor it could help get rid of virus definitions like Microsoft Windows Defender Tool.

Yeah, for Real-time protection & Viruses you may lookout for ways of dealing with viruses through Windows Defender.

Now, coming back to ways of removing malware using MSRT, there are two ways of using it on windows. And yeah, if you’ve a gaming laptop under $900 then too, it’s advised to use this tool regularly to keep your gaming progress & data safe from malwares.

So let’s take a look at both the ways to make the best use of MSRT on windows!

How to Use MSRT in Windows 10 through Its User Interface?

To find & remove malicious programs on your Windows 10 computer, follow this simple process.

Step 1: – Click Here for downloading the tool we need.

Step 2: – Press the Download Button

Step 3: – Right Click on Downloaded File & Run it as an Administrator

Step 4: – Following Screen will show up on display; simply click on the NEXT button

Step 5: – A prompt with 4 different options will open up. Let me explain the difference before you click on either of them.

Option 1: Quick Scan

This is the most efficient and to-the-point scanning option. Basically, it’ll just check for malware on the pre-specified locations of your computer. Moreover, it won’t remove any malware, instead, this option will notify you regarding the presence of malware, if there’s any. Also, in case, it finds malware, it’ll ask you to run a full scan.

Option 2: Full Scan

This option is time-taking but ensures the utmost safety. Yeah, this option runs through your whole computer and checks all the locations on your hard drive as well as on removable drives. Moreover, it may run for 1 to 3 hours depending on your computer’s hardware configurations.

Note:- This option doesn’t scan network drives.

Option 3: Customized Scan

This scan option is to the point and helps when you connect a new drive with your computer. Yeah, to keep your computer safe from malware, it’s advised to run this scan on your removable drive each time you connect with your computer.

Step 6: – After selecting your preferred option, click on the Next button.

Step 7: – You’ll see the following screen, once the scan is finished. Click on the “View detailed results of the scan” link to check the details.

Step 8: – In the scan detail window, you’ll see a list of programs MSRT scanned, and it’ll also indicate infected & non-infected files like this.

Step 9: – Click on the Ok button

Step 10: – Press the Finish button to close MSRT.

So, it’s the process to make the best use of the Malicious Software Removal Tool. Once you’re done with all the steps, you’ll be notified of the next process that needs to be done to remove infected files.

Also, many times accidents happen, so to prevent data loss, this tool will keep a log at c:\Windows\Debug\mrt.log through which you could check if it has removed any required file from your device or not!

However, this tool just keeps a log file and in several cases, it might be impossible to recover the files that have been lost during this process. Well, this tool will only remove a file if it’s infected.

How to Use MSRT in Windows through Command Prompt?

You might be wondering that why use it through a command prompt when there’s a friendly graphical interface exists for doing the same job. Well, sometimes graphical interface may not work properly in Windows 7 & 8 versions. And, that’s the time when you might require to use it through cmd.

However, this process is a bit limited compared to the process we followed through GUI.

So, let’s get started!

Step 1: – Press CTRL+R to open the Run program.

Step 2: – Type cmd and hit enter.

Step 3:- Now, it’s time to write commands. There are different commands doing different jobs, so I’m listing all commands here, and depending on your preference, you should type & hit enter.

Command 1: mrt /f

This command is for a forced full scan without doing the removal.

Command 2: mrt /f:y

This command is for initiating a forced full scan & to remove infected files altogether. It is equivalent to the Full Scan option of GUI based process.

Command 3: mrt /q

This command is for quick silent scanning. It basically runs in the background without showing any progress upfront. This is equivalent to the Quick Scan option in GUI based process.

Command 4: mrt /f /q

This command is for a forced full scan using quiet mode. So, it’ll run a full scan in the background without removing the infection. Basically, after this scan, you’ll get a log file mentioning all infected & non-infected files out of its scanning process.

Step 4:- Based on your selected command, you’ll see the progress on the screen. Once, it shows scanning completed. You should close the command prompt.

Pro Tip

To get a full list of commands for MSRT, you should type mrt /? in the command prompt and hit enter. It’ll show you a complete list of commands along with their usage mentioned.

Verdict

Being honest, using GUI for malware scanning is my go-to preference. Yeah, I barely use the command prompt for removing malicious files out of my computer. However, I know both processes, so, thought to share them with you. You may ask your questions or queries related to scanning your computer for malicious software in the comment section; if there’s any. I’d be delighted to help you.

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