Virus FAQ

Are you a Norton customer who is facing a problem with malware? Use this page to get answers to frequently asked questions.

My computer has a virus. How did this happen?

Thousands of new viruses, trojans, and worms are created every day. Sometimes, even the best anti-virus software in the world can't protect your computer from being infected. Here are some of the most common ways this can happen

• Clicking on an intriguing pop-up ad which contains a trojan
• Opening a malicious email attachment
• Downloading a virus from a file-sharing program such as LimeWire
• Your Norton software was not updated with the latest virus definitions
• Your system was infected with malware before Norton was installed

How do I get it off my computer?

Once you have a virus on your computer, it may attack Norton and prevent it from working properly; in these cases, the virus must be removed manually. Norton offers free, do-it-yourself support options as well as a paid service where we take care of removing threats for you. If you feel comfortable editing your Windows System Registry, booting into Safe Mode, or modifying other system files, you may be able to remove threats yourself by following the instructions here. If you'd rather let one of our expert technicians do all the work for you, try our Spyware & Virus Removal Service.

Why can't my Norton software remove the virus for me?

With thousands of threats being generated every day, many of which are unique, one-of-a-kind threats that are served up to uniquely infect your particular system, it is possible that you have come into contact with a threat Norton does not yet recognize. In addition, some malware is designed specifically to disable Norton's anti-virus software. Trojans and worms can be very difficult to fix because they contain no clean code which Norton can repair automatically; instead, they have to be manually removed.

Why can't Norton detect this threat when other anti-virus software can?

Norton handles several thousand new threat alerts every month and updates its software as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Since every software vendor processes threats on its own schedule, occasionally another anti-virus product can detect a threat before Norton can. Likewise, Norton's software often recognizes threats ahead of other products.

Why do you charge for Norton's Spyware & Virus Removal Service?

Manually removing threats from our customers' computers is a complex and often time-consuming process, which requires special expertise. Norton's Spyware & Virus Removal Service is handled by highly trained expert technicians who will work as long as it takes to locate and neutralize all known threats on a user's computer. We stand by the quality of our service and are proud to offer a seven-day, infection-free warranty period. Click here to learn more about our removal service.