Installing Antivirus Software on an Infected Computer

Most of the time, installing antivirus software on an infected computer is as seamless as installing it on a clean PC. That is, as long as the virus has not damaged the Windows system files that the operating system uses while installing applications.

Once you are able to install an antivirus program on your PC, you can use the application to start scanning the hard drive for infected files and delete them when prompted.

Here is how you can install an antivirus program on an already infected PC:

■Turn on Windows PC.
■Open your favorite web browser.
■In the search bar, search for and download an antivirus application of your choice. (E.g. AVAST in this demonstration.)
Note: there are many other antivirus programs available in the market for example Avira, AVG, COMODO etc. and you can pick any one of them. You can also use paid antiviruses like Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool (AVP), Norton Power Eraser, Microsoft Safety Scanner, McAfee Stinger, etc.
■Once you have downloaded the antivirus, locate and double-click its installer .EXE file to launch the setup. (E.g. avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe in this demonstration)



■On the next screen, click the Regular installation button.



■Click Continue to proceed with the installation process with the default settings.



■On the Installing the product interface, wait until the installation process completes successfully.



■Once done, click Done and restart Windows to finalize the settings.

Note: If the Windows system files are corrupted and you are unable to install the antivirus program on an infected PC, restoring Windows back to a restore point can resolve the issue. Sometimes, even restarting Windows in safe mode can also allow you to install the programs that can't be installed when an infected Windows is started in normal mode.