Virus infections – we don’t like them either!

Like all I.T. providers, ITRiver often help customers remove viruses and other malware from their PCs and networks. This is a job none of our technicians enjoy, as they know how inconvenient the disruption is to our customers. We also understand that nobody likes to have to pay to have a problem fixed that somebody else created, especially when the problem was created maliciously.

Virus removal timeframe and cost

Virus removal is a very unpredictable service. Some virus infections are very easy to remove, others are quite hard. Usually, there is no way to know at the beginning of the job how long the removal might take. Our technicians have many other jobs to do, and this can mean that a virus removal job may have to be abandoned temporarily so we can complete other work that is also urgent.

Backups

At ITRiver we would always prefer to take a full system backup before and after a virus clean. This process does however take time, and therefore costs money. If you already have a daily backup, you can get a better result at less cost, because we don’t need to make a backup for you.

No guarantees

Sometimes viruses damage vital operating system files which can result in a PC that works while infected, but no longer works when cleaned! If we have a backup, we can restore the (infected) backup and try again… sometimes with the same result. Sometimes, a virus simply can’t be removed economically and a recovery (from an earlier clean backup, or a factory-fresh reinstall) to a non-infected state may prove necessary.

Reinfection

If our tools are unable to find a virus once we have removed it, but they find it again soon after, then you have been reinfected. Reinfection can happen from many sources including, but not limited to, other PCs in your network, USB and other storage devices, CDs, emails, and of course, the internet. It does not mean our technicians ‘missed’ the virus. We are not responsible for reinfected computers and charges will apply for re-removal.

So…

Virus removal is not a fixed cost service. We don’t always know how you got it, we dont always know how to remove it, sometimes we have to investigate and learn. Today’s virus may not have existed yesterday, and we don’t have a crystal ball. Unfortunately time costs money. We don’t like it any more than you do. We’d rather be earning our money helping you make money, not stopping you lose it.

Our advice to you

Tips to avoid infection:

• Keep an up to date antivirus package – if you are a business user, this will probably not be free. If it isnt, then pay for it.
• Don’t automatically trust a message you see pop up on your screen.
• Don’t automatically click ‘OK’ (or even cancel) when a message appears without first reading and understanding what the message says.
• Use business computers for business only – if it has your livelihood on it, treat it as such. It isn’t a toy. Get an iphone or a cheap laptop for internet play!

Tips to reduce recovery time and cost:

• Make DAILY backups, preferably using a disk image based solution.
• Understand how to use it yourself, or use a solution that your IT provider is familiar with (talk to them!)

Finally!

Don’t use the age-old, “I don’t know much about computers, so I just clicked Yes.” It makes our technicians twitch. I doubt the line, “I’m not a very good driver, so I just pressed the throttle” would get you out of a traffic fine…