Remove .help file ransomware

About this threat

.help file ransomware file-encoding malware, also known as ransomware, will encrypt your files. It’s a severe infection that could permanently prevent you from opening your files. Because of this, and the fact that infection happens quite easily, file encrypting malware is thought to be a highly harmful threat. Ransomware developers target careless users, as contamination commonly infects via spam email attachments, dangerous advertisements and malicious downloads. As soon as the encoding process has been finished, you will get a ransom note, asking for money in exchange for a tool to decode your files. Between $100 and $1000 is likely what will be requested of you. If you’re considering paying, look into other options first. There is nothing stopping crooks from taking your money, providing nothing in exchange. There are many accounts of people receiving nothing after complying with the requests. This kind of thing could occur again or something might happen to your system, so would it not be better to invest the requested money into some kind of backup option. We’re certain you will find an option that suits your needs as there are plenty to choose from. You can restore data after you delete .help file ransomware if you had backup already prior to infection. You will encounter malware like this everywhere, and you will likely get infected again, so you have to be ready for it. To guard a computer, one must always be on the lookout for possible malware, becoming informed about how to avoid them.

Download Removal Toolto remove .help file ransomware

File encoding malware spread ways

In most cases, most ransomware use infected email attachments and advertisements, and false downloads to infect PCs, even though you can certainly find exceptions. That doesn’t mean developers won’t use elaborate methods.

The most probable way you got the infection is via email attachment, which could have came from a legitimate seeming email. The method includes creators adding the file encoding malware infected file to an email, which is then sent to hundreds or even thousands of people. You can normally find those emails in spam but some users think of them as convincing and move them to the inbox, believing it is important. In addition to mistakes in grammar, if the sender, who ought to definitely know your name, uses Dear User/Customer/Member and puts strong pressure on you to open the attachment, you need to be careful. A company whose email is vital enough to open would use your name instead of the regular greeting. Expect to see company names like Amazon or PayPal used in those emails, as a familiar name would make the email look more real. If you remember pressing on some dubious adverts or downloading files from unreliable sites, that’s also how the infection could have managed to get in. Be very cautious about which advertisements you interact with, especially when on questionable pages. Avoid downloading from untrustworthy pages, and stick to valid ones. One thing to remember is to never download programs, updates, or anything really, from pop-up or any other types of adverts. If an application was needed to be updated, it would notify you through the application itself, and not via your browser, and commonly they update themselves anyway.

What happened to your files?

Infection that leads to permanent file loss is not an impossible scenario, which is why a data encoding malware is is classified as a dangerous-level threat. It can take mere minutes for it to find the files it wants and encrypt them. Strange file extensions will be added to all affected files, from which you can judge which data encrypting malware has infected your computer. Some data encoding malicious software do use strong encoding algorithms for file encryption, which makes it hard to recover files for free. When the encryption process is finished, a ransom note will be dropped, and it ought to explain how you should proceed. The ransomware note will encourage you to buy a decryption utility, but whatever the price is, we do not advise paying it. Paying doesn’t guarantee data decryption because crooks might just take your money, leaving your files encrypted. Your money would also support their future ransomware activity. When victims pay the ransom, they are making ransomware a pretty profitable business, which already earned $1 billion in 2016, and that attracts plenty of people to it. Instead of paying hackers money, invest the money into backup. In case of a similar infection again, you could just ignore it and not worry about losing your data. If you have opted to not comply with the demands, proceed to delete .help file ransomware if it is still on your system. These kinds threats can be avoided, if you know how they are spread, so try to become familiar with its spread ways, in detail.

How to terminate .help file ransomware

We warn you that you will have to acquire anti-malware software if you want to completely terminate the file encrypting malicious program. Because you allowed the ransomware to get in, and because you are reading this, you may not be very experienced with computers, which is why we would not recommend you try to terminate .help file ransomware by hand. Instead of risking harm your computer, employ dependable elimination software. It shouldn’t have any issues with the process, as those types of programs are designed to remove .help file ransomware and other similar infections. Below this article, you will find guidelines to assist you, in case you run into some kind of issue. The utility isn’t, however, capable of assisting in file recovery, it’ll only terminate the threat from your system. But, you should also know that some ransomware can be decrypted, and malware researchers could create free decryptors.

Download Removal Toolto remove .help file ransomware

Learn how to remove .help file ransomware from your computer

• Step 1. Remove .help file ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove .help file ransomware using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

Step 1. Remove .help file ransomware using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove .help file ransomware.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking.

b) Step 2. Remove .help file ransomware.

You will now need to open your browser and download some kind of anti-malware software. Choose a trustworthy one, install it and have it scan your computer for malicious threats. When the ransomware is found, remove it. If, for some reason, you can't access Safe Mode with Networking, go with another option.

Step 2. Remove .help file ransomware using System Restore

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
• b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 7/Vista/XP

1. Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
2. Press and keep pressing F8 until Advanced Boot Options appears.
3. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

For Windows 8/10 users

1. Press the power button that appears at the Windows login screen. Press and hold Shift. Click Restart.
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

b) Step 2. Restore files and settings.

1. You will need to type in cd restore in the window that appears. Press Enter.
2. Type in rstrui.exe and again, press Enter.
3. A window will pop-up and you should press Next. Choose a restore point and press Next again.
4. Press Yes.

While this should have taken care of the ransomware, you might want to download anti-malware just to be sure no other threats are lurking.  

Step 3. Recover your data

• a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.
• b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions
• c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

While backup is essential, there is still quite a few users who do not have it. If you are one of them, you can try the below provided methods and you just might be able to recover files.

a) Using Data Recovery Pro to recover encrypted files.

1. Download Data Recovery Pro, preferably from a trustworthy website.
2. Scan your device for recoverable files.
3. Recover them.

b) Restore files through Windows Previous Versions

If you had System Restore enabled, you can recover files through Windows Previous Versions.

1. Find a file you want to recover.
2. Right-click on it.
3. Select Properties and then Previous versions.
4. Pick the version of the file you want to recover and press Restore.

c) Using Shadow Explorer to recover files

If you are lucky, the ransomware did not delete your shadow copies. They are made by your system automatically for when system crashes.

1. Go to the official website (shadowexplorer.com) and acquire the Shadow Explorer application.
2. Set up and open it.
3. Press on the drop down menu and pick the disk you want.
4. If folders are recoverable, they will appear there. Press on the folder and then Export.

* SpyHunter scanner, published on this site, is intended to be used only as a detection tool. More info on SpyHunter. To use the removal functionality, you will need to purchase the full version of SpyHunter. If you wish to uninstall SpyHunter, click here.