Remove Petya virus

Is ransomware really that harmful

Petya virus could be the ransomware to blame for your file encryption. Normally, file-encrypting malware uses spam emails and fake downloads to spread itself, and one of the two was the possible cause of the contamination. File-encrypting malware is believed to be a highly harmful malware since it encodes data, and demands that you pay to get them back. In some cases, malware researchers are able to develop a free decryption key or if you have backup, you could recover your files from there. But otherwise, there is a high chance you will lose your files. Paying the ransom won’t necessarily lead to data decoding so take that into consideration if you are leaning towards paying. There are a lot of of cases when file-encoding malware makers just take the money and leave files encrypted. Instead of complying with the requests, you should abolish Petya virus from your OS.

Download Removal Toolto remove Petya virus

How does the ransomware affect the computer

File-encoding malware does not need complicated spread ways, and infection for the most part happens via spam email. Adjoining an infected file to an email and sending it to many users is all that has to be done by malware developers in order to infect. The file-encrypting malware will be able to download onto the PC the moment the email attachment is opened. If you open all emails and attachments you receive, you might be jeopardizing your system. Learn how to differentiate between secure and infection-bearing emails, look for grammar errors and Dear Customer, used instead of your name. You being urged by the sender to open the attachment is a huge red flag. If you see every email attachment you receive as likely malware, it could take time to make sure they are secure, but at least you would bypass severe infections. Downloading from not reliable pages could also lead to file-encoding malware. You should only download from dependable pages if you want to avoid file-encrypting malicious software.

As would most ransomware do, this one will encode your files as soon as it infects your computer. The file-encrypting malicious software will target your most important files, such as images, videos and documents, so that you’re more prone to pay. After encoding, you ought to be able to find a ransom note, if it doesn’t open on its own, it should be located in all folders that contain the encrypted data. The note will state that payments is required in order to recover your data. However, you are doing business with criminals, don’t forget that. Thus, giving into the demands can not cause the desired outcomes. You getting the decryption application for which you have to pay, may not be the outcome of this whole situation. There is some likelihood that by giving into their demands you will end up losing your money and not getting back your data. Situations such as this are why having backup is such a crucial thing, you would not need to worry about losing your data, you might simply eliminate Petya virus. If you do not have backup, it would be smarter to purchase dependable backup after you uninstall Petya virus.

How to delete Petya virus

You are cautioned that the only safe method to remove Petya virus is by using professional malware removal software. Manual Petya virus termination is very hard and if you do not know what you are doing, you could end up harming your operating system further. It ought to be mentioned that if you uninstall Petya virus, the security utility will not be able to restore your files

Download Removal Toolto remove Petya virus

Learn how to remove Petya virus from your computer

• Step 1. Remove Petya virus using Safe Mode with Networking.
• Step 2. Remove Petya virus using System Restore
• Step 3. Recover your data

Step 1. Remove Petya virus using Safe Mode with Networking.

• a) Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking.
• b) Step 2. Remove Petya virus.

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 Petya virus.

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 Petya virus 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.