Petya.a Virus Removal (+File Recovery)

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Welcome to our Petya.a Virus removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC for free.

Petya.a Virus is a recently discovered Ransomware threat, which seems to be taking the internet by storm. If you landed on this page because your files have been encrypted by its nasty algorithm, then our “How to remove” team will do its best to help you deal with this infection. What we can suggest you first, is to familiarize yourself with the way the Ransomware works. There is some basic information on that in the next lines. Then, if you are looking for ways to remove Petya.a Virus, we would advise you to carefully proceed to the steps in the removal guide below. The guide contains two sections – a virus removal part and a file restoration part. Ideally, with the help of the instructions, you will be able to get rid of the Ransomware. The restoration of your files, however, is a bit trickier and may require some additional assistance. We hope that you find the alternative free solution helpful, but bear in mind that most of the time, a complete recovery from the Ransomware attack may not be possible.

How can Petya.a Virus cause you harm?

Petya.a Virus is a specially created Ransomware cryptovirus, the sole aim of which is to serve to its criminal developers and bring them money. It does that by secretly encrypting the users’ personal files and keeping them hostage until a good amount of money is paid in ransom. Just to ensure that there is no way for the victim to access its data, Petya.a Virus may also change the file extension of the affected files and this way prevent any program from recognizing or opening them. The infection is very stealthy and usually remains hidden inside the computer until it completes its malicious encryption. When the process is over and all the files are locked, the Ransomware drops ransom note and informs the user what has happened. The ransom note contains a ransom demanding message from the hackers and may come in many different formats such as direct on screen pop up, voice message, or some other disturbing notification such as:

• Petya.a Virus.html – can be found in any folder containing encrypted data.
• Petya.a Virus.bmp – the virus fixes this as a desktop wallpaper.
• Petya.a Virus.txt – can be found in any folder containing encrypted data.

How does Ransomware infect its victims and what can you do to prevent the contamination?

If we have to be honest, there is not a single place on the web where the Ransomware cannot hide. Such advanced infections can use Trojans or other malicious transmitters to get inside the users’ systems. Catching the cryptovirus is very easy – only one careless click on a pop-up ad, a misleading link or infected web page can deliver it inside your system. That’s why what matters most is how you browse the web and how you protect your system. Here are some good tips on that:

• Protect your computer with an anti-malware tool that has a real-time protection feature and run regular scans with it.
• Do not go to unfamiliar web pages, sketchy sites and avoid interacting with aggressive pop-up ads, too-good-to-be-true offers, or some shady installers, emails and attachments. A careless click can put the malware on your system in a second.
• When downloading a file type on your computer, save it, do not run it. This will give your antivirus enough time to scan the file and see if it is malicious.
• Keep all your software up to the latest version and ensure you regularly get all the security patches to your OS.
• Do not open suspicious emails sent to you by unknown individuals or companies. Whether the plug-in says it’s a CV, an overdraft or an invoice – do not open it before you run a scan.

How to remove Petya.a Virus and get back some of your data without paying the ransom?

The removal procedure of the Ransomware and the subsequent file recovery are usually difficult for the normal web users and require specific steps to be taken. Our team, however, has done its best to provide you with a simplified step-by-step guide, which can help you remove the virus by yourself if you carefully follow its instructions. You will have to spend some time and strictly follow the steps given below in order to safely detect and eliminate it. Keep in mind, though, that the tutorial requires certain computer skills, so if you do not feel confident enough to do this all by yourself, you better make use of the specialized Petya.a Virus removal tool to get the help you need to remove this Ransomware.

Only after you are completely sure you have cleaned your system from the infection, should you proceed to the file restoration instructions. If they are not able to help you much, try to search for some copies of your files on your cloud or external drive storage. Submitting to the hackers and paying their ransom is the least advisable option. This act itself is a direct sponsorship to their criminal scheme and in no way will guarantee you the recovery of the encrypted files. Trusting the criminals may only make you lose your money while they happily disappear. After all, who have told you that you will really get a decryption key?

Petya.a Virus Removal

 Here is what you need to do in order to remove a Ransomware virus from you computer.

1. Insert the DVD (or the USB) into the computer, then run the computer and choose to boot the OS from the DVD/USB. You may have to change Windows boot priorities from the bios by pressing Del
2. When Windows boots from the DVD/USB select Windows Repair
3. Open the Command Prompt and write the following commands inside:     enter: bootrec / fixmbr, bootrec / fixboot and bootrec / rebuildbcd
4. Your Windows OS should now be able to boot normally. You can proceed with the removal of the virus as usual.

I – Reveal Hidden files and folders and utilize the task manager

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1. Use the Folder Options in order to reveal the hidden files and folders on your PC. If you do not know how to do that, follow this link.
2. Open the Start Menu and in the search field type Task Manager.
   
3. Open the first result and in the Processes tab, carefully look through the list of Processes.
4. If you notice with the virus name or any other suspicious-looking or that seems to consume large amounts of memory, right-click on it and open its file location. Delete everything in there.
   

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• Make sure that the hidden files and folders on your PC are visible, else you might not be able to see everything.

5. Go back to the Task Manager and end the shady process.

II – Boot to Safe Mode

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode. If you do not know how to do it, use this guide/linked/.

III – Identify the threat

1. Go to the ID Ransomware website. Here is a direct link.
2. Follow there in order to identify the specific virus you are dealing with.

IV – Decrypt your files

1. Once you have identified the virus that has encrypted your files, you must acquire the respective tool to unlock your data.
2. Open your browser and search for how to decrypt ransomware, look for the name of the one that has infected your system.
3. With any luck, you’d be able to find a decryptor tool for your ransomware. If that doesn’t happen try Step V as a last ditch effort to save your files.

V – Use Recuva to restore files deleted by the virus

1. Download the Recuva tool. This will help you restore your original files so that you won’t need to actually decrypt the locked ones.
2. Once you’ve downloaded the program, open it and select Next.
   
3. Now choose the type of files you are seeking to restore and continue to the next page.
4. When asked where your files were, before they got deleted, either use the option In a specific location and provide that location or choose the opt for the I am not sure alternative – this will make the program look everywhere on your PC.
   
5. Click on Next and for best results, enable the Deep Scan option (note that this might take some time).
   
6. Wait for the search to finish and then select which of the listed files you want to restore.

• Keep in mind it is possible that not all files might be fully recovered. You can check in what condition the files are from the State column in the list of deleted files.