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> **Possible Duplicate:**  
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> [What to do if my computer is infected by a virus or a malware?](https://superuser.com/questions/100360/what-to-do-if-my-computer-is-infected-by-a-virus-or-a-malware) 
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I'd like to know what tools and methods are used by the pros to remove malware in Windows. Is HijackThis enough? How do you manually identify the stuff that's deeply rooted into the OS? 

My dad's XP system is clearly infected with something, but the usual advice (multiple scanning tools in safe mode, live CDs, etc) just ain't cutting it. He refuses to format because he has work that needs to be done, and for now the malware hasn't done anything too obstructive.

I'm embarrassed to say that I recently completed a Computer Science degree at a top 10 CS school.