Great Discover is a computer virus that attackers are using to exploit the computer and transform it into a crypto-mining machine. For this reason, system resource usage may spike, which eventually degrades the overall performance of the computer. Great Discover virus is indeed a harmful application that computer users need to get rid of as soon as possible to avoid further infection.
How does the Great Discover virus infect the computer?
The major sources of the Great Discover virus infection are malicious applications that were downloaded from unsecured sources. One example is pirated applications from torrent sites and file-download portals. Aside from the main program itself, the Great Discover virus may be packed inside the serial key generator or cracking tool. Another cause of the infection is the installation of malicious freeware or shareware. This type of program is being used by hackers as the carrier of the Great Discover app to deploy it widely over the internet.
Web users are also susceptible to the Great Discover virus infection. Pop-up advertisements masquerading as software updates are another avenue for attackers to distribute the malicious code. Thus, it is important to download the software update only from official and legitimate sites. Ignore web pop-ups that offer the download and installation of Adobe, Google Chrome, or similar applications.
Installation of Great Discover virus
Once the unwanted program is installed on the computer, it is going to drop several malicious files, especially in the System folder of Windows. The Great Discover virus attempts to manipulate the computer by disabling security apps like anti-virus and firewall.
Great Discover can conceal its presence by embedding its code in legitimate system processes and running instantaneously during Windows boot-up. As such, it will make it difficult for average computer users to eliminate the threat. To effectively remove the Great Discover virus, it is best to perform the procedures while Windows is running in Safe Mode. For a complete guide and removal tools, please see the next segment.
Great Discover Removal Procedure
Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of unwanted programs on compromised Windows computers. Aside from removing the unwanted application, this guide is also helpful for deleting associated adware and malware. In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process in an exact manner.
Instant Removal : Scan the computer with antivirus program
Combo Cleaner is a trusted computer security and optimization tool equipped with a powerful virus and malware detection engine. This program can get rid of unwanted program Great Discover and similar threats, whether it has infected PC, Mac, Android, or iOS.
1. Download the application from the following page:
2. Save the file to your preferred location.
3. Double-click the downloaded file CCSetup.exe and install with the default settings.
4. At the end of the setup process, click Finish to run Combo Cleaner.
5. The tool will update the database file; please wait for this process to complete.
6. To begin checking for threats like Great Discover, click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.
7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete Great Discover, including all harmful objects from the computer.
To fully optimize the features of antivirus and privacy scanners, users may have to upgrade to the premium version.
Please continue with the succeeding removal procedures if you are comfortable manually getting rid of the unwanted program and malicious items linked to it.
Manual Removal : Steps to get rid of Great Discover
The steps below will guide you to manually remove Great Discover without having to purchase a recommended virus scanner. We have tested the procedures; hence, the attackers may make modifications overtime. As a result, terms, names, and images in the guide may differ from what users are seeing recently.
The procedure may require you to close the browser or restart the computer; therefore, we are suggesting to Bookmark or Print this page. You must be logged in to Windows with an Administrator account to be able to execute some of the tasks. Check here to know if you are currently using an account with Admin rights.Step 1 : Restart Windows in Safe Mode with Networking
The method of running Windows in Safe Mode before deleting files, ending system processes, and virus scanning is effective in getting rid of Great Discover. This routine can prevent most viruses and malware from loading, making it easier to detect and remove them.
1. On the Windows Search bar, please type msconfig.
2. Select and open System Configutation on the list of found results.
3. Once you are in the System Configuration window, go to the Boot tab.
4. Under the Boot Options area, please check Safe Boot so that it starts in Safe Mode after restarting.
5. Next, select Network. This will allow Windows to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
6. Lastly, click on Apply and OK to save the changes.
7. Please restart Windows. The system should run in Safe Mode after the reboot.
Do not forget to restore the normal boot process of Windows after this process. Simply repeat the method above, and this time, uncheck the Safe Boot option to run Windows normally.Step 2 : Uninstall Great Discover from Windows
1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key + R. Type the appwiz.cpl command and click OK.
2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.
3. Select Great Discover or a recently installed suspicious entry from the list.
4. Click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system. You can close the Program and Features window once this procedure is done.
Step 3 : Delete Malicious Files and Folder
1. Open Windows File Explorer. You can use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + E.
2. On the top menu, click on View > Show > Hidden Items. This will expose all hidden files associated with Great Discover.
3. Now, go to the following directory or file location of the malware:
-
Keep in mind that Great Discover may use random folder names. So, if the example above is not present, you can look for any suspicious folder name. Arrange the contents of the "" folder chronologically by clicking on the Date Modified tab above to see the most recent added suspicious directory.
4. Select all the files in this suspicious directory and click Delete. You can also just delete the whole folder itself. Please close the File Explorer window after this task.
5. Next, on your Desktop, right-click on Recycle Bin and click on Empty Recycle Bin in the list.
6. Please restart Windows in Normal mode. Refer to Step 3 and just uncheck the Safe Boot option.
You can run a virus scan while in Safe Mode. It has been proven that most malware won't load when Windows is booted to Safe Mode, making it easier to remove them.Step 4 : Scan the computer with AdwCleaner
In this section, we will check the computer with AdwCleaner and reset vital sections of the browser program and network settings that may have been affected by the Great Discover infection.
1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.
2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer, especially browsers affected by Great Discover.
3. Browse the location of the downloaded file and double-click on adwcleaner.exe to start running the tool.
4. If Windows displays a prompt saying, "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" click Yes to proceed.
5. On the AdwCleaner dashboard, click on Settings.
6. While in the Settings window, please turn On the Reset Chrome Policies, Reset IE Policies, and Reset Winsock.
7. Go back to the Dashboard and click the Scan Now button.
8. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated with Great Discover.
9. Clean or Remove all suspicious and harmful items identified after the thorough scan.
10. AdwCleaner will then prompt an option to run another repair, which will reset Winsock and other settings. Please click the Run Basic Repair button.
11. A message will appear stating that "All processes will be closed..." Please click Continue.
12. After the cleanup procedure, rebooting the computer is required to finalize the removal of Great Discover as well as other detected threats.
System Compatibility Notice
We ensured that our method to get rid of Great Discover is compatible with the majority of Microsoft operating systems (Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11). To prevent complicated steps, the commands used in the instructions are common, useful, and tested. If you encounter any compatibility problems when following this tutorial, please message us or leave your comment below, and we will reply and make the required modifications.
Option : Use Bootable USB Virus Scanner to remove Great Discover
Another one effective way to remove notorious computer virus like Great Discover is to scan the system via the bootable USB drive. These steps will guide you to create a USB bootable virus scanner.
You will be needing a clean USB drive. Make sure there are no important files in it. Create the bootable USB drive on a separate clean/uninfected computer.
Creating Bootable USB Drive
1. Download Kaspersky Rescue Disk ISO file from this location. Please take note on the destination folder of your krd.iso file.
2. Download Rufus tool to create a bootable USB drive.
3. Attached the USB drive to a clean computer.
4. Double-click on the downloaded Rufus application to run the program.
5. On Rufus tool, select your USB drive under the Device section.
6. Then, click SELECT and navigate to the folder where you placed the Kaspersky Rescue Disk ISO file. Click on the krd.iso file.
7. Under Partition Scheme, select MBR. Target system must be BIOS or UEFI.
8. Next, under File System, please select FAT32.
9. Click START to begin.
10. Lastly, it will prompt for the write mode. Please select Write in ISO Image Mode and click OK.
Boot up the infected computer on USB Drive
1. Attached the bootable USB drive on the infected computer.
2. Turn On the computer and enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1, F2, F8, F10, or Esc, please refer you’re your device’s manual.
3. While in BIOS setup, use Mouse or arrow Up/Down on your keyboard and go to the Boot Sequence section.
4. Select the appropriate option to boot the computer in USB Drive. You can either disable other drives or assign the USB Drive as the first boot device.
5. Click Apply and then, Exit the BIOS. The computer should boot on the USB drive.
Scanning with Kaspersky Rescue Disk to remove Great Discover
1. Use the arrow Up/Down on your keyboard to select desired Language during start-up.
2. Select Kaspersky Rescue Disk Graphic Mode on the next window.
3. During initialization, KRD will prompt for License Agreement and Privacy Policy, please confirm and click Accept to proceed.
4. If it shows the message "Cloud detection and bases update will be unavailable" you need to connect the computer to the internet.
5. Click on the network icon on the taskbar (bottom right corner) to connect to the internet.
6. Finally, Kaspersky Rescue Disk is ready. Click on Start Scan to begin checking the computer and remove Great Discover.
7. After scanning, delete/remove all identified viruses, including Great Discover items.
8. After scanning and removal of Great Discover, click on Logo icon on the lower left bottom of the screen and select Leave.
9. Then, click on Shutdown to turn off the computer.
10. Detached the USB device from the computer.
11. Turn On the computer and go back to BIOS settings. Restore your previous configuration to start the computer normally.
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