An employee reports that their PC is behaving erratically with frequent popup ads and programs starting automatically, which they suspect is due to malware. You decide to perform a malware scan. Before running your anti-malware software, which step is essential to improve the chances of detection and removal of the malware?
Reboot the system normally and proceed to scan immediately on startup.
Run a disk cleanup utility before scanning to remove any temporary files created by the malware.
Create a new user account with administrative privileges and run the scan from there.
Boot the system into safe mode and then run a complete system scan.
Booting the system into safe mode is the correct answer because it starts the system with a minimal set of drivers and services. Malware often relies on specific services to run, and by booting into safe mode, you may prevent the malware from loading, which allows the anti-malware software to detect and remove it more effectively. Rebooting the system normally or creating a new user account could allow the malware to actively resist removal efforts. Running a disk cleanup utility might assist in removing temporary files that could contain malware, but it does not directly impact the anti-malware software's ability to detect and remove active infections.
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What is safe mode and how does it help in malware scans?
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Why wouldn't rebooting the system normally help during a malware scan?
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What types of malware can be effectively removed by scanning in safe mode?