The Official Malware/Antivirus Thread - Need help or general advice? Read this first!

[Bearcat]

So, this post is almost 7 years old, and beyond this thread, I don't know how much demand there is for this type of stuff around here. If someone wants to take over the OP, feel free to post updates or redo the entire thing (a few links don't even work any longer) and I'll edit mine... or start your own thread and dive into the brave new world of Windows 8/10 and ransomware, etc; and I'll unsticky this one and sticky your thread.