My dad, who's 63 and not super tech-savvy, borrowed my mom's laptop to watch some sports on a sketchy website. Unfortunately, that led to a file called Operagxsetup.exe being downloaded. I immediately deleted it, but I'm not sure if that stopped it from running or if it already executed without me knowing. We've run some antivirus scans and shut the computer down, but we're thinking about going to a local computer repair shop. Should we be worried? Do we need to factory reset the laptop? Should we change all our passwords using another device? I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now.
5 Answers
Since you deleted the app, assuming you emptied the recycle bin, you're likely alright. No need for a factory reset just yet. Just keep an eye on things and monitor for anything unusual.
If you're super concerned, doing a wipe and reinstall might be the best way to guarantee everything is clean. It’s a good opportunity to learn about backups – that way you can avoid losing data next time this happens!
Yikes, that sounds complicated. I’m really worried about losing everything!
Just to clarify, OperaGX is generally safe if downloaded from the official site. However, since it downloaded from a sketchy sports site, caution is warranted. You didn’t run it, so your system should be okay for now.
Yeah, but the fact that it downloaded itself from a sketchy place is still worrying.
Consider doing a system restore to a point before the download. Operating on the principle that Operagxsetup.exe is just a browser, if it came from a sketchy place, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
But it came from a really sketchy site, so how can we be sure it's safe?
If you didn't actually run the program, it likely hasn't caused any damage. Just deleting it before it was opened is generally a good move. Running antivirus scans was smart too, so you probably don’t need to panic!
How can I tell if the program was ever run? I've got a lot on my mind right now.
Are you really sure about that? I worry about this program making copies or running without me knowing.