Hey everyone, I'm feeling a bit scared because I think I might have a virus on my PC. My computer hasn't been going to sleep like it usually does, so I run a command (`powercfg /requests`) and noticed some strange activity related to a process: `DeviceHarddiskVolume4WindowsSystem32wsvczu351188.exe`. There's also a folder called `wsvcz` in System32 that contains this .exe file and some other .dat files, but the exe doesn't have a digital signature, which seems really suspicious.
To make things worse, I discovered that my entire System32 folder and some drives were excluded from Windows Defender scans without my knowledge. I tried removing those exclusions and even ran a Microsoft Defender offline scan, but they keep coming back.
I'm really freaking out—does this mean I have malware? What's the best way to get rid of it? Do I need to wipe my entire PC?
6 Answers
Just formatting C: is an option if you feel that something’s really off. If you can’t find info about that process on Google, it’s probably not something you want to keep. Remember, sometimes virus programs don't effectively eliminate malware. It might be easier to wipe everything and start fresh.
That `wsvcz` folder definitely sounds sketchy to me! You might want to double-check what processes are running. If you think you have malware, it’s better to be safe and wipe the system clean.
I would download Malwarebytes and run it because relying on Windows Defender isn't always enough. Lots of users have found success with it.
Malwarebytes is a good tool for finding stuff that other antivirus programs might miss. I’d recommend giving it a shot. If you really want to feel safe, wiping your PC and reinstalling Windows is the best way to ensure everything is clean.
If you're super worried, grab a USB drive and install a clean copy of Windows on it. There are plenty of guides online that can help you through it.
1. Upload the suspicious file to virustotal.com to see if it flags anything. 2. Run Malwarebytes, the free version is fine for a scan. 3. Definitely, make sure System32 isn’t excluded from scans. If things seem really bad, you might want to consider wiping and reinstalling Windows from a USB drive you made on another computer.
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