I returned from a trip and turned on my PC for the first time in several weeks. The cursor shows the spinning indicator, almost nothing loads, and I can barely click anything. It worked somewhat earlier after I got home, although it behaved strangely, but after being powered off and started again later, it became nearly unusable. I also disabled my VPN's kill switch, but that didn't help. Could this be malware, or is something else causing the slowdown?
2 Answers
This doesn’t automatically mean you have a virus. After sitting unused, Windows may be busy installing updates, running startup tasks, or indexing files. Give it several minutes, then open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and check whether the CPU, memory, or disk is stuck near 100%. A failing storage drive can also cause severe freezing, especially if disk usage stays maxed out.
Try a proper restart and let the computer sit for a while without repeatedly powering it off. If it remains frozen, hold the power button only as a last resort, then start Windows in Safe Mode. From there, disconnect from the internet if you’re worried about malware, run a full scan with Windows Security, and check the drive’s health. Also disable unnecessary startup programs once the system becomes responsive.
I only waited briefly before restarting it, and it was still slow afterward. I managed to turn off my VPN, but nothing loaded and I still couldn’t click normally.
I didn’t mention it at first because I was panicking, but it worked earlier after I got home, though it was acting a little strange. After being off for about two hours, it became this slow again.