Could a Virus Persist After Reinstalling Windows?
Asked by
CuriousGiraffe92
I recently reinstalled Windows after getting what seemed to be a Trojan infection. I used Malwarebytes to clean it up, but I've noticed some unusual activity, like a Powershell window flashing every few minutes and a notification about a blocked connection due to an IP address being compromised. Strangely, I received a malware notification on my phone's Google app after this reinstall, which has me concerned since I don't even have Malwarebytes on my PC anymore. I also linked OneDrive between my computer and phone, so I'm worried there might still be a virus lingering somehow. Is it possible for malware to remain after a fresh install?
Answers
Did someone really tell you your system had a 'Trojan multiverse portal'? Sounds a bit out there! But seriously, make sure to stay on top of your security. Always run up-to-date antivirus scans, and don’t forget about software updates—they're crucial for security!
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Just curious—did you do a clean install or a factory reset? That can make a difference. If you see anything strange, I'd suggest running Windows Defender and scanning with other tools like Hitman Pro and Malwarebytes again, but this time with rootkit scanning enabled.
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If you completely wiped your drive before reinstalling Windows, you should be mostly safe from any lingering malware. The only real risk is if there's a rare BIOS rootkit, but that's extremely unlikely. Also, malware can't spread just because a file is on OneDrive; you need to execute it first to get infected. If you think there's still a problem, you could just delete any suspicious files from OneDrive.
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CuriousGiraffe92: Yeah, it definitely sounded sketchy to me! I've been running scans regularly, so I hope I’m good, but it’s just concerning how something like this can happen.