I've been having issues with my Asus laptop, and I'm worried it might have a virus. I mainly use it for school, light gaming, and watching videos, and it has worked perfectly up until recently. About a week ago, I noticed a strange problem: I can't open any files on my desktop or in File Manager – any click I make just sends them to the recycle bin instead. I've also seen my CPU usage drop significantly from around 70-80% to just 5-15%, which I heard could indicate mining malware. I tried running a virus scan with McAfee and Windows Defender, but neither found anything. Eventually, I factory reset the laptop using both the cloud and local options, but the problem persists. I'm really at my wits' end here and would appreciate any advice on how to fix this and get my $800 laptop back to normal.
3 Answers
I totally feel for you! I can only buy a USB stick when I go to town. Right now, I'm out in the mountains working, but it's on my list. Once I snag one, I plan to do a fresh start with Windows. In the meantime, focus on getting your important files backed up.
It sounds like a frustrating experience! The drop in CPU usage could just be that opening Task Manager temporarily spikes it, not necessarily a sign of malware. Did you install any questionable software recently while at school? If so, that could be the culprit. Also, when you factory reset, did you do a full reinstall of Windows?
McAfee isn't the best for malware detection. I'd recommend switching to Bitdefender or Malwarebytes for a thorough check. Another option is to reinstall Windows using a USB stick to ensure a clean slate. Make sure to back up your important files to another drive first, but avoid saving any executable files!
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