I've been having major issues with my PC, and I'm pretty sure it's infected with malware. It's running way slower than usual, and Task Manager shows between 10 to 25 instances of my browser open, even though I've only got a few tabs up. Other applications I use like Discord, NZXT, Corsair ICUE, Steam, and Nvidia are also showing strange behavior. My idle memory usage is around 50%, and sometimes my CPU usage spikes unexpectedly.
I've already run multiple scans using Windows Defender, Malwarebytes, ESET, and HitmanPro, but none of these have worked. I suspect this might have started after visiting a free streaming site like 123Movies while searching for a show to watch. I'm reluctant to wipe my PC completely, as I'd rather not deal with reinstalling all my games at my painfully slow 2MB/s download speed. Any advice on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Honestly, if you’ve scanned multiple times with reliable software and nothing has popped up, you might not have malware at all. Have you considered other potential causes for the slowdown? Tell us your PC specs, like RAM and CPU, that could help narrow it down.
Make sure your scans are comprehensive. Look for rootkits specifically. You could use Autoruns for a deeper inspection. Also, AdwCleaner is pretty good for cleaning up unwanted software. Don't forget to reset your browser settings after removing any extensions!
It’s worth checking for any other performance issues too. When checking Task Manager, look at what processes are using up your resources. If multiple antivirus programs are saying you’re clean, you might need to consider if it's hardware or software setup that's causing the problem.
It sounds like you might have more processes running than just malware. Sometimes, browser extensions can create extra instances without indicating an infection. Check your extensions and remove any that look suspicious or unused.
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