Hey everyone! I recently took my PC to a local shop to upgrade to a new GPU, clean the components, reapply thermal paste, and reinstall Windows (went from Windows 10 to Windows 11). It's my first time doing this, and now I'm feeling a bit paranoid about whether the technician might have done something shady while it was there. Once I get my PC back, what steps can I take to make sure it's free of malware, trojans, or any remote access tools? Would performing a factory reset help, or is there a better approach? Thanks for the advice!
2 Answers
Honestly, you can't be completely sure unless you do a clean wipe of your PC. I wouldn't recommend just a factory reset, as it doesn't fully clear everything out. Instead, wipe your drive and do a fresh install of Windows. Since the technician formatted it, you might as well take this chance to set it up from scratch yourself, ensuring there’s nothing unwanted left behind.
Using Windows Defender is a good starting point. It's built into Windows, and it'll do a basic job at scanning for malware and threats. Just keep it updated and run a full scan after you get your PC back.
I’m not very tech-savvy; is there a guide for how to perform a clean install? I thought a factory reset would clear everything!