I'm pretty sure my laptop has a virus or malware, but my current antivirus, Malwarebytes (latest version), isn't detecting it. I've never faced this issue before, and this seems like a particularly nasty bug that managed to slip through. I've noticed a few alarming signs:
- The command prompt flashes every time I start my laptop.
- My default browser keeps reverting to Yahoo!.
- There are random programs that I didn't install, which reappear along with unexplained files.
- The laptop performance has significantly slowed down, and it freezes randomly.
I've tried changing my browser back and uninstalling programs and files that I didn't download, but some won't let me delete them because they are running in the background. My main question is: is it a good idea to do a factory reset to eliminate this malware? I apologize if I'm not using the right terms or if this seems silly; I'm not very tech-savvy!
4 Answers
You've got a couple of options here. You can either wipe the drive and reinstall Windows, which is the easiest and quickest fix, or you can spend a lot of time trying to track down and remove the malware but still be unsure if it's fully gone. I'd recommend wiping it if you have your important files backed up!
Interesting... do you happen to have McAfee installed? If yes, it might be altering your search engine to Yahoo! as part of its Safe Search feature. I’d suggest switching to Windows Defender, which is free and lighter on resources, plus it has comparable virus definitions. Also, what's the name of that random app you can't uninstall?
Before doing a factory reset, check your startup apps in the task manager and disable anything suspicious. Also, look at the Task Scheduler and disable anything that seems off. After that, run a full scan with Malwarebytes again.
You might want to try a more powerful antivirus like ESET Free. It could help identify and remove any stubborn malware that Malwarebytes isn’t catching.
Thanks for the suggestion! I think I’ll go with wiping it. I backed up all my important files to an external hard drive, so that should be safe. I've already spent a lot of time searching through everything, and like you said, I'll never really know if it’s fully removed.