Signs you've got something
- Pop-ups and adverts appearing outside the browser, or on the desktop
- Your browser opening on a search page you didn't choose, or redirecting your searches
- The machine suddenly running hot, loud, or far slower than it did last month
- Programs you don't recognise starting with Windows
- Antivirus disabled, and refusing to turn back on
- Warnings demanding you phone a "support" number, always a scam, never call it
- Files renamed and unopenable, with a note demanding payment: that's ransomware, act fast
What we actually do
Running a scanner is the easy part, and it's where a lot of "virus removal" stops. The problem is that modern infections leave things behind: scheduled tasks, browser extensions, modified network settings, and startup entries that quietly reinstall the payload a week later.
We go through those too. The machine gets checked properly, the damage the infection did along the way gets repaired, and antivirus gets set up so the same thing doesn't immediately happen again. From $80.
When a clean-out isn't enough
Occasionally a machine is far enough gone that cleaning it is the wrong call: too deeply compromised, or Windows itself is too damaged to trust. In that case we reload the operating system: a genuinely fresh install, updated, configured, and set up properly rather than left in whatever state the installer leaves behind.
Either way, we can back your files up first. Documents, photos, the digital library you've spent years assembling. That comes off before anything gets wiped. Just tell us it matters.
If you think you've got ransomware
Ransomware is a different situation and speed matters.
- Disconnect it from the network immediately: unplug the ethernet cable, turn off the Wi-Fi. It spreads.
- Don't pay. Paying funds the operation and frequently doesn't get your files back.
- Don't delete the encrypted files. They occasionally become recoverable later.
- If it's a business machine on a shared network, treat every other machine as suspect until checked.
Call us and we'll talk through what you're looking at. If files are already gone, data recovery is sometimes an option.
Stopping it happening again
Most infections we see arrived one of three ways: a fake download button, a convincing email attachment, or software from an unofficial "free" download site. Keeping Windows updated, running proper antivirus, and being suspicious of urgency in emails removes most of the risk.
For businesses, that's exactly what managed IT covers: monitoring, patching and security handled continuously rather than after something has already gone wrong.
Virus & Malware Removal, answered plainly.
How much does virus removal cost?
Will I lose my files?
I got a pop-up telling me to call Microsoft. Is it real?
Can you do this remotely?
Do I need to buy antivirus?
Is virus removal covered by a warranty?
Where that gets qualified: some machines are far enough gone that a clean-up won't hold and the honest answer is a full reload. If we tell you that and you'd rather have the clean-up anyway, we'll do it, but a reinfection isn't covered. You'll know which situation you're in before you decide.
A VIRUS REMOVAL CUSTOMER
“Brad was terrific. I had a virus on my personal computer, and he was fast, professional, and very knowledgeable. He sorted it out for me over a weekend, at a very reasonable price. Highly recommend.”
SAM BRADFORD · GOOGLE REVIEW · A YEAR AGO
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