Virus and malware removal
We remove what's on the machine, check it again after a restart, and secure the accounts it had access to. Popups telling you to call Microsoft, a browser that opens to a search page you never chose, files renamed with a note demanding payment. Tell us which, and whether you let anyone connect.
The usual signs
- Full-screen popups with a phone number, telling you to call Microsoft or Apple support. Nobody legitimate does this
- Your browser opens to a different search engine, and changing it back doesn't stick
- New toolbars, extensions or programs you didn't install
- Ads on sites that never had ads
- The machine got slow and loud around the same time everything else started
- Your files have been renamed and there's a note demanding payment
If you called a number on a popup and let someone connect to your machine, tell us that first. It changes what we check and how urgent the account work is.
Removal and verification
A scanner reporting clean is not the same as the machine being clean. We check for unwanted software and changes to the system, remove what we find, restart and check again, then explain the likely cause so it is less likely to happen twice.
Most of this is done remotely, so nothing has to be unplugged or carried anywhere. Remote sessions use the same support tool we use for the offices we look after, and you watch the screen the whole time.
Ransomware and reinstalls
Once something has had administrator access to a computer, there is a point where cleaning stops being provable. If we can't say the machine is trustworthy, we recommend wiping it and reinstalling, with your files carried across and checked on the way. That is slower, and it is the right answer.
Encrypted files are a separate problem. We check for usable backups and help you get back to a clean system. We can't decrypt the files, and some cases need a specialist. See backup and file recovery.
Your accounts afterwards
Whoever had the machine may still have your email, and email unlocks the rest, so we change that password first from a clean device and check for forwarding rules someone added. If money moved or card details were entered, call your bank before you call us.
Pricing
A diagnostic first, then a written quote for the fix. Nothing starts until you approve it. Rates are on the pricing page.
If a wipe and reinstall is the right call, the quote includes the file transfer. If there is a hardware fault under the mess, see computer and laptop repair.
Next step
Stop using the machine for email and banking, then call +1 (573) 691-8012 and ask for Calum.