Removing Viruses From Your Computer — The Complete Guide, and When It Is NOT a Virus

At the shop, after “it won’t turn on,” the most common complaint is “I have a virus, I can’t get any work done.” In 60% of cases it isn’t a virus — it’s adware, a browser hijacker, or simply a full cache. Let’s look at how to tell the difference and what to do.

What real viruses actually are in 2026

A “virus” in the classic sense (like Conficker from 2008) barely exists anymore. What people call viruses today are:

• Ransomware — encrypts your files and demands money (the most dangerous; you lose everything)
• Trojans — steal passwords out of your browser (the most common)
• Cryptominers — use your processor to mine cryptocurrency (CPU at 100%)
• Adware — pushes ads everywhere (least dangerous, most annoying)
• Browser hijackers — change your homepage and search engine

5 signs it really IS a virus

1. The CPU is at 100% while you’re doing nothing — check it through Ctrl+Shift+Esc → Performance. If Chrome is closed and the CPU is at 80%, something is mining.
2. Your files have been renamed to .encrypted or similar — that’s ransomware. Turn the computer off IMMEDIATELY and don’t turn it back on until you bring it to us.
3. The browser keeps opening a new tab full of ads — adware/hijacker.
4. The antivirus shut itself off and won’t turn back on — that’s real malware (legitimate AV doesn’t shut itself down).
5. Your bank sends an SMS that someone checked your balance — a keylogger stole your password.

When it is NOT a virus (even though it looks like one)

At the shop we regularly recognize these causes that people mistake for viruses:

• Chrome has 200 extensions — it slows everything down and makes it look like the system is infected
• Windows Update running in the background — disk at 100%, everything stutters, but that’s normal (an hour or two)
• The graphics driver stops responding — random restarts, blue screen. Not a virus, it’s the driver.
• The SSD is about to fail — the system is extremely slow, files go missing. SSD guide.
• Faulty RAM — random crashes across every app, BSOD. Not a virus, a physical fault.

What to try YOURSELF (for free)

Before coming into the shop, try this:

1. Run Malwarebytes (free, malwarebytes.com) — full scan
2. Open Chrome → chrome://extensions → remove anything you don’t recognize
3. Windows → Apps → uninstall every “PC Optimizer,” “Cleaner,” and “Speed Up” — 90% of those are junk pretending to be a virus
4. Restart into Safe Mode (Shift + Restart in Windows) and try again

When to bring it to us

If, after all this, Malwarebytes still shows more than 5 items, or the system keeps stalling, bring it in:

• Antivirus scan + cleanup — 3.500 RSD
• Windows reinstall (when the system is completely infected) — 3.500 RSD + drivers
• File recovery after ransomware — 6.000 RSD (if possible)

From experience: we resolve 80% of cases without a reinstall — just Malwarebytes + AdwCleaner + manual registry cleanup. A reinstall is the last resort because you lose everything.

Send us your device by courier, and we return it by courier the same day or the next. Diagnostics without disassembly are free.

If you can’t fix it yourself: we handle virus and malware removal, and for stubborn infections the cleanest solution is often a Windows reinstall.