Pop-ups you didn’t ask for, a browser homepage that keeps changing, a computer that has suddenly slowed to a crawl, or a warning telling you to ring a number to “fix” it. These are the usual signs of a virus or malware infection.

Signs your computer may be infected

• Pop-up ads, or new toolbars and extensions you didn’t install
• Your search engine or homepage changes on its own
• The computer is suddenly much slower, or the fan runs flat out when you’re not doing anything
• Friends get strange emails or messages from your accounts
• A full-screen warning says your computer is locked and gives a phone number to call

If you see that last one, don’t ring the number and don’t let anyone connect to your computer. Genuine companies don’t contact you that way. Give me a call instead and we’ll sort it out together.

How I clean it up

I come to you and remove the viruses, malware and spyware, then check the computer is running properly again. Cleaning it out is only half the job, so I also set it up to be protected so it doesn’t happen again.

The tool I recommend: Malwarebytes

I always recommend Malwarebytes. It’s a fantastic tool. You’ll find it, along with the other software I recommend to my clients, on my resources page.

Windows PCs and Macs

Macs get malware too, just less often. I work on both Windows PCs and Macs.

How it works

I charge an hourly rate with a one hour minimum, and there’s no call-out fee. I cover Robina and the surrounding southern Gold Coast suburbs, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and can usually get to you the same or next day, or within a few days depending on the week. If something doesn’t look right, don’t sit and worry about it. Send me a text on 0403 261 661 and tell me what you’re seeing. I’m usually out on a job, so a text is the quickest way to reach me, and I’m always happy to have a chat.