I am afraid to boot my computer

[ih8mcnames]

Okay, I'm kinda afraid to boot ny computer, since I might have ran a virus inside a game as a jar file. After I *possibly* got infected around 2-3 minutes passed and some of my fans started making strange noice. Like it was gonna explode. And my shutdown took forever (maybe it's because I ran win defender full scan and then malwarebytes, but I shutted my comp down when it's started making that noice again) I just wanna know am I safe to boot?

 

[zyh1987]

i'm a bit paranoid, but my safest suggestion is to do the following.
1. get a new drive and new os.
2. physically destroy your old drive to prevent leak of personal data.

if you want to take 1 step further, you could flash your mobo bios before connecting the new drive. as that should wipe clean everything,

not sure the capability of the virus, but it could be very serious.

 

[Ralston18]

Just be sure that you do not connect your computer to your home network or connect any other devices to the computer.

Run some other anti-virus software. May find something that Windows Defender and Malwarebytes missed.

Delete the game that you downloaded. The problem could just be a coding error (some loop) versus a virus.

Open the case and determine which fan is being noisy.

How old is the computer? May just need new thermal paste....

 

[ih8mcnames]

My computer is about 9 months old rn, but do you think that reseting windows is okay?

 

[Ralston18]

"reseting"?

I think you may mean "reinstall" Windows and yes that would probably be okay.

However, reinstalling Windows will delete all data and settings. Be sure you have a couple of backups somewhere and have verified that the backups are readable.

That said, a reinstall may not solve the problem as we do not really know what the problem is.

Have you looked inside the case to determine which fan is being noisy? Could just be a bit of paper stuck in the blades.

Reseat all the cards, chips, plugs etc. Something may be loose and vibrating.

Windows 10? Run the built in troubleshooters.

The objective is to identify the problem. If you are uncomfortable opening the case then find a knowledgeable family member or friend who can help.

Reinstalling Windows is a lot of effort and may be moot if the problem is not software related.

 

[ih8mcnames]

Yeah, I was thinking that maybe I could blow out some air from the fans. I have no idea why, but afraid to boot my comp.

 

[Ralston18]

It is quite common to use canned, compressed air to blow air and dust out of computers.

If not correctly done, you can damage the fans.

And you certainly should not do any such cleaning with the computer running (booted) or even plugged in.

Follow the instructions on the can very carefully. Go online and watch some "how to" videos.

Your concern about booting is reasonable as you have no idea what may happen. The solution is to continue to investigate, to read, and to eliminate possible causes.

Checking inside the case for loose connections, screws, etc., or cleaning will be a good start.

Overall, get someone knowledgeable to help if you are not comfortable doing so yourself.

 

[mdd1963]

If it's infected, it's infected, delaying the inevitable is not going to help.

Probably mining Etherium, Monero, or Bitcoin for someone

If it's prebuilt, and you are able to restore to factory defaults (which means redownloading 8 months worth of WIndows updates again...), then do it...

And accept no game patches from anyone/anywhere except from the game's 'in game' updaters/website. etc...; never from 'some server'