Malware or Corrupted Files?

Thread Starter

fdugrad

Joined Aug 30, 2010
23
Dear community,
I have a Dell laptop PC with Windows Vista Business O.S. Problems started when I wanted to try a different browser, so I downloaded and installed an older version of Opera from Filehippo. As soon as I tried Opera, I was bombarded with a few video advertisements running simultaneously. I heard my PC's internal fan running at high speed and eventually, my PC shut down, presumably from overheating. After it cooled, I restarted it and removed Opera and any folders it left behind.
Now, when I use my PC and go to the internet with any of my other browsers, the fan goes into high speed mode. I'm concerned about overheating and power consumption.
Did Opera leave some malware in my PC, or did one my files or drivers get corrupted? Is there a simple way I can diagnose and fix the problem?
I scanned my PC for viruses using Avast free anti-virus software, but the scans turned out negative. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.
 

sagor

Joined Mar 10, 2019
903
Run a malware scanner like Malwarebytes. Malware and viruses, though they overlap somewhat, are two totally different things.
You can also try another AV product, look for "Rescue Disk" from some of the other AV vendors. You can burn those to a CD or USB stick, boot it, and do a scan without Windows actually running (and thus cannot interfere with the scan)
 

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,200
Did you have the laptop on your lap/cushion choking its undervents ?
Disable networking, unplug ethernet, and confirm if symptom persists.
Chances are the trouble was injected by the software provider. Try removing Opera and reloading from its true repository, not from a trafficker. Run some malware killer as said above. Pray. :(
 
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