Malware Removal Procedure

When a device is suspected to be infected with malware (symptoms: unexplained pop-ups, slow performance, antivirus disabled, unknown processes, ransomware messages), act quickly to limit spread and damage. Immediate steps: disconnect the device from the network (unplug ethernet, disable Wi-Fi) to prevent the malware from spreading or exfiltrating data. Do not turn the computer off unless ransomware is actively encrypting — in that case, powering off may save some files. Note the symptoms and any error messages for later analysis. Remediation: boot into Safe Mode to prevent most malware from running. Run a full scan with Windows Defender and a secondary scanner (Malwarebytes free) — using two tools catches what one may miss. For persistent infections, use an offline scanner: download the Microsoft Safety Scanner or Kaspersky Rescue Disk, boot from USB, and scan outside the Windows environment. After cleaning, change all passwords that may have been compromised from a clean device. Consider a full reinstall for severe infections — it's the only way to guarantee clean state.