Malware
I am 100% sure I found some malware on my PC, titled AIApplication that uses 90% of my CPU. It is left over from when I had a malware attack last year, but its all good, except for this piece. I've tried to just delete it, but it will open a "Uninstall" window that I know will not work. How to fix it?
7 Replies
AIApplication is def malwareโdonโt run the uninstall, it might be a decoy. Boot into Safe Mode, kill the process in Task Manager, then delete the folder manually. Follow up with Malwarebytes and Autoruns to wipe any startup or registry trash it left behind.
How do I boot into safe mode?
Also, it seems to be a pretty new virus. Defender, Malwarebytes, etc didn't pick up on it. I also went through VirusTotal, and there was only like 1 major anti-virus that detected it
To boot into Safe Mode on Windows, restart your computer and repeatedly press F8 (or Shift + F8 on some systems) before the Windows logo appears. On Windows 10 or 11, hold Shift while clicking Restart, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, and select Safe Mode from the list. Once selected, your computer will restart into Safe Mode with minimal drivers and services.
is it possible it resists safe mode?
or is it practically guranteed to disable it for the moment
it can that is why i would follow up with malwarebytes and autoruns
malwarebytes probably isn't necessary. windows deefnder can probably take care of it once you've gotten it out of your system
i mean it doesn't really hurt if you already have it iguess but don't feel too bad if you don't
it's techinically possible but there's really no reason it would
like you might've downloaded a really really hardened virus but i doubt it
if it resists safemode, then your only real option is wipe your hard drive and reinstall windows
On top of what smartest said, reinstall Windows if you need to. Make sure to backup important files to OneDrive or Google Drive or somewhere else. Then go to any power menu, press the power button (in Windows) and then press and hold shift before you click restart. Then after the system restarts, you should be in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) Partition. Go to advanced options > Reset this Pc and MAKE SURE TO DO A CLOUD REINSTALL AND DELETE EVERYTHING/FULLY CLEAN THE DRIVE. This is so that any malicious software is no longer on your hard drive and you can be sure that your new Windows Installation is safe. Or if you have a USB, search "Windows <10/11> ISO download" and download the installation assistant. Then make sure there is nothing on the USB and it's 8+ Gigabytes in size, and run the assistant, make sure to select USB, not ISO, and the installer should download Windows <10/11> and create the installation media. Enter BIOS settings by restarting your pc and spamming some function key or esc (look up your motherboard and find out what key it is to access the BIOS) and make sure USB is above Windows or OS Boot Manager. Then install from USB.