Looking For Advice On Computer Repair

[crookesjoe 10]

Hi all. My mum needs to get her laptop looked at, it is almost unusable due to constant pop ups when browsing the internet. 

 

Whenever she is on the internet (regardless of browser choice), in the bottom right corner ads keep coming up that block a portion of the page being viewed. There is no small x on the ads to remove them,  ao the inly way to move them is to click on it, then a new tab opens with the ad. That gives a small reprieve on the original page being viewed, but then a new ad will pop up in less then a minutes time.

 

I've run some virus scanning software (Avast I think), which didn't detect any problems. 

 

Can anyone give me advice on how to fix this? Will I need to take it to a professional?

 

Many thanks

Joe

[Ghozer 112]

Have you run Malware bytes, as well as the Virus checker?

And depends what browser, check for browser extensions, disable/remove any that look suspect..

Check for startup programs (apps and such running when windows starts, or user logs on)

as a last resort, back-up any files, settings and documents etc, and do a "Reset this PC" from within Windows, to do a 'fresh install'

[crookesjoe 10]

Thanks so much for the reply.

 

Forgive my ignorance, but are 'malware bytes' and 'virus checker' the names of specific software products?

[*Wallace* 333]

Yes Malware Bytes is just google it  it can solve a lot of problems,it may be worth doing a fresh install on her laptop.

Edited January 26, 2020 by *Wallace*

[zach 234]

1 hour ago, crookesjoe said:

Forgive my ignorance, but are 'malware bytes' and 'virus checker' the names of specific software products?

Malware isn't a virus but can be very annoying. Malwarebytes gives you 2 weeks (I think) of Pro access then switches to basic if you don't buy it. It does nag a bit after the 2 weeks but easy enough to turn off. Malwarebytes is a program name, get it here  

 

You do need to run both anti malware and anti virus software. Windows 10 has a decent built in anti virus, I don't use others so can't comment on how good they are. What operating system and web browser is she using?

 

 

[crookesjoe 10]

1 hour ago, *Wallace* said:

Yes Malware Bytes is just google it  it can solve a lot of problems,it may be worth doing a fresh install on her laptop.

Thanks, I'll try Malware Bytes first.  If that doesn't work I'll try the other suggestions you've all made. 

 

Thanks Wallace, Zach, and Ghozer, I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me out.

Edited January 26, 2020 by crookesjoe
Typo

[Arthur Ritus 30]

I like malware bytes but it will only deal with whats conventionally recognised as malware, some times what one person calls malware is another persons desirable program, or at least allowed advertising so there is a good chance it won't solve many of your problems.

 

A nice bit of free software is cc cleaner      https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/download   run the cleaner and registry fixer and go to the "tools"  then "startup", turn automatic startup off for everything you don't want to automatically start up (i turn everything off- easy to turn back on if missing it) also the same with "browser plugins" .

 

Also i use  sADBLOCK  with the crome browser to reduce the crapvertising we are constantly bombarded with (drop the first lowercase "s" i had to but it in as the forum blocks the real name)

 

The way of the modern world is its a constant battle to keep a pc in good working order, microsoft being bad enough and part of the problem.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Arthur Ritus

[swarfendor437 14]

ccleaner has to be used carefully as it can delete stuff that hasn't been looked at that you may want. I use Malwarebytes and SUPER-AntiSpyware - both can be installed from https://ninite.com.  To check for viruses without booting into Windows, download Comodo Rescue disk (free) - but it does need internet connection to get the latest updates. https://www.comodo.com/business-security/network-protection/rescue-disk.php

 

[Happ 25]

Using CCleaner is generally bad advice.

[Waldo 96]

2 hours ago, Happ said:

Using CCleaner is generally bad advice.

Why so Happ?

[Happ 25]

10 minutes ago, Waldo said:

Why so Happ?

Because this application can do more harm than good unless you really understand what is doing and review every single reference it’s brings back before processing. Based on the original post, the request is from somebody with little knowledge of Windows and/or how to correct the current issues.

[Waldo 96]

2 minutes ago, Happ said:

Because this application can do more harm than good unless you really understand what is doing and review every single reference it’s brings back before processing. Based on the original post, the request is from somebody with little knowledge of Windows and/or how to correct the current issues.

Thanks. You mean there's a danger of deleting application settings or important files or even user files? I've not used CCleaner myself for donkey's years, but that's definitely something to be mindful of, I agree.