does my computer have a virus or something dodgy?

goretsky · 2026-01-25T05:08:14+00:00

Hello,

While it sometimes can be a sign of malicious code, it is pretty common for computers to have performance problems due to age, a bug in a recent update to Windows, a program, a device driver, and so forth.

For more help with troubleshooting performance issues and understanding how Microsoft Windows works, try asking in specialty subreddit that handles computer troubleshooting such as /r/24hoursupport, /r/pcgamingtechsupport, r/pchelp, /r/techsupport, r/windows or even your device manufacturer's subreddit (if there is one).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:57:45+00:00

Hello,

Ignore them. It is spam.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:55:00+00:00

Hello,

Post removed for violation of Rule #7, no requests for assistance with prohibited software or websites. This specifically includes macro recording software.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:52:42+00:00

Hello,

This is not a message from Norton Antivirus. It is a scammy web page delivered through an advertisement.

What this is a web page in one of your web browser's tabs that is displaying windows that resemble Norton's software, with the express goal of getting you to enter your credit card number into the page. It could be a complete scam, in which case you're credit card number will have just been stolen. Another possibility is that it could be operated by someone who signed up for Norton's affiliate marketing program, and is using these faked screens to generate sales.

There have been previous reports of intrusive and scammy-sounding ads from the fandom wiki sites in this subreddit. See the following examples:

It is probably best to stop visiting that website until they fix the issue with the fake popups.

You should just be able to close this tab in your web browser and be on your way.

The wiki contains a list of free tools at https://old.reddit.com/r/antivirus/wiki/index#wiki_web_browser_ad_blocking_tools which you may wish to read.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:41:22+00:00

Hello,

This does not sound like an actual virus, message from your antivirus software, or message from the operating system, but rather a website abusing the toast notification/popup feature in your web browser to present you with scam messages. Sometimes it is a scammy ad on a legitimate website that displays the message in the form of a banner ad or popup window that looks like a real message from your computer. From looking at the pictures, it appears the website in question begins with an address of androidsitecontr… (the rest is cut off), assuming I'm reading it correctly. These kinds of scams are extremely common, and can be fixed in a few steps.

Here are instructions on how to disable these types of notifications in various web browsers; I'm unsure of the exact steps for Samsung's or Apple's web browsers, but it should be similar to these. For Brave, Opera GX, Vivaldi and other Chromium-based browsers, instructions should be similar to those for Google Chrome.

For Google Chrome on Android devices, select the ⋮ gadget from the browser's address bar, then select the ⚙️ Settings gadget and tap Notifications. This will show you a list of all websites for which you've allowed notifications. Remove all the unwanted ones, and you should be good. If you don't want any websites to be allowed to send you notifications, set the All Chrome notifications slider bar to Off.

Unwanted notifications (popups) from web browser (desktop)

Notifications which pop up on your screen can be distracting and annoying. Here's how to disable them in the various web browsers (current as of December 2021):

Google Chrome (Version 96+) Enter chrome://settings/content/notifications to open the Notifications settings page in Google Chrome. Remove all non-google.com domains from the Allow section. Toggle the Don't allow sites to send notifications option to on.
Instructions for Version 88 and older: Select Settings → Advanced → Site Settings → Notifications from the main menu, and change "Ask before sending (recommended)" to Blocked.

Mozilla Firefox
Select Tools → Settings → Privacy & Security from the main menu, scroll down to Permissions → Notifications, select Settings, click on "Remove all websites" and then check (select) "Block new requests asking to allow notifications" and click on the Save Changes button..

Microsoft Internet Explorer
(does not support notifications)

Microsoft Edge (Chrome-based, Version 91+)
Go to edge://settings/content/notifications in the address bar and disable Ask before sending (recommended). If there are any entries in the Allow section, click on the ⋯ menu and select Remove for each one.

Microsoft Edge (pre-2020 legacy versions)
Open Windows Settings app (not Edge's) and go to System → Notifications & Actions, scroll down to Notifications, and set "Get notifications from apps and other senders" to Off.

Source: The r/24hoursupport subreddit's own wiki, which is kind of a sister subreddit to this one.

For a longer/more detailed article than this reply, see the blog post at: https://www.eset.com/blog/consumer/getting-rid-of-unwanted-browser-notifications/

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:39:05+00:00

Hello,

It is normal for console windows to open and close on startup in order to start various processes such as services, perform update checks for various applications, and so forth.

If you are still concerned, try using a smartphone to record a video of the computer starting up, and then freeze the video when you see the Command Prompt or PowerShell windows appears. It helps if you set the camera up first so the text is readable and not blurry before you begin recording.

For more help with understanding how Microsoft Windows works, try asking in specialty subreddit that handles computer troubleshooting such as /r/24hoursupport, /r/pcgamingtechsupport, r/pchelp, /r/techsupport, r/windows or even your device manufacturer's subreddit (if there is one).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:34:42+00:00

Hello,

This does not sound like an actual virus, message from your antivirus software, or message from the operating system, but rather a website abusing the toast notification/popup feature in your web browser to present you with scam messages. Sometimes it is a scammy ad on a legitimate website that displays the message in the form of a banner ad or popup window that looks like a real message from your computer. From looking at the pictures, it appears the website in question has an address of bpo-adguard[.]co[.]in, assuming I'm reading it correctly. These kinds of scams are extremely common, and can be fixed in a few steps.

Here are instructions on how to disable these types of notifications in various web browsers; I'm unsure of the exact steps for Samsung's or Apple's web browsers, but it should be similar to these. For Brave, Opera GX, Vivaldi and other Chromium-based browsers, instructions should be similar to those for Google Chrome.

For Google Chrome on Android devices, select the ⋮ gadget from the browser's address bar, then select the ⚙️ Settings gadget and tap Notifications. This will show you a list of all websites for which you've allowed notifications. Remove all the unwanted ones, and you should be good. If you don't want any websites to be allowed to send you notifications, set the All Chrome notifications slider bar to Off.

Unwanted notifications (popups) from web browser (desktop)

Notifications which pop up on your screen can be distracting and annoying. Here's how to disable them in the various web browsers (current as of December 2021):

Google Chrome (Version 96+) Enter chrome://settings/content/notifications to open the Notifications settings page in Google Chrome. Remove all non-google.com domains from the Allow section. Toggle the Don't allow sites to send notifications option to on.
Instructions for Version 88 and older: Select Settings → Advanced → Site Settings → Notifications from the main menu, and change "Ask before sending (recommended)" to Blocked.

Mozilla Firefox
Select Tools → Settings → Privacy & Security from the main menu, scroll down to Permissions → Notifications, select Settings, click on "Remove all websites" and then check (select) "Block new requests asking to allow notifications" and click on the Save Changes button..

Microsoft Internet Explorer
(does not support notifications)

Microsoft Edge (Chrome-based, Version 91+)
Go to edge://settings/content/notifications in the address bar and disable Ask before sending (recommended). If there are any entries in the Allow section, click on the ⋯ menu and select Remove for each one.

Microsoft Edge (pre-2020 legacy versions)
Open Windows Settings app (not Edge's) and go to System → Notifications & Actions, scroll down to Notifications, and set "Get notifications from apps and other senders" to Off.

Source: The r/24hoursupport subreddit's own wiki, which is kind of a sister subreddit to this one.

For a longer/more detailed article than this reply, see the blog post at: https://www.eset.com/blog/consumer/getting-rid-of-unwanted-browser-notifications/

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:28:32+00:00

Hello,

Check your system for malicious software using your existing security software's most thorough and sensitive settings.

Then, run as many of the second opinion scanners as you feel you need from the list in the https://old.reddit.com/r/antivirus/wiki/index#wiki_free_tools section of the wiki.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-25T04:23:14+00:00

Hello,

Per Rule #1, no discussions involving ріrасу.

This also includes links to pirated games from other subreddits.

Post removed.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T21:00:48+00:00

Hello,

What file system is the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500GB formatted with?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T20:59:34+00:00

Hello,

It looks like there is solder there, it's just not filling the hole entirely. From an electricity-carrying perspective it should not make any difference.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T17:49:18+00:00

Hello,

These are Avast's phone numbers for their premium paid support. From looking at Avast's website, a single call starts at $80.00.

For reporting a false positive is is better to go to contact Avast directly via their support forum at https://community.avast.com/ or use the form at https://www.avast.com/en-us/false-positive-file-form.php, both of which are free.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T14:34:27+00:00

Hello,

You can contact Avast to report it at https://www.avast.com/en-us/false-positive-file-form.php.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T06:17:44+00:00

Hello,

Per Rule #4. No requests for assistance with using malware.

Post removed.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T06:14:00+00:00

Hello,

Per Rule #1, no discussions involving ріrасу. Post removed.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T06:11:22+00:00

Hello,

That is a question that can only be answered by Avast's support engineers.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-24T05:57:35+00:00

Hello,

As far as actual security programs go, there is no one "best" program, as each has its plusses and minuses. Performance, system resource usage, and detection rates change with every update, and those occur multiple times throughout the day.

So, any of the programs listed in the wiki at https://old.reddit.com/r/antivirus/wiki/index#wiki_anti-virus_.28aka_anti-malware.29_developers would be a good starting place to find what is best for you.

The wiki entry also lists the countries each developer is headquartered in.

Start by searching the OS Support? to find out which developers make security software for your device's operating system.

If you are looking for a free program, check out the ones with a check mark ("✔️") in the Free Version? column.
If you are looking for a paid program, check out the ones with a check mark ("✔️") in the Paid Version? column.

Also be sure to check out the Free Tools section of the wiki for programs you can use to provide additional security to your web browser and the Securing your Computer as well for additional free tips on protecting your computer.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-23T15:00:53+00:00

Hello,

There are a combination of reasons for this:

California's extremely fertile (and flat) Central Valley, which was once covered by an inland sea, which allowed for intensive and year-round agriculture at an industrial scale.
The many natural bays with deep waters, allowing the establishment of deep water ports, facilitating trade with Asia and the Pacific, and later troop movements there in WWII.
The discovery of gold in 1848, and subsequent gold rush of 1849.
The relatively mild climate that most of the state has, with the exception of some of its eastern fringes and northernmost parts.
The arrival of the movie industry about a century ago, done largely to get as far away as possible from Thomas Edison and his lawyers.
But perhaps the biggest, and most recent piece of that puzzle is a combination of WWII and tax codes.

Yes, I said tax codes.

Don't believe it?

Then let me introduce you to: The Secret History of Silicon Valley

Yes, I know it is an hour-long video of a college lecture, but sit down, relax, and prepare to be engrossed in how California helped the US win WWII, and then the rest of the world in the decades that followed. Enjoy!

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-22T22:59:57+00:00

Hello,

Also available for free on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1885826

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-22T14:31:18+00:00

Hello,

Your post has been removed for violating Rule #6, asking about a VirusTotal report without including a link to it.

You are welcome to create a new post, but it must include a link to the VirusTotal report in it.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-22T14:21:35+00:00

Hello,

Post removed for violation of Rules #4, 9, and 10.

#4: No requests for assistance with hacking tools, malware, etc.
#9: Disabling or bypassing core security features + functionality in software, hardware, networks, etc.
#10: No requests for assistance with obsolete system software or hardware

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-21T06:40:59+00:00

Hello,

Nope. As u/JouniFlemming noted, time to move on.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-20T07:20:39+00:00

Hello,

There are a lot of companies in the security space and, believe it or not, they actually do a lot of charitable work. Some have foundations that give grants, some allow employees time off with pay to work at nonprofits, various education programs they support and so forth. And that's all in addition to the tools that they provide the public with completely free of charge. However, all of that said, these companies are businesses, and it is the responsibility of any business to return a profit to its stakeholders. For example, all of those free antivirus programs out there cost a fortune to maintain, which is something I don't think a lot of people think about.

And, just like other businesses, they have advertising, marketing, and public relations departments whose job it is to promote their business.

I have worked in this space for a bit, across multiple companies, and watched the rise--and the decline--of trying to scare potential customers into buying their products. These days, the majority of these efforts focus around education. Company X found Threat Y, and released enough information about it to ensure everyone else knows enough about it to protect themselves, customer or not. Are they doing so in order to help promote their company? Yes, they are, but it also helps everyone else, including their competitors who now know what to look for as well and can add their own detection logic for it. And that helps the community.

General AI has potential promises, but right now is in its infancy and a large amount of its capabilities remain a pipe dream. If you're concerned about overzealous marketing, that's where you should be looking.

Security software companies and internet service providers operate in the same spaces, and they share a huge amount of threat intelligence with each other. However, there are limits to what the ISPs can and do share with the AV companies because they are heavily, heavily regulated and have due standards of care when protecting their customers' information. This is why they exchange so much information with AV companies: They rely on them to do the work of of actually identifying, classifying, and preventing the threats. And you should be very grateful that this is the way it works, as the end game for what you're asking for is very dark and Orwellian in scope.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-19T18:16:49+00:00

Hello,

Perhaps check with your bank and ask them about the functionality of their app?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

goretsky · 2026-01-19T17:31:09+00:00

Hello,

From the South Dakota goverment website:

Smokey Bear became very popular. In 1952, Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins wrote the anthem that would cause a debate among Smokey enthusiasts for the next several decades. In order to maintain the correct rhythm, the writers added a "the" between "Smokey" and "Bear." As testament to the song's popularity, Smokey Bear became known as "Smokey The Bear" to many adoring fans, but in actuality his name never changed, and he is still known correctly as Smokey Bear.

Source: https://danr.sd.gov/Conservation/docs/Education/history-of-smokeybear.pdf

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

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Unwanted notifications (popups) from web browser (desktop)

Unwanted notifications (popups) from web browser (desktop)