Fixed onsite · No call-out fee
Virus & Malware Removal
If your computer has slowed to a crawl, every page is full of adverts you did not ask for, or your files have turned into shortcuts to something you do not recognise, you have malware. It is common, it is fixable, and the price does not depend on how badly it has got.
I remove it at your home. You watch it happen, which matters more than it sounds - a lot of people who get quoted for a clean machine have never been shown what came off it.
- Flat $150 rate
- No call-out fee
- Weekends & public holidays
- Fixed or you do not pay
Onsite rate
$150/ first hour
- Call-out fee
- $0 - never
- Weekend & public holidays
- No surcharge
- After the first hour
- Billed in 15-minute blocks
- Replacement parts
- At cost, no mark-up
- Typical turnaround
- Same-day in most cases, two to three hours at your home
- This service
- $129 flat
Includes GST for home users. Excluding GST for businesses. If it cannot be fixed, you do not pay.
Symptoms worth calling about
- Browser home page and search engine keep reverting
- Ads and pop-ups that appear even with the browser closed
- Webpages redirecting to sites you did not click
- A desktop or start menu full of icons you did not put there
- Windows Update or antivirus refusing to run
- Fan running constantly, machine hot, or shutting down mid-task
- Files renamed or encrypted, with a note demanding payment
- A security warning saying your system is infected
What $129 covers
A full scan of every drive, a second opinion scan from a different engine, manual removal of anything the scanners cannot shift, and - this is the part most people have never had done - a repair of the browser itself. Left alone, a machine that has had an infection keeps redirecting and keeps re-infecting.
Also included: checking that your antivirus is actually running and current, checking that Windows Update works, and removing the trial junk and bundled programs that are there to re-install the thing that infected you in the first place.
If you have been hit by ransomware
Do not pay it, and do not wipe anything yet. Encrypted files are sometimes recoverable, and the decision about what to restore from backup is easier to make before you have deleted the evidence.
Disconnect the machine from the network - do not leave it plugged in - and call. Same-day, and I will tell you honestly whether the files are coming back.
After the clean
You get the list of what was removed, in writing, so you can see whether any of it was something you installed deliberately. I also tighten up the settings that let it in, and tell you the two or three habits that stop it happening again.
How a visit works
- 1
You call and describe it
No booking form and no call centre. I will tell you honestly whether it sounds like something I can fix, and roughly what it will cost.
- 2
I come to you
Early morning, evening, weekend or public holiday - all normal, none surcharged. Home or office. You can watch the work.
- 3
You are told before anything happens
The price is agreed before the job starts, and if a part is needed you get the cost price rather than a mark-up.
- 4
It works, or you do not pay
If I cannot fix it, there is no charge. If something I did stops working, I come back and look at it.
Virus Removal - common questions
How do I know if I have a virus?
Pop-ups on pages you did not request, a browser home page that will not stay where you set it, sudden slowdowns, constant fan noise, or a security warning that appears on its own. Any of those is worth a look.
My antivirus says everything is fine but the computer is still bad. Why?
Often because the real problem is not malware. It can be a full disk, too many startup programs, a failing hard drive, or a browser extension that a scan will never flag. I look at the actual behaviour rather than trusting the scan.
Do you remove browser hijackers?
Yes - including Snapdo and similar. This is a redirect and ad-injection problem rather than a traditional virus, and it needs the browser and its extensions cleaned out rather than a virus scan.
Will everything I do on my computer be safe afterwards?
The machine will be clean and protected. I will also go through the settings that matter and the habits worth changing. Anything you entered on a compromised machine - banking passwords, especially - is worth changing from a different device.
You might also need
Most jobs are a combination of these. If you are not sure which one you need, describe the problem on the phone and I will tell you.
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Learn moreNeed a virus removal job done?
Robert is a Microsoft Certified ex-IBM help desk technician. One flat rate of $150 for the first hour, no call-out fee, and no surcharge on weekends or public holidays.
- Onsite rate
- $150
- first hour
- Call-out fee
- $0
- never
- Weekend surcharge
- $0
- incl. public holidays
- Typical visit
- < 1 hr
- most problems