If your computer has started to slow down and make loud noises — there’s a chance a hidden miner has infiltrated it. Honestly, this is one of the most unpleasant problems I’ve encountered. The virus stealthily penetrates the system and begins using your PC’s power to mine cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, regular antivirus software often proves powerless.

So what exactly is this miner-virus? Essentially, it’s a Trojan that runs in the background and steals your hardware resources. There are two types: the first is a script embedded in a website (cryptojacking), which activates when you visit an infected page. The second is a classic file that installs without your consent and runs every time the system boots.

Why is this dangerous? Well, firstly, such parasites kill performance. The graphics card starts working at maximum, and the CPU is heavily loaded. Laptops are especially affected — they can fail after just a few hours of intensive background mining. Plus, viruses often steal passwords and data. Hardware wears out at an accelerated rate.

How to tell if you’re infected? Here are some signs to watch for. First, the graphics card begins to make a deafening noise — the cooler spins at full speed. You can check the temperature with a program like GPU-Z. Second, the computer slows down; the task manager shows CPU usage above 60%. Third, RAM and internet traffic consumption increase. The browser runs slower, and in the task manager, processes with strange names like asikadl.exe are visible.

How to remove the miner — that’s the main question. Start with an antivirus — run a full system scan. After that, be sure to use CCleaner or an equivalent tool to clean out all the junk from the registry. Reboot your system.

If the antivirus didn’t help, switch to manual search. Open the registry (Win+R, then regedit), use search (Ctrl+F), and look for suspicious process names. They often look like random strings of characters. Delete everything found and reboot.

Another method is to check the Task Scheduler. Press Win+R, type taskschd.msc. In the scheduler library, look for tasks that run at startup. Right-click on suspicious ones — disable or delete them. If CPU usage drops — you’re on the right track.

For a deeper scan, you can use Dr. Web — it detects more complex viruses. Before removing the miner, it’s best to create a system backup in case of issues.

How to protect yourself in the future? Install a clean Windows image every 2-3 months. Regularly update antivirus databases. Before downloading programs, verify their information. Scan all downloaded files with antivirus. Work with antivirus and firewall enabled. Don’t visit dubious sites without an SSL certificate (https). Block JavaScript in your browser — this prevents malicious scripts from executing. Chrome has built-in mining protection — enable it in privacy settings.

Another tip: don’t run programs as administrator unless necessary. Set a strong password on your router, disable remote access. Limit other users’ rights to install software. Use AdBlock and uBlock to filter ads and malware.

How to permanently remove the miner? Combine several methods: antivirus + manual registry check + task scheduler + specialized programs like Dr. Web. If the virus persistently returns, it might be worth reinstalling the system from scratch. It’s radical, but sometimes the only solution.