I've noticed that many people encounter the problem of hidden miners on their PCs. It's really unpleasant and can seriously slow down your computer's performance or even cause it to break down. I decided to share how to remove a miner from your PC because standard antivirus programs don't always catch them.

First, let's understand what's really happening. There are two main types of such viruses. The first is cryptojacking, where malicious scripts are embedded directly into a website. You visit an infected page, and your processor starts mining without you even knowing. The second type is a classic file virus that installs itself on the disk and runs every time you turn on your computer.

How do you know if you've been infected? Watch out for these signs. If your graphics card starts making loud noises, the fan spins at maximum speed, and the GPU gets hot — that's the first warning. Also, check your CPU usage through Task Manager. If it’s constantly above 60% even when you're not doing anything, that’s suspicious. Another symptom is that your laptop or PC starts running very slowly, browsers lag, and files are deleted without your consent.

Now, about how to remove a miner from your PC. The first step is to run a full scan with your antivirus. Then, use CCleaner or a similar program to clean up system junk. After that, be sure to restart your computer.

If your antivirus didn't find anything, proceed to manual search. Open the registry by pressing Win+R, typing regedit, and clicking OK. You can look for suspicious processes using Ctrl+F. Look for names that seem like random strings of characters.

Another method is to check the Task Scheduler. Win+R, then taskschd.msc. Open the scheduler library and see which processes are set to run automatically at startup. If you see anything strange, disable that task by right-clicking on it. If after doing so your CPU starts working normally, delete that task permanently.

For a deeper check, you can use programs like AnVir Task Manager or Dr. Web. These tools search for complex viruses that hide from standard antivirus programs.

Regarding prevention — install antivirus software and keep its databases updated regularly. Avoid visiting dubious websites without HTTPS certificates. Verify information about programs before downloading. Block JavaScript in your browser if you want to prevent browser-based mining. In Chrome, you can enable built-in protection against mining in privacy settings.

Another tip — do not run programs as an administrator unless necessary. If a miner gains such rights, removing it will be much harder. Set a strong password on Windows, restrict other users’ permissions. Also, set a good password on your router and disable remote access.

And remember — if nothing helps, you can reinstall Windows from a clean image. It’s a radical method, but it guarantees the virus will be gone. Before doing so, back up your important files.