356 Howe Ave, Shelton · Walk-ins welcome
Virus & Malware Removal in Shelton, CT
Something doesn't look right? Let's check it.
Pop-ups that won't go away, a browser that changed on its own, a warning you weren't expecting — any of those is worth a look. Bring your computer to our shop on Howe Avenue and we'll find out what's actually going on before anything gets changed on it.
Diagnostics are free when we do the repair. If you decide not to go ahead after we've diagnosed it, the bench fee is $50, or $100 for custom-built desktops.
Illustration of the kind of fake alert people bring to us. It is a drawing, not a real warning, and not a scan of your computer.
Walk in, no appointment
Mon–Fri 10–7, Sat 10–4. Closed Sunday.
A price before any work
We tell you what we found and what it costs. Nothing is worked on until you approve it.
One shop, in Shelton
356 Howe Ave. Your computer stays here with us.
Read this first
If a pop-up is telling you to call a number, the pop-up is the problem
A message that takes over the screen and asks you to call a support line is one of the most common things people bring in. It is designed to frighten you into calling. On its own, it is not evidence that your computer is infected.
If you've already called, or let someone connect to your computer, that's worth telling us. It changes what we look at.
Don't call the number in the message
Microsoft, Apple and your bank do not put a phone number in a full-screen warning.
Don't let a stranger connect to your computer
If a remote session is running now, end it and shut the computer down. Don't leave it connected while you decide what to do.
Use a number you can verify
Ours is (203) 433-2042 — the same number on our storefront and our Google listing. For a bank or an account, use the number on your card or statement.
If you paid someone or gave out a password
Contact your bank, and change that password from a device you trust rather than the affected one. Then tell us what happened when you bring the computer in — it tells us where to look.
Symptoms
Signs worth checking
Each of these has more than one possible cause. Seeing one doesn't prove an infection — it means it's worth having someone look.
Pop-ups that keep coming back
Especially ones that appear outside the browser, or when no browser is open at all.
Your browser changed on its own
A different home page or search engine, a toolbar you didn't add, or searches that land somewhere you didn't choose.
Programs you didn't install
Unfamiliar apps and extensions, or "cleaners" and "optimizers" that arrived alongside something else you downloaded.
Warnings you can't close
Full-screen alerts, countdowns, or a security warning that returns every time the browser opens.
It started after a download or a remote session
Trouble that began right after installing something free, or after letting someone connect to the computer.
Settings that won't stay put
Security software switched off and not turning back on, or settings that revert after every restart.
A slow computer, on its own, is usually not a virus. Storage that's nearly full, a drive that's wearing out, too many programs starting at boot, and age account for far more slowdowns than malware does. Those belong on PC & Desktop Repair or Laptop Repair — and if you're not sure which, we'll work it out when you bring it in.
Before anything gets cleaned
First, find out what's actually happening
Three very different problems look almost identical from where you're sitting. They're fixed in different places, so it's worth telling them apart before anyone starts removing things.
What you're seeing
What it might be
What that means next
What you're seeing
Pop-ups and warnings while you're browsing, which stop when the browser is closed
What it might be
A deceptive notification or ad — a website permission or a page behaving badly, not a program installed on the computer
What that means next
Usually sorted out in browser settings and notification permissions. Nothing needs removing from Windows or macOS.
What you're seeing
Programs, toolbars or behavior that are still there after a restart
What it might be
Unwanted or malicious software actually installed on the device
What that means next
This is the case where cleanup is the right answer — and, where the system has been altered too deeply to trust, where a reinstall is the more honest one.
What you're seeing
Email, banking or social accounts doing things you didn't do
What it might be
An account problem, which can happen while the computer itself is perfectly clean
What that means next
Cleaning the device doesn't fix this. Passwords and account recovery go through each provider — we'll tell you what to change and in what order.
Using a Mac? Macs get unwanted software and fake-support pop-ups too, and the places we check are different. Mac & MacBook Repair has the Mac-specific details — bringing it in works exactly the same way.
What we do
How we handle a suspected infection
1
Tell us what happened
Bring the computer to the counter, or start the request online first. What you saw, and when it started, narrows things down faster than anything we can run.
2
We assess it
We look at what's installed and running, what the browser is set to, and what's changed. The point of this step is to tell an infection apart from a browser setting, a failing drive, or a program that's simply misbehaving.
3
You hear what we found, and what it costs
Then you choose: cleanup, a reinstall, or something else entirely if that's what the assessment points to. Nothing gets worked on until you approve the price.
4
We do the approved work, then check the ordinary things
That it starts up, connects to Wi-Fi, prints, and opens the programs you actually use — not just that a scan came back clean.
5
We go over what to watch for
A plain explanation of how it most likely got there and what to do differently next time, in the words you'd use yourself. No scare talk, and nothing you have to buy from us.
What a cleanup can and can't do
We'd rather tell you this before you drop the computer off than after.
What we can usually do
- Work out whether the device is actually infected, or whether something else is going on.
- Remove unwanted software and undo browser changes where that can be done safely.
- Tell you plainly when a reinstall is the more reliable option.
- Check that the computer works normally afterward, on the things you use it for.
What we won't promise
- That every file comes through untouched. Some infections damage files before anyone looks at the computer, and a reinstall affects what's on the drive. Copy anything irreplaceable to an external drive while the computer still runs.
- That files locked by ransomware can be unlocked. We can't decrypt them.
- That an online account can be restored or money recovered. Those go through the provider and your bank.
- That a clean computer means secure accounts. If someone had access, passwords and sign-in settings still need changing.
Where the work happens
In the shop, or remotely?
Most of this work happens here, with the computer in front of us. Some software problems can be handled in a remote session instead — when our team judges that it suits the job and the computer is in a state where remote work makes sense.
Either way, start the same way. Send us the request or call, tell us what you've seen, and we'll say which one makes sense for your situation.
Bring it in if…
- the computer won't start, or locks up before you can use it
- someone you didn't know connected to it
- a full-screen warning blocks the whole screen
- you're not sure, and you'd rather someone just looked at it
If a remote session someone else started is still running, disconnect it and shut the computer down before you contact us.
Questions we get
Straight answers
Is a slow computer a sign of a virus?
Usually not. Storage that's nearly full, a drive that's wearing out, a pile of programs launching at startup, and a machine that's simply older than the software being asked of it — those explain far more slowdowns than malware does. We check for infection, and we check the ordinary explanations too, then tell you which one it is.
Can Macs get malware?
Yes. Unwanted software, browser hijacks and fake-support pop-ups all turn up on Macs. What differs is where we look and what can be changed, which is why Mac work has its own page: Mac & MacBook Repair. You bring a Mac in the same way you'd bring anything else.
Will you have to reinstall Windows?
Not always. Plenty of cases are cleaned up without reinstalling. When what we find has gone deep enough that we couldn't honestly call the system trustworthy afterward, we'll say that a reinstall is the more reliable route — and we'll explain what it involves before you decide. It's your call either way.
Will my files survive?
We take care with them, and most of the time files come through fine. We won't promise it, because some infections damage files before the computer ever reaches us, and a reinstall affects what's on the drive. If the computer still runs, copy anything irreplaceable to an external drive before you bring it in. Ask us if you'd like a hand with that.
I think I was scammed. Can you check my computer?
Yes — it's one of the more common reasons people come in, and nobody here is going to make you feel foolish about it. Bring the computer in and tell us what happened: what you clicked, whether anyone connected to it, and what you shared. We'll look at what was installed or changed. We can check the computer; the money and the accounts are handled by your bank and the provider, and we'll tell you what to do first.
What happens when I bring it in?
You drop it at the counter at 356 Howe Ave — walk-ins are fine, no appointment needed. We take your details and what you've noticed, assess the computer, and come back to you with what we found and what it would cost. Work starts after you approve it. Bring the power adapter, and the password or PIN you use to sign in, so we can get past the login screen.
Where to find us
A real shop on Howe Avenue
We're not a dispatch service or a mailing address. You hand the computer to the people who'll be working on it, and you pick it up from the same counter. Shelton is our only location — Derby, Ansonia, Seymour and Trumbull are all nearby.
Customers rate us on Google, and the reviews are public: read them on our Google listing.
Evolve Computer
356 Howe Ave
Shelton, CT 06484
Mon–Fri
10:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday
10:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday
Closed
Not sure this is the right page?
If the trouble turns out to be hardware rather than software, these are the pages to start from. Either way, the drop-off is the same.
Let's find out what's actually going on
Bring it in, or start the request online and tell us what you've seen. We'll look at it properly and give you a straight answer before anything gets changed.
356 Howe Ave, Shelton, CT 06484 · Mon–Fri 10–7 · Sat 10–4 · Closed Sunday