In a day and age where malware attacks are on the rise, the role of an Antivirus utility can’t be contested. According to researchers, 95.6% of new malware amounting to 59.58 million samples targeted Windows in 2022. But, what if when trying to run a virus scan your computer shuts down? Not once, but every time. This may sound fishy but worry not! If you are experiencing this issue, this post is for you. Here are –
PC Crashes or Shuts Down During An Virus Scan? Here Are Ways To Fix The Issue
1. Use An Alternative Antivirus Program
While you fix the issue, have an alternative Antivirus tool ready so that you can be safe from cybersecurity attacks.
It could be that a file is corrupted and infected beyond repair. Something that your existing Antivirus can’t handle and as such your PC is shutting down during the scan The best bet here is to use an alternative Antivirus program.
T9 Antivirus, for instance, is one of the best Antivirus programs for Windows. Why is it a credible Antivirus solution? It gets regular definition updates which keep any security vulnerabilities patched before any hacker can take advantage. It even has an “Exploit-Protection” feature that keeps your PC secure and clear of zero-day exploits. Additionally, it even helps get rid of malicious startup items as well.
Notable Features of T9 Antivirus:
- Real-time identification of viruses.
- Exploit protection.
- Quick, deep, and custom scan modes to search every corner of your computer for malicious threats.
- Web and Firewall protection.
- Ad blocker.
- Functionality to remove malicious startup items
2. Start Windows in Safe Mode
Safe Mode is often the first choice of experts to weed out infections or any other issues. It operates your PC with just the basic features. But how would this mode help?
Let’s say you had recently installed a file or an application from an untrusted source, post which, you have started to encounter this issue. Here’s how you can run your PC in safe mode and find out if it is this application or file which is the culprit –
- Open Settings by pressing Windows + I.
- Click on System from the left-hand side.
- From the right, select Recovery.
- Under Recovery options, click on Restart now.
- When the PC restarts, select Troubleshoot.
- Click on Advanced options.
- Select Startup Settings
- Click on Restart/
- When the PC restarts, press 4 or F4 to start the PC in Safe Mode without internet
Now run the Antivirus scan again and if it runs fine, you have just found the issue. Don’t just stop here, uninstall the application or delete the file and then run the Antivirus again.
3. Is It A Hardware-Related Issue?
Sometimes it’s easy to mistake hardware glitches for malicious threats. Let’s break this down into verifiable points to get a better understanding –
- It could be that malware is intended to hog system resources. In such a case, your PC gets overtaxed and crashes.
- Maybe you have mistaken hardware issues with malware and as such your PC is shutting down randomly.
- Look into the heat sink and check if there is proper ventilation. You may seek assistance from a technical expert
4. Uninstall and Reinstall The Antivirus
It could be that your Antivirus wasn’t installed properly. So, last but not least you can try uninstalling the Antivirus completely. One of the best ways to uninstall a program is to use a third-party uninstaller. Once you have uninstalled the Antivirus reinstall it and then check if your computer still shuts down randomly during a scan or not.
Wrapping Up
All in all, if your PC shuts down during an Antivirus scan it could be that the malware has been able to dodge your Antivirus or is hogging resources. In that case, you can switch to an alternative Antivirus tool. You can also check if there are any hardware issues that you might have mistaken for malicious threats. Do let us know if you have been able to fix the issue. For more such content, keep reading WeTheGeek.