Service · Systems administration

PC clean-up and malware removal

Many infections at Spanish small businesses begin the same way: a text about a Correos parcel being held, a fake electricity bill, a notice supposedly from the Tax Agency that never came from it. Somebody clicks in a hurry and, a few days on, the machine crawls, the browser opens pages by itself or the antivirus keeps firing for no obvious reason. Other times there is no malware at all and the cause is duller: a spinning hard drive at its limit, eight programs loading at start-up or a user profile holding fifteen years of clutter. Either way we begin by measuring, and we work remotely in a session the user opens and closes.

Diagnosis
before anything is changed
Remote
the machine stays on its desk
€75/hour + VAT
for firms without a contract
From €49
incl. VAT, for individuals

What falls within the scope of this service

The job depends on what turns up, but the sequence never varies: understand the fault, clean it up, then harden the machine so it does not happen again.

Pin down the details with one of our engineers

Slowness diagnosis

Across a normal working day the agent logs processor, memory and disk use. That data shows whether the bottleneck is hardware, a particular program or OneDrive trying to sync thousands of files.

Start-up and background programs

Printer updaters, two antivirus products fighting each other, optimisation utilities nobody asked for. We switch off what is surplus with care and keep a note of every change.

Hijacked browser

A changed home page, an unfamiliar search engine, extensions that inject ads or read what is typed. We go through them with the user and remove whatever they do not recognise.

Malware and ransomware

Banking trojans, crypto miners, backdoors. At the faintest hint of ransomware the machine is cut off from the network first, so encryption cannot spread to shared folders.

Accounts after an infection

Passwords changed from a clean device, open Microsoft 365 sessions revoked, mailbox forwarding rules checked, and the bank alerted if online banking was used on that computer.

Protection for next time

Microsoft Defender properly configured, with ransomware protection on key folders, Office macros from the internet blocked and automatic updates switched on.

Repair or replace

If the diagnosis points to hardware, we set the cost of an SSD or extra memory against a new laptop. Your supplier or a colleague fits the part using our instructions; we take care of the software side.

How the engagement unfolds, one stage at a time

Firms without a support contract are billed at €75 per hour + VAT. For individuals, a remote session costs from €49 incl. VAT.

01

Symptoms

You tell us which machine is misbehaving, how and since when. If you suspect malware, pull the cable or turn off Wi-Fi, but leave the computer switched on.

02

Connection and diagnosis

The user opens a link, accepts the session and the engineer takes the first readings. Where needed, the agent keeps measuring through the day.

03

Clean-up

At a time that suits, lunchtime for instance, we remove the excess and apply the protection settings.

04

Short report

What was found, what was done, how start-up time and memory use have changed, and what to do next.

If a pop-up tells you to ring “Microsoft technical support”, do not ring. Microsoft never displays phone numbers in browser warnings, nor does it ask for remote access out of the blue. Behind those windows are scammers who install a control tool and charge to fix an invented problem. Close the browser; if it refuses, hold down the power button. Then write to us and we will confirm nothing has been installed.

Common questions

If you only opened the page, change any passwords you may have typed there as soon as possible, using another device. If you also downloaded something or entered card details, contact your bank and write to us so we can check the computer or phone. If it is a company device holding customer data, a notification to the AEPD within 72 hours may need weighing up, and we can help you decide.

If the diagnosis shows the machine spends its day waiting on a mechanical disk, it is nearly always the best-value upgrade. It makes no sense when memory is soldered at 4 GB or the processor cannot run Windows 11; in that case we will say so plainly.

A clean-up makes them quicker, not safer: Windows 10 no longer gets free security updates. We check which devices can move to Windows 11 and, for those that cannot, plan replacements in order of risk.

Yes. Write to support@apply.es: a remote session costs from €49 incl. VAT, and each further hour of work €79 incl. VAT. You install a small program, watch what we do on screen and can stop at any moment.

We work on settings and software, not on your files. You start the session, see everything the engineer does, and it is logged. For businesses, we sign the GDPR data processing agreement before the first connection.

Tell us what is wrong with the machine

Just a short note: the number of machines, what they are doing wrong and when it started. We will offer you a time for the remote check.

Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00-18:00 Spanish time (CET), answers within a working day
Meetings
Video calls via Google Meet or Teams

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