My computer’s been crashing pretty badly lately—like, full-on crashes that force me to swap out RAM and even replace the CMOS battery just to get it booted again. I was checking the logs and noticed some odd activity when my wife and I were just watching a movie in bed. Tonight, I even saw the command prompt pop up and quickly close by itself, and it showed more than just the usual Windows version and user/admin info—there was an extra line or two that looked suspicious. I’m not super tech-savvy, especially when it comes to cybersecurity, but I feel like something fishy might be going on when I’m not really using the PC. I usually do a full shutdown once a week to keep uptime down, but the computer has been running by itself when I wake up a couple of times.
The only programs I use are EA Games, COD, Fusion360, Creality Print, default Windows apps, and Chrome. I don’t do social media on this PC, except YouTube when I’m working on a hardwired board.
Could this actually be suspicious or just weird hardware/software glitches? I’m thinking about doing a full reset and replacing all my NVMe drives with a clean Windows install since I don’t really care about what’s on them. Has anyone dealt with something like this? I’m a pretty big DIY guy but this is new territory for me! Thanks!
4 Answers
Sounds fishy to me, especially with random command prompts and unexpected uptime. If it’s not malware, it might be some misbehaving software or scheduled tasks causing weird activity. You could install a trusted antivirus and do full scans just in case. Also, Windows event logs might give you deeper insights into what’s waking your PC or triggering those command prompts. I’d say if you’re unsure, lean towards the reset and fresh install—it’s the cleanest option to stop headaches down the line.
First off, definitely run the System File Checker tool to scan for corrupt system files. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as admin and type ‘sfc /scannow’. That checks the health of Windows files and can fix issues. Also, run the DISM tool with commands like ‘dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth’ to repair the system image. These steps can catch and fix weird glitches or corruption that might cause strange behavior.
Another quick step before you go full reinstall: disconnect all peripherals except essentials and update your BIOS and drivers. Sometimes weird crashes happen because of outdated or conflicting software. Your observation about uptime also might suggest a scheduled task or wake timer. Check Task Scheduler and power settings for anything waking your PC automatically. Could be innocent, but worth a look!
Honestly, if you’re seeing the command prompt pop up and close randomly, plus the computer running when you aren’t actively using it, that could be a sign of malware or unauthorized access. Since your cybersecurity knowledge is limited, a full factory reset with fresh drive replacements sounds like a good move. It’s a pain but should wipe out any hidden nasties and give you peace of mind. Just make sure you back up any important stuff you might want first, though you mentioned the drives are fine to clean out.
Yeah, I’m leaning towards wiping everything and starting fresh. Better safe than sorry, right?
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll run those commands tonight and see what pops up before deciding on the clean install.