My computer won’t post after malware removal

Hi Dave,

You didn't mention which Email client you have installed.  Anyway, to fix this problem, I'd suggest uninstalling your email client and then reinstalling the latest version and setting it up to your liking. That should resolve the problem for you.

Hope that's helpful.

Regards, Andrew

On my computer ? I use gmail through the browser
I can’t even get into Windows the screen says no signal :/

Shut down, start up and then Ctrl Alt Del, and restart. Immediately on restart, press F8 repeatedly.  Can you start in Safe Mode?

I just tried
No my screen still says no signal

What OS/version are you running?

Are you using the newest version of ADW cleaner?

There aren't a lot of reasons that ADW cleaner or removal of malware would prevent a POST.  Are you sure that the problems are related?  Try to get into the BIOS, and see if it recognizes your HDD/SSD where the OS is installed.  If you have problems getting into BIOS, then lookup your MOBO to see what BIOS hotkey they use, reboot, and start hitting the key until the BIOS shows.

Heaven forbid, if the malware somehow managed to corrupt the firmware on your MOBO, then you may have a bigger problem on your hands.

Did you try starting in BIOS?  Basic test.

So I checked , my cable that connects from the mother board to my secondary hardrive had been damaged at the end where you plug it into the drive , could this be the issue ?

my cable that connects from the mother board to my secondary hard drive had been damaged

Absolutely. Change this cable for a good cable.

Dammit ugh thank you
Can’t I just remove the secondary hardrive or that won’t work ?

You can remove that drive and if one cable to it, remove that. If a Y cable, let's hope the cable is not shorted internally.

Well I removed the second drive
And the both cables
Still won’t post ugh

Can you start in BIOS?  

What happened that damaged the cable (unusual) and is there other damage to the computer?

Keep looking.  Whatever damaged that one cable may have done some more damage.

How I found my issue was that I pulled everything out of the case, had it on a non-conductive surface and booted the computer.

You're getting close.  Keep looking.

That's why I suggested looking at the hardware very carefully.  Use a magnifying glass if you have one.

How was that cable damaged?  It's possible that if there was a short, it my have blown the motherboard.

It was bent to the point the wires were coming out of the port to the sata cable
I just replaced it , and still no post :(

If shorted internally as some of us have observed, greater damage may have been done

Ok.  I what I meant, can you tell what caused the damage?  

At this point, I'd suggest testing each piece of hardware one item at a time.

Do you have another computer where you can test the power supply, memory, video card, etc.?

In the end, I feel you are going to find it's the power supply, motherboard, or video card.

Are there any red lights on the MB?

When I had my issue, a red light came on which led me down the wrong path that it was the MB instead of a power issue.

Okay.  Do you have your monitor connected to a video card, or the motherboard (VGA plug usually next to where the network/usb cables plug into the back)?  There have been some very good suggestions by other regarding checking your hardware.  So let's break it down OSI style!

1. Power everything off. (Include flipping the switch on your Power Supply (PSU), if it has an external on/off switch)(NOTE: Now would be a good time to make sure the dust is blown out of everything)
2. Plug your monitor into the mobo (VGA slot I referenced above).
3. Remove your HDD/SSD(s), Video Cards(GPU), Sound Cards (basically reduce the computer to CPU, CPU cooler, Power Supply, RAM, Motherboard).
4. Flip the PSU back on, then turn your computer back on. (Do this with the case open so that you can see the motherboard)
5. Listen for the fans and PSU to spin up.
  5a. Does the PSU fan spin up?
       Y - Then the PSU is getting power, and pushing power (Go to 5b)
       N - If the PSU is silent (and none of the other fans in the case spin up, then it's probably a PSU issue)
  5b. Do the CPU/Case cooling fans spin up?
        Y - Mobo is getting power (Go to 6)
       N - Mobo is not getting power: Reseat the connections from the PSU to the mobo.  If the fans STILL don't spin up, then the mobo may be burned out.
6. If the PSU is getting/pushing power, and the mobo is getting power.  There are diagnostic lights on the motherboard (reference your mobo manufacturers website for directions on how to decipher what it is telling you)
  6a. Do the lights on the mobo indicate an issue? (it says a part is not detected even though it is there, and you have reseated it) (NOTE: You should NEVER have to reseat the CPU or CPU cooler for this kind of test).
        Y - Then you will need to contact your mobo/PC manufacturer for assistance determining if a warranty repair/replacement is required.
       N - So far so good! (Go to 6b.)
  6b. Is the monitor displaying anything, or does it display anything when you reboot?
        Y - Then the issue is likely with the GPU (go to 7)
       N - Swap your video cable for a "known good", swap your monitor for a "known good" (if possible for both). This will probably mean that a warranty repair/replacement is required.
7. Reconnect (one at a time) each part which was removed.  Reboot after each part is reconnected/reseated.  Once you find yourself back at where you started (no signal, no post), then you have found the most likely suspect for your underlying issue.
8. If upon reconnecting/reseating all parts (with replacing that SATA cable you mentioned), you find the system working as it should...then some part likely just needed to be reseated.

I hope the above is helpful in getting the underlying issue identified, and getting you back to a functional machine.  Cheers!

Hey so I just went through everything step by step
The mb and psu have power running through them
So I tried a different hdmi plug on a reliable monitor , no change
All the fans are spinning , everything is plugged back in and still nothin on the monitor and no post
Just no signal
I’m stumped
Is my mb just garbage ??

not so fast - did you try the minimum setup, as i suggested ?

Try a different power supply.  It's possible your PS is not giving enough power.

Pull the MB from the case, hook up a known good PS with a known good video card.  You don't even need a HD connected.

Try to power it on.  If you don't get anything then you most likely have a bad MB.

As it's not in the case, you will need to "short" the two pins momentarily on the MB to get it to power on.

That's about as minimal as you can get.

I had the same thing as you and it turned out that my MB wasn't getting enough power as the wires on an extender were damaged.

Really I just purchased the psu a month ago ? It’s 750 Watts
Too much power perhaps ?

Too much power perhaps ?  No, but if you had a short circuit in the broken cable, additional power can exacerbate the damage.

I see
Ugh all of this testing is leaving me drained
I wish I just knew what to do next , like do I save the parts that are good or just save up to buy a new pc

And don't forget, as wearing as testing can be, you still have the exultation of finding the fault ahead of you.  That is one of the best parts of playing with computers, and software issues.  The success and completion that eventually comes of finding what the issue is, even if you don't necessarily resolve it yourself.  Cheers!

you never answered if you tried my troubleshooting article, with minimum setup

I did :/ still no luck
I did forget and I’m so sorry but earlier in the week I did drop water on my pc :( could this have been the culprit ?
It wouldn’t start for a while so I after drying everything off  let it sit overnight and it worked in the morning

Water can short out circuits if the machine was running or if you did not let the water dry out.

What should I do ??

If the motherboard was damaged, shorted, I would replace the machine. Not likely economical to fix. How old is the computer?

Had it since hurricane sandy with upgraded parts

I don't think it is economical to replace the motherboard. Might be - only you can judge that.

I might have to just build a new rig then ?

Probably - that is for you to judge in terms of economics. But that is what I would do.

And at this point, a new computer and setting it up would be the subject of a new question.

I mean I’ve built before I know how I guess that’s what I’ll do

i have done this in the past - wuth good result :
rinse the motherboard in running clear water - and dry it with a fohn, or over a mild heater
let it dry for 2 days
in most cases - when nothing was shorted initially - it works again

What’s a fhon ?

I think the motherboard would be dry over the course of this question. Is it still wet?  

If dry, the damage is done.

fohn is a blower for drying hair

Oh alright

Any update on this?  Have you determined which piece of hardware is causing the issue?

OP...can you please provide an update or award points?  A lot of work was done to help.

Incident is inactive.