Slow performance with Windows Explorer and strange files showing up unexpectedly
Slow performance with Windows Explorer and strange files showing up unexpectedly
In the past few weeks Windows 10 has shown some unusual behavior. I’m not sure when it began, but it seems linked to a GPU driver update. Initially, the taskbar turned black, similar to what happens after a driver change, but it didn’t return to normal after restarting. Later, whenever I open the "Movies and TV" app, my system would freeze completely, needing a force close via Task Manager. I ran chkdsk and executed sfc scannow, but the problem persisted. I updated my GPU drivers to version 565.90, which briefly resolved the issue, though it returned the next day. I’m not overly concerned unless this escalates. Recently, I checked my C:\Users\user folder and found a lot of random files with no extensions, all zero bytes, dated September 22, 2024. I’m not an expert, but these appear suspicious and I don’t know what to do besides backing up my files just in case. I moved them to the Recycle Bin, and a new file showed up this morning... Crystaldiskinfo confirms all drives are functioning properly. OS version is Windows 10 latest, hardware includes a Gigabyte B450 Aorus M motherboard, Ryzen 5 5600X CPU, GTX 1070 Founders Edition GPU, 16GB RAM from G.SKILL, EVGA 650 B3 power supply, SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB, and BIOS version F61a.
I’m not an expert, but an NVIDIA GPU update won’t directly cause ransomware. I’d recommend saving your important files and creating a separate system restore image just in case. It might seem like just basic Windows stuff, but it’s a good precaution.
It seems like the drive is experiencing typical failure symptoms, but if it's still functioning well, it might be a Windows issue—possibly corruption or malware. Perform a scan with Malwarebytes. If nothing appears, consider upgrading Windows directly using the media creation tool or a Windows installation USB to reinstall it. This process won't remove applications or files but can resolve most problems.