Did you manage to set SP3 installed and fully update your Patches from the Windows site ?

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Albeit with a good deal more time to research and I decided to use Avast, I didn’t trust my other antivirus any longer

May one ask what program you did have?

Pondus essentially said, I hope, never use two antivirus apps at the same time
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I see on many of the Malware removal specialist forums that people have (unwisely) run two ore more antivirus prograsm on their machins then wondered why they had gotten infectedd !!

You need one anitvirus program and run it in Real time, plus a good but not overpowering selection of antimalware programs
That said, how is your machine currently?