Hi and welcome to the forums
Sorry to hear about your problems. MSI laptops are not my favorite to troubleshoot, though I've never worked on an actual MSI laptop on my workbench, I've helped to fix many here on the forum.
**ROUTER VIRUS REMOVAL PROCEDURE** #1: Since you suspect your router has a virus/malware; here's what I suggest. Go into your Router using it's Admin utility, most are usually available from the manufacturer's website such as Cisco/Linksys or Netgear. Go into each and every setting on your router and do screengrabs of each page. Copy and paste into a MS Word document and call it
CURRENT ROUTER SETTINGS. You can also do this with paper and pen/pencil, but that also takes an hour or two to do manually.
#2: If your router Admin utility has a
BACKUP function, I suggest you run the Backup Settings and save it to a .cfg file on your desktop or a flash drive; both locations are best.
#3: Perform a factory hard-reset on your router using the recessed hidden button on the router somewhere. All routers have these. Download the Users Manual from the router manufacturer's support website, it will give you a diagram and location of the factory reset button. Most modern routers (made since 2007) have this feature and also will tell you to wait 30 seconds - 3 minutes or so before the reboot is done and all the settings are reset to factory default.
#4: Disconnect or turn off all wireless devices on your home network from the router. Then disconnect
ALL hardwired devices plugged into the router's Ethernet ports
EXCEPT the laptop or PC you have plugged into the router to perform the Admin maintenance procedures in Steps #1-#3 above.
#5: Attempt to use the Internet using the hardwired-connected computer to the router for 1-2 hours. Use all browsers installed on that computer to check. You should also check your E-mail client whether app based, or webmail client and make sure you can send/receive E-mail to yourself as well. If this test passes, you've fixed the problem and eradicated any viruses or other problems with your router and you're all set to go!
#6: After Step #5 is successful, begin plugging in all the rest of your hardwired-connected computers and repeat this test with each of your computers, one at a time. If each of these computers works as in Step #5; continue to Step #7.
#7: Finally, begin connecting your wireless devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones to the Wi-Fi in your router; again 1 device at a time. Repeat the steps in Step #5, until all mobile devices are connecting and working properly on the Internet and E-mail. When completed this step is; your home network should be mostly all working with your factory reset router!
CAVEATS: 1.) Be aware that actual infections of home routers are extremely rare;
less than 1%. I've only seen 1 or 2 in the last 15 years; though dozens of customers have told me other computer techs told them they have a router virus. Almost always, it's an infection on one of their computers or devices on their LAN that they were unable to detect/remove.
2.) If at any time along the process starting with Step #5, the Internet stops working completely on a computer or mobile device, you should
STOP immediately and repair the damage to that device. Use your AV and Malwarebytes to remove all found viruses from that device. This includes tablets/smartphones too. It's sort of like the Typhoid Mary story; it only takes 1 of your network devices to hide a copy of the virus from you or your AV programs, and as soon as the reset router is back on the network, the virus replication subroutine in the virus sends out copies of the virus itself to
ALL devices connected to your router and voila; your router has been reinfected with the virus!!!
3.) Generally speaking, the repair of a router virus is far beyond the capabilities of the average home user, and most of the time it's best to pay a Computer Tech or Computer Engineer who is licensed to deal with networking problems. Yes, that's a specialty in the computer field. I happen to be one. I've given you the steps to try to fix yourself, but it's complicated and time consuming, which most home users don't have the patience for--no offense.
4.) Lastly, if you go through the entire router reset and virus removal process on all your connected computers and mobile devices, but the problem persists, you'll need to
REPLACE the router as it is most likely defective. You can then repeat the steps I've given you on the new router, and retry your devices. If any 1 or more of your devices fails in the same manner as before; you probably still have devices that are either infected with the router virus, or are carriers (a la Typhoid Mary) and have now re-infected your brand new $200 router!
Router problems with failed internal circuitry components often can mimic router viruses, but as I said are extremely rare, and quite difficult to fix. You should know that I normally charge $100 per computer or mobile device to fix this problem. If you have 1 laptop, 2 PCs, 1 tablet, and 2 smartphones; you'd be looking at $600 for me to fix it. Different Techs charge differently of course. If you bring out a competent network tech, network engineer, or computer consultant, it can cost more than that. My advice here is to give it a try yourself, if you still can't figure it out, you'll have to backup all your data on your computers and mobile devices to external media, and completely reinstall Windows on all computers with drive erase, and factory resets on all your Mobile Devices to eradicate this virus if that's what it really is.
Post back if you have any questions, or get stuck along the way.
Best of luck,
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
