Removing Hijacker Popups
Recently, one of the most common brower hijackers I hear about takes over the screen and warns the computer user that there is a problem with the computer and to call an 800#.
Do not call the 800#. The "popup" taking over the scrren is a scam.
Here is how to close the popup and remove the scam.
1. Close the warning covering the screen
Press three keys at the same time CTRL SHIFT ESC
Task Manager will popup. You will see a web browser listed (for example Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer)
Right click on the web browser listed, and select End Task. The popup covering the screen will close.
2. Clean the web browser. Open the web browser the popup was using and clear the history.
How do you know if you have a browser hijacker?
- Your computer has endless popups, and you can't get rid of them.
- Your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome) goes places you don't want to go
- You tell your browser to go somewhere and it goes somewhere else.
- Your "Home Page" has changed and you didn't do it.
- New "toolbars" or links have been added and you don't know where they came from.
- Your computer is terribly slow, and your antivirus can't find anything wrong with it.
- You, and possibly others, have tried to get rid of them but they keep coming back.
Removing a hijacker can be very tedious and labor intensive.
- 1. uninstall any hijacker related software
- 2. edit the registry [dangerous without proper precautions]
- 3. delete associated files and folders[also dangerous]
- 4. clean the computer of any remaining problems, and
- 5. reconfigure the settings in your browser.