Help. Unwanted popups. How do we stop them?

[Flopper]

Don't know if this is the right place to ask computer questions but it seems logical?

I long ago uninstalled McAfee on hubby's computer. Today he has constant McAfee popups coming up wanting him of terrible threats to this computer etc. He keeps clicking them off. We have rebooted the computer several times. nothing seems to stop them.

Running a Norton deep scan now. But Norton apparently didn't recognize this as a trojan or virus.

What do we do to stop them? Asking of you computer geniuses out there of which I am not one but I'm the IT person for our household.

I have had them several times and the method of riding yourself of them is always different. Is the popup present only with your browser is open?

If the popup is on the screen all the time, the First thing to do is examine the popup very carefully to make sure that the X to close it is not hidden on the top bottom or sides of the image.

Second, use task manager to see what is running. Usually you can right click on the taskbar at bottom of screen. You can see apps that are running and lower down background tasks. Check the apps first . Then look at background tasks. You may need to search the Internet see what they are. End any task that is suspicious and re-boot.

You maybe able to use windows task switcher to go to to other running tasks. Just press alt-tab to switch tasks.

 

[Foxfyre]

I have had them several times and the method of riding yourself of them is always different. Is the popup present only with your browser is open?

If the popup is on the screen all the time, the First thing to do is examine the popup very carefully to make sure that the X to close it is not hidden on the top bottom or sides of the image.

Second, use task manager to see what is running. Usually you can right click on the taskbar at bottom of screen. You can see apps that are running and lower down background tasks. Check the apps first . Then look at background tasks. You may need to search the Internet see what they are. End any task that is suspicious and re-boot.

You maybe able to use windows task switcher to go to to other running tasks. Just press alt-tab to switch tasks.

You can close these McAfee popups easily but they keep coming rapid fire stacking on top of each other. They aren't coming from Chrome because when I close that the popups keep coming. He doesn't use any other browser. Norton or Malwarebytes couldn't find a virus or trojan producing them. But installing Adblock took care of them nicely. I have not had that problem on my computer. We'll both be replacing our computers later this year and hopefully the problem won't reoccur.

I keep reminding my husband to never click on any link on Facefook or AOL or whatever that he doesn't know exactly what it is, but he sometimes forgets.

Anyhow problem is resolved for now.

Thanks.

 

[Flopper]

Yes. I don't want to poke around in the registry for fear of compromising something Windows needs to operate. I'm just not skilled enough to know what's what.

Took McAfee off his computer so long ago I don't remember if I used a McAfee uninstaller or used the remove programs feature on the Control Panel. This popup problem has never occurred until today now. I figure he picked it up in a malicious website.

But either Malwarebytes or Adblock Plus seems to have stopped the popups. For now anyway.

Thanks.

You're lucky. Some people never rid themselves of these pests. There is nothing that beats a full image backup of your C: drive. Done properly it can fix any problem except hardware failures. And if hardware fails, you can restore the whole C:\ to new hardware or just data. Backups have save my ass many times in both my job and my personal use of computers.

 

[Flopper]

You can close these McAfee popups easily but they keep coming rapid fire stacking on top of each other. They aren't coming from Chrome because when I close that the popups keep coming. He doesn't use any other browser. Norton or Malwarebytes couldn't find a virus or trojan producing them. But installing Adblock took care of them nicely. I have not had that problem on my computer. We'll both be replacing our computers later this year and hopefully the problem won't reoccur.

I keep reminding my husband to never click on any link on Facefook or AOL or whatever that he doesn't know exactly what it is, but he sometimes forgets.

Anyhow problem is resolved for now.

Thanks.

Hackers keep getting smarter. They can email letters out that look just like they are from your bank or credits cards companies.

Here is one to look out for.
You get an email or text message from your bank. It has a bank logo, phone numbers addresses and other information that makes it look authentic.

The pitch is your account is being emptied out as you read this. Click the button below to lock your account and stop these thieves. Alternatively you can make an appointment with an officer at the following branch office, which is no where near you.

The scammers are counting on the fact that you will click the button below. What problems could that cause? Well plenty. When you click the link, it will take to the scammer website. Then almost anything you do can result in downloads of malware, keystroke trackers, etc. At the very least your email is going to be flagged as a sucker and sold to other scammers.

Bottom line, never click on a link in an email from someone you don't know. Pickup the phone and call your bank, credit card company or just do research on Internet.

 

[Foxfyre]

Hackers keep getting smarter. They can email letters out that look just like they are from your bank or credits cards companies.

Here is one to look out for.
You get an email or text message from your bank. It has a bank logo, phone numbers addresses and other information that makes it look authentic.

The pitch is your account is being emptied out as you read this. Click the button below to lock your account and stop these thieves. Alternatively you can make an appointment with an officer at the following branch office, which is no where near you.

The scammers are counting on the fact that you will click the button below. What problems could that cause? Well plenty. When you click the link, it will take to the scammer website. Then almost anything you do can result in downloads of malware, keystroke trackers, etc. At the very least your email is going to be flagged as a sucker and sold to other scammers.

Bottom line, never click on a link in an email from someone you don't know. Pickup the phone and call your bank, credit card company or just do research on Internet.

I know too well. I have compiled quite a good collection of the scams that are out there and may try to have it published as an e-book. I am just married to a really trusting guy who forgets all that at times.

 

[Flopper]

I know too well. I have compiled quite a good collection of the scams that are out there and may try to have it published as an e-book. I am just married to a really trusting guy who forgets all that at times.

You should post some of the better ones. Over 90% of hacks and scams can be avoid. Things like deleting cookies daily, putting secondary authorizations on all important online services, keeping all software update, using facial or fingerprint authorization where available, keeping good security software on your computer, using a good password manager, and researching anything you receive that doesn't sound right.

 

[Foxfyre]

You should post some of the better ones. Over 90% of hacks and scams can be avoid. Things like deleting cookies daily, putting secondary authorizations on all important online services, keeping all software update, using facial or fingerprint authorization where available, keeping good security software on your computer, using a good password manager, and researching anything you receive that doesn't sound right.

Maybe sometime. Most threads of mine like that intended to teach are sent someplace nobody ever sees them though. The leftist mods here don't like me I think.

 

[egp320i]

Don't know if this is the right place to ask computer questions but it seems logical?

I long ago uninstalled McAfee on hubby's computer. Today he has constant McAfee popups coming up wanting him of terrible threats to this computer etc. He keeps clicking them off. We have rebooted the computer several times. nothing seems to stop them.

Running a Norton deep scan now. But Norton apparently didn't recognize this as a trojan or virus.

What do we do to stop them? Asking of you computer geniuses out there of which I am not one but I'm the IT person for our household.

adblocker ulimate, I don't see any adds in firefox

if that does stop you have a virus that is high jacking your browser

download msert from microsoft and run it

 

[Foxfyre]

adblocker ulimate, I don't see any adds in firefox

if that does stop you have a virus that is high jacking your browser

download msert from microsoft and run it

Right now it's under control. We aren't seeing it any more. We'll be replacing our computers later this year. All is well. But thanks.

 

[Flopper]

Maybe sometime. Most threads of mine like that intended to teach are sent someplace nobody ever sees them though. The leftist mods here don't like me I think.

I always thought this Board was primarily run by conservatives.

BTW, if you plan to buy a new computer, you might want to consider a mostly barebones computer with just an operating system and the basic hardware you need. This allows you control of what runs on your computer. It makes computer management and troubleshooting a lot easier. Major manufactures such as Dell and HP fill their computers with bloatware.

A perfectly bloat-free experience often requires a bit of effort, such as buying directly from the manufacturer or opting for a clean operating system installation. Getting such a machine with quality brand name components will likely cost a thousand bucks or more.

 

[Foxfyre]

I always thought this Board was primarily run by conservatives.

BTW, if you plan to buy a new computer, you might want to consider a mostly barebones computer with just an operating system and the basic hardware you need. This allows you control of what runs on your computer. It makes computer management and troubleshooting a lot easier. Major manufactures such as Dell and HP fill their computers with bloatware.

A perfectly bloat-free experience often requires a bit of effort, such as buying directly from the manufacturer or opting for a clean operating system installation. Getting such a machine with quality brand name components will likely cost a thousand bucks or more.

Most of the mods at USMB lean left. Generally that has not been a problem though they do in my opinion move some of my better threads to areas where they are unlikely to ever be seen.

I have had computers built for me in the past. But I can buy a refurbished HP with all the bells and whistles, 1 or 2 tbs of space, and lightning fast with tons of RAM for under $200. And it will always work with our big HP monitors and other gizmos we use with the computer. On our modest retirement budget, that makes more sense for us. We'll just put up with the bloatware.

 

[Flopper]

Most of the mods at USMB lean left. Generally that has not been a problem though they do in my opinion move some of my better threads to areas where they are unlikely to ever be seen.

I have had computers built for me in the past. But I can buy a refurbished HP with all the bells and whistles, 1 or 2 tbs of space, and lightning fast with tons of RAM for under $200. And it will always work with our big HP monitors and other gizmos we use with the computer. On our modest retirement budget, that makes more sense for us. We'll just put up with the bloatware.

You can remove most of the bloatware which is probably a good thing. Since most bloatware is not updated, it will eventually cause a problem.

My problem with HP as well as Dell and most of the large manufactures today is they abandoned the ATX standard so they can buy the cheap junk coming out southeast Asia. Everything is integrated into the motherboard so they can't be repaired or upgraded making them prime candidates for landfills.

 

[Foxfyre]

You can remove most of the bloatware which is probably a good thing. Since most bloatware is not updated, it will eventually cause a problem.

My problem with HP as well as Dell and most of the large manufactures today is they abandoned the ATX standard so they can buy the cheap junk coming out southeast Asia. Everything is integrated into the motherboard so they can't be repaired or upgraded making them prime candidates for landfills.

Probably all true. But at our age, being able to have an efficient, lightning fast computer for a couple of hundred dollars or less is truly a blessing as our physical limitations don't let us do a lot of things we otherwise would be doing. Our computers are the way we stay connected with friends and family across the country and around the world, allow us to do a lot of our business and shopping, and are where we get most of our information anymore and provide us a lot of entertainment.

Meanwhile we can all aid and promote improved recycling of all the stuff we use. I am pretty sure the day will come when we're digging up those landfills and feeding the contents into efficient recycling machines to be useful in countless ways.

 

[Flopper]

Probably all true. But at our age, being able to have an efficient, lightning fast computer for a couple of hundred dollars or less is truly a blessing as our physical limitations don't let us do a lot of things we otherwise would be doing. Our computers are the way we stay connected with friends and family across the country and around the world, allow us to do a lot of our business and shopping, and are where we get most of our information anymore and provide us a lot of entertainment.

Meanwhile we can all aid and promote improved recycling of all the stuff we use. I am pretty sure the day will come when we're digging up those landfills and feeding the contents into efficient recycling machines to be useful in countless ways.

There is a place near me that buys computers, monitors, and printers by the pound from businesses, schools, secondhand stores. Devices that are not sellable are pulled apart to recover plastic, iron, steel, copper, aluminum, glass and precious metals. The rest are sold to the public as is with no warranty or returns. I bought a $400 Dell Hi-res monitor for 20 bucks a few years ago and I'm using it right now. Computers they don't sell that run are refurbished which means running diagnostics, checks for malware, and deletion of user data folders. They are then sent to one of several dozens stores they own or wholesaled to distributors.

Today, I think there is an attempt to resell or recycled most computers.

 

[Ringel05]

Yeah, as others have said dump McAffee and Norton. Uninstall unfortunately leaves a lot of stuff still on your computer. Download and install Revo Computer to get rid of all those files that were left behind. Windows Defender has come a long way and typically hits with the big boys these days.

 

[Ringel05]

A couple of weeks ago I gave my Win 11 gamer to one of my brothers. He's computer illiterate......... He thought his ancient Windows machine would automatically update to Win11........ Oh and Cortana is no longer on Windows 11, long gone nor can you create a local account during Win 11 install, you have to do it after setting everything up.
I still play games so I took my Linux computer which I wasn't using and knew it was 11 compatible though Microsoft said otherwise and finally made it compatible. Had to change the CSM (Legacy) to UEFI in the SSD drive itself to get Microsoft to accept it. It is now my Windows 11 gamer.

 

[egp320i]

Yeah, as others have said dump McAffee and Norton. Uninstall unfortunately leaves a lot of stuff still on your computer. Download and install Revo Computer to get rid of all those files that were left behind. Windows Defender has come a long way and typically hits with the big boys these days.

uninstall in safe mode only and yes revo rocks, I just removed avast that has been on my computer for ages, some new windows patch or something was giving me random bsod, got rid of and that pesky secure browser, computer is even more faster and yeah defender works really good, just odd not having like a console really to "see" it

as for revo you need the pro to do deep drive but they give you free trial for 30 days, only need it once

 

[egp320i]

A couple of weeks ago I gave my Win 11 gamer to one of my brothers. He's computer illiterate......... He thought his ancient Windows machine would automatically update to Win11........ Oh and Cortana is no longer on Windows 11, long gone nor can you create a local account during Win 11 install, you have to do it after setting everything up.
I still play games so I took my Linux computer which I wasn't using and knew it was 11 compatible though Microsoft said otherwise and finally made it compatible. Had to change the CSM (Legacy) to UEFI in the SSD drive itself to get Microsoft to accept it. It is now my Windows 11 gamer.

only two things for 11, TMP 2.0 and a CPU check, most computers now have 4GB of ram, course flyby11 can bypass all of that, so I have read and watched
odd ms would let you go to a long term legacy key with whatever your key was, that is generally for items like ATM's and the like, it won't be updated very often

probably better just using a bypass and get 11 with feature updates

 

[Foxfyre]

Yeah, as others have said dump McAffee and Norton. Uninstall unfortunately leaves a lot of stuff still on your computer. Download and install Revo Computer to get rid of all those files that were left behind. Windows Defender has come a long way and typically hits with the big boys these days.

But why dump Norton? It is the top rated virus protection program by most of the tech sites and never less than #2 or #3 of their picks

We use it paired with Lifelock and they have found our stuff on the dark web more than once--always something with an old password we no longer use but it's out there.

 

[toobfreak]

Don't know if this is the right place to ask computer questions but it seems logical?
I long ago uninstalled McAfee on hubby's computer. Today he has constant McAfee popups coming up wanting him of terrible threats to this computer etc. He keeps clicking them off. We have rebooted the computer several times. nothing seems to stop them.
Running a Norton deep scan now. But Norton apparently didn't recognize this as a trojan or virus.
What do we do to stop them? Asking of you computer geniuses out there of which I am not one but I'm the IT person for our household.

Change your privacy setting to block pop up ads. Firebox has an enhanced tracking setting where this is done easily.

You might want to consider getting a firewall and using a virtual IP.