Forum Discussion
Mysterious icons/links on home screen
Windows 10 version 22H2, OS Build 19045.5854.
I don't know how to best desribe this issue. I leave computer on all night. In the morning, when I move the mouse to activate the screen, there is a large, 3-panel image with links to various websites. Today's panels are titled "Daily Wonder," "Hats Off to the Class of '25," and "Markets." A click on any of these panels takes me to a website. No idea how these panels are produced or by whom. If I try to take a screenshot, the images disappear and normal home screen is shown. I do not recognize anything in the Task Manager that might explain this. Perhaps another user can ask me questions that will lead to more information.
3 Replies
Based on what you’ve described, it could be some form of adware, a browser hijacker, or some kind of overlay from a recently installed app. It’s good you’re being cautious — I’d recommend running a full anti-malware scan and checking your startup programs.
Since screenshots make the panels disappear, they are likely dynamic web content or overlay elements generated by running software.
This kind of overlay sounds like adware, malware, or a browser hijacker. It’s not normal Windows behavior. If you’re comfortable, I can guide you through more detailed steps to clean your system, or you might consider using specialized malware removal tools like Malwarebytes.
