Forum Discussion
Unexpected Pop-up Ads from System on my Windows PC
My Windows PC keeps showing unexpected pop-up ads that appear to come from system processes or notifications, even when no browser is open, and these ads often promote antivirus software, performance boosters, or fake system alerts that mimic Windows Security warnings. I have already scanned with Windows Defender and Malwarebytes, checked my installed programs for suspicious apps, and disabled notification permissions for unknown websites, but the pop-ups continue to appear randomly throughout the day.
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Your pop-ups occur without a browser despite scans, so a background app, scheduled task, or potentially unwanted application is more likely. Do not click an alert; capture wording and time. Save your work, then open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options and run Microsoft Defender Offline, which restarts the PC and scans before Windows loads. Under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings, enable potentially unwanted app blocking for apps and downloads. If alerts continue, perform a clean boot: in msconfig, hide Microsoft services and disable the remainder; disable startup apps in Task Manager and restart. If the ads stop, re-enable items in groups to isolate the source. Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns can then show third-party logon entries and scheduled tasks; uncheck a suspect entry instead of deleting it. The source cannot be confirmed without the screenshot or identified entry, so preserve that evidence before removal.
