Forum Discussion
Leroy95
Apr 03, 2026Brass Contributor
MIL who lives in another state sent me this screen cap several hours ago - how bad is it?
Says she clicked on a Gmail shortcut, which I created on her desktop months ago only because she's prone to typing in or clicking on the wrong URL, she says that's all she did then BAM the mouse locked up, screen littered with over 20 popups, and a "Your computer is infected, call Microsoft Tech support at 855-337-6815" recording started running in loops.
2 Replies
- AdamRobinsonBronze Contributor
Disconnect from the network, force shutdown, then boot into Safe Mode and run a full scan with Windows Defender to remove any malware.
- AzraelenBrass Contributor
Restart the computer in Safe Mode to prevent the malware from loading. To do this, restart the computer and press the F8 key repeatedly before the Windows logo appears. Select "Safe Mode" from the menu.