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Just recently my computer has become plagued with pop up ads. A lot of things that don't interest me. Online gambling sites. Or "Hot women in your area looking for men."

"Your computer has 3 viruses. Click here to fix them."

These aren't big pop ups blocking the screen. They're small and appear in the top right side of the screen. Sometimes I don't even notice them until I try to close the window I'm currently in. Then. they're covering up the close button. I have to keep on closing all the pop ups. It seems every time I close one. there's another behind it I have to close too.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Most browsers have a Privacy or Security setting to block pop-ups, maybe yours does and it got changed. What are you using? Have you tried using a different browser, or an ad blocker?

I've been using google chrome. I like it. But I just now switched over to firefox and no more pop ups.

I thought using Firefox had solved the problem, but they're back.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 23, 2019 11:17 am

I've been using google chrome. I like it. But I just now switched over to firefox and no more pop ups.

I use the original Google.
Unlike Chrome, it can be set to automatically delete cookies, browsing history, any passwords, and many other things, every time I close the browser.
I'm not saying it's not the safest surfing browser, but I like that enough to stick with it.

Turkeytop,

Looks like your computer has been infected with malware. I suggest downloading the free version of Malware Bytes (https://www.malwarebytes.com) and running a full scan.

Authorize it to remove (delete) any & all files it identifies as malware / bloatware upon completion of the scan.

If you already have Anti-Virus software on your computer, decline the trial of the deluxe version of Malware Bytes, since it could cause a conflict with your existing A-V software.

Malware bytes is the way to go.

So I ran it and it generated this report. What do I do next? Click on quarantine?

I always 'Quarantine' mine but I also run the app uBlock Origin thru the Firefox add ons.

YES - definitely Quarantine those files! Then, reboot your machine and run a new scan to make sure everything comes back clean.

It's now been about 12 hours since I did the quarantine and it looks like it worked. No more pop ups. No more hot women wanting to meet me.

We should have warned you that was the down side to Malware bytes...

They're back. Not just the hot women. Now I'm winning money. I won $4700.00. All I have to do is click to get the details.

Your computer got reinfected. What type of Anti-Virus software do you use? Also, do you have a Firewall of some sort in place? (If not, you should!)

As an additional precaution, I would recommend rebooting your router. Do a factory reset by depressing the small "reset" button - you will probably need a pencil or unfolded paper clip to do so.

At this point you might want to download and run a program called COMBOFIX. It is my go-to program for particularly pesky infections.

Just download it, run it, and let it do its thing.