What is “Windows Is Resetting Itself” Scam? And how does it work?

“Windows Is Resetting Itself” is yet another tech support scam designed to trick users into thinking that there is something wrong with their Windows PCs. To be more specific, this particular tech support scam tells users that Windows is resetting itself. When you get redirected to the website hosting this fake alert, you will see this message on your screen:
“Due to repeated malware attack, windows is resetting itself.
You may lose your personal files on this computer
Your system data has been compromised.
Hackers may track your financial activities and get access to your personal files on this system
Please report this activity to +1-800-269-5942
Don’t turn off your computer”
As you can see, this tech support scam is trying to push a sense of urgency among its victims to make them call the given tech support number in the alert right away without having to think twice. So whenever you come across this fake alert, do not panic and don’t ever follow its instructions in calling the fake tech support number. The best thing you can do is close the tab where the alert is being displayed or better yet, close the browser itself.
Note that Microsoft has already denied being related to any kind of alerts displayed on browsers and the “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam is no exception. This tech support scam is somewhat identical to the “Microsoft Warning Alert”, “Windows Firewall Warning Alert”, “Microsoft System Security Alert” scams and so on. All these aforementioned scams are created to trick you into calling the fake tech support number. Remember that if you try calling the number provided, you might only be pressured into paying for an unnecessary service, provide confidential information or worse, give the crooks remote access to your computer. Needless to say, you can get into so much trouble if you contact the fake tech support number.
How does “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam circulate online?
You can get redirected to the site displaying the “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam when you click on misleading ads either intentionally or accidentally. But aside from that, if you find yourself seeing this tech support scam on a daily basis, then there might be some ad-supported or adware program installed in your computer. This kind of program is found on free sharing sites distributed as a part of software bundles. To avoid adware and other unwanted programs, be sure to install any freeware or shareware using only the Custom or Advanced setup rather than the quick or standard setup as it former lets you discard any extra programs added in the bundle.
Remove the “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam by following the detailed instructions laid out below.
Step 1: Tap F11 to exit if your browser is forced into full-screen mode due to the “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam.
Step 2: After that, try to close the browser manually. If you find it hard to do so, close the browser through the Task Manager.
Step 3: Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to launch the Task Manager.
Step 4: After opening the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the affected browser’s process and end it by clicking End Task or End Process.

Step 5: Close the Task Manager and reset all the affected browsers to default.
Internet Explorer

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
  3. Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
  4. Click OK to save the changes.
  5. Now switch to the Advanced tab and click the Reset button.
  6. Then check the box for “Delete personal settings” and then click Reset again.

Google Chrome

  1. Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
  2. Look for Search.hyourweatherinfonow.com or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
  3. Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
  4. Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
  5. Click on Advanced.
  6. After that, click the Reset button to reset Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
  2. In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
  3. Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
  4. Select Options and then move to the General menu.
  5. Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section.
  6. Tap Alt + H to access Help.
  7. Next, select “Troubleshooting information” and click “Refresh Firefox” at the top of the page.
  8. Now click “Refresh Firefox” again to confirm the reset.

Step 6: Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Control Panel to uninstall the adware program behind the fake alert.
Step 7: Look for the adware program or any unfamiliar program under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

Step 8: Close the Control Panel and tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
Step 9: Navigate to the following directories and look for the adware installer like the software bundle it came with as well as other suspicious files and delete them.

  • %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
  • %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
  • %TEMP%

Step 10: Close the File Explorer and empty your Recycle Bin.
To make sure “Windows Is Resetting Itself” scam is completely eliminated as well as the adware program behind it, follow the advanced steps below:
Perform a full system scan using Advanced System Repair Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
  2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

  1. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
  2. Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
  3. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

  1. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
  2. Type in the URL address, http://advancedsystemrepair.com/ASR_Installation.exein the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
  3. After that, it will download Advanced System Repair Pro. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
  4. Once the installation process is completed, run Advanced System Repair Pro to perform a full system scan.

  1. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Nowbutton.

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