The “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” pop-up is part of a small program that is integrated into the system to be able to promote computer assistance service via phone number 877-649-9499. You may get this program by downloading and installing shareware applications or fake software updates. By packing the code that issues “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” into other software, developers are hoping to spread the service quickly and easily. Unknown to the user, the program they have downloaded and installed will somehow corrupt the system by dropping adware. So far, “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” is deemed adware and not a computer virus.
Misleading pop-ups from the taskbar
When the “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” code is installed, it will pop up from the system tray at any given time, without the need to be executed. The adware promotes mainly their “computer support” assistance, followed by a series of tools and programs, which it calls essential.
Aside from the system tray, “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” intervenes with all open programs and appears on the top portion. It will contain the following message:
Windows Firewall Warning:
Your computer has adware / spyware virus
What to do:
Call 877-649-9499 immediately for assistance on how to remove the virus. The call is toll-free.
The “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” pop-up may deceive you with false findings about computer errors or virus presence. Keep in mind that this is how the fake alert can force you to use their online support assistance. The same method attempts to entice you into buying endorsed programs.
Eliminate the threat to avoid further harm on the computer
If you are seeing “Your computer has adware / spyware virus” on the computer, it is still best to remove the adware using the add/remove program in Windows. If not fully removed, utilize some tools to uninstall the malware from the system and stop the pop-up alert.
"Your computer has adware / spyware virus" Removal Procedure
In this section, we will provide effective guidelines to get rid of the threat from an infected computer. To automatically remove fake pop-up alert, you may download the recommended scanner. For comprehensive instructions, please execute the manual step-by-step procedures.
Instant Removal : Scan the computer with antivirus program
Combo Cleaner is a trusted computer security and optimization tool equipped with a powerful virus and malware detection engine. This program can get rid of bogus pop-up and similar threats, whether it has infected PC, Mac, Android, or iOS.
1. Download the application from the following page:
2. Save the file to your preferred location.
3. Double-click the downloaded file CCSetup.exe and install with the default settings.
4. At the end of the setup process, click Finish to run Combo Cleaner.
5. The tool will update the database file; please wait for this process to complete.
6. To begin checking for threats like "Your computer has adware / spyware virus", click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.
7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete "Your computer has adware / spyware virus", including all harmful objects from the computer.
To fully optimize the features of antivirus and privacy scanners, users may have to upgrade to the premium version.
Please continue with the succeeding removal procedures if you are comfortable manually getting rid of the pop-up and malicious items linked to it.
Manual Removal : Steps to get rid of fake pop-up warning
The steps below will guide you to manually remove the fake pop-up without having to purchase a recommended virus scanner. We have tested the procedures; hence, the attackers may make modifications overtime. As a result, terms, names, and images in the guide may differ from what users are seeing recently.
The procedure may require you to close the browser or restart the computer; therefore, we are suggesting to Bookmark or Print this page.Step 1 : Delete Suspicious Browser Extension and Notifications
Normally, "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" pop-ups will start to bombard internet browser screen with pop-ups if web user was deceived to click “Allow” button that triggers the said website to send push notification. To stop "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" from showing the pop-ups, please execute the procedures below.
Google Chrome
Google Chrome Notifications
1. On Google Chrome browser, type or copy and paste the following in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
chrome://settings/content/notifications
2. Scroll down to the list under "Allowed to send notifications" section and look for "Your computer has adware / spyware virus".
3. Click ellipses icon (3-dot) beside "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" list to reveal the options.
4. Click on Block or Remove to stop "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" from displaying pop-up ads on Google Chrome browser.
5. Please restart your Google Chrome browser.
Remove Malicious Extension from Google Chrome
1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
2. Input the strings below in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
chrome://extensions/
3. Look for malicious browser extension and remove it from Google Chrome.
Alternative Method to Clean Up Google Chrome browser
Not all browser threats are the same. Some cannot be removed by deleting relevant extensions and codes. In this instance, resetting the browser to its default configuration is the best solution. If "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" is still bothering you after completing all the steps above, please execute the procedures below to proceed with the Google Chrome Safety Check.
1. Open the Google Chrome application.
2. Type or copy and paste the string below in the address bar. Then, press Enter on the keyboard:
chrome://settings/privacy
3. Next, please click the Go to Safety Check and review your current security status.
4. Remove any suspicious items and follow the safety recommendations of Google Chrome.
This feature of Google Chrome aims to find malicious websites and harmful software. If you are unable to delete "Your computer has adware / spyware virus", the other option is to Reset Google Chrome settings to their original defaults. See more details on this page.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge Notifications
1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser. Type or copy and paste the following in the address bar and press Enter on your keyboard:
edge://settings/content/notifications
2. Scroll down to the Allow section and select "Your computer has adware / spyware virus".
3. Click the More Actions or ellipses icon (3-dot) to reveal the options.
4. Select Remove from the options to stop the malicious website from using the push notification feature. Repeat the same procedure for other websites that keep displaying pop-up advertisements.
Remove malicious extension from Microsoft Windows and Edge Browser
1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key + R. Type the appwiz.cpl command and click OK.
2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.
3. Look for a malicious item or a recently installed suspicious entry in the list.
4. Click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.
If "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" is still present on the browser and the pop-ups persist, another option is to remove relevant adware from the browser settings.
5. Open the Microsoft Edge program.
6. Input the following string in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
edge://extensions/
7. Look for and Remove or Disable malicious items from the Installed Extensions area.
8. You may now close the window and restart the Microsoft Edge browser.
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox Notifications
1. On Mozilla Firefox browser, type the following in the address bar and press Enter key:
about:preferences#privacy
2. Scroll down to the Permissions area and look for Notifications.
3. Click the Settings button aligned with the Notifications.
4. Look for "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" entry and click the Remove WebsiteStatus button.
5. Click on Save Changes and restart Mozilla Firefox and check if "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" pop-up is gone.
Uninstall Malicious Extension from Mozilla Firefox
1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type or copy and paste the strings below in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard:
about:addons
3. Click on Extensions from the sidebar menu.
4. Look for an entry malicious extension and Disable or Remove it from the browser using the options button.
After deleting the malicious browser extension, it is expected that pop-ups and other troubles will be gone from the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Step 2 : Scan and Delete Adware with AdwCleaner
In addition to the procedure, we suggest scanning the computer with AdwCleaner tool. Possibly, there are some traces of malware on the browser that were not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for presence of malicious applications.
1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.
2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer, especially browsers affected by "Your computer has adware / spyware virus".
3. Browse the location of the downloaded file and double-click on adwcleaner.exe to start running the tool.
4. If Windows displays a prompt saying, "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" click Yes to proceed.
5. On the AdwCleaner dashboard, click on Settings.
6. While in the Settings window, please turn On the Reset Chrome Policies and Reset IE Policies.
7. Go back to the Dashboard and click the Scan Now button.
8. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated with "Your computer has adware / spyware virus".
9. Clean or Remove all suspicious and harmful items identified after the thorough scan.
10. AdwCleaner will then prompt an option to run another repair, which will reset Winsock and other settings. Please click the Run Basic Repair button.
11. A message will appear stating that "All processes will be closed..." Please click Continue.
12. After the cleanup procedure, rebooting the computer is required to finalize the removal of "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" as well as other detected threats.
Check if your internet browser application is no longer being bothered by fake pop-up. If the browser hijacker still persists, please continue with the steps below to reset internet programs to default settings.
Optional : Reset Internet Browser Program
Cleaning your internet browser from clutter and unwanted add-on/extension is a must when dealing with fake pop-up alerts. The procedure below discusses on resetting various browsers to their default state.
Restore Google Chrome to Default Settings
Resetting Google Chrome to its default settings is helpful in deleting hard-to-remove extensions. This method is highly advisable to perform if you have difficulty removing unwanted extensions.
1. Open the Google Chrome internet browser.
2. On the address bar, type chrome://settings/reset and press the Enter key.
3. Click on Reset Settings on the sidebar and choose Restore settings to their original defaults.
4. On the confirmation window, click the Reset settings button to clear all malicious entries.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed the malicious extension and associated objects.
Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default
This section describes how to remove unwanted extensions from Firefox that may be related to the fake alert. This process can fix many browser issues by restoring Firefox to factory settings without affecting your essential information (bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and Internet cookies) on the browser. If you desire to remove only a specific extension, please see the manual removal of add-ons from Firefox.
1. Input the string about:support on the Firefox web address and press Enter on the keyboard.
2. You will now see the Troubleshooting Information page of Mozilla Firefox.
3. You will notice a section in the upper-right corner of the screen stating, Give Firefox a tune-up. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
4. If a confirmation window appears, click Refresh Firefox to continue.
5. Firefox browser will close and start the resetting process. When done, it will display a list of restored data. Phony pop-up warning should be gone by now. Click Finish to open a fresh version of Firefox.
Restore Microsoft Edge to Default Settings
1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. On the address bar, please input edge://settings/reset and press Enter on the keyboard.
3. Once you are on the Reset Settings page, click on Restore settings to their default values.
4. A confirmation window will appear; click on the Reset button to continue.
Your data, like favorites, bookmarks, and history, will remain in the browser. However, this process will delete add-ons related to fake pop-up alert and other unknown objects.
System Compatibility Notice
We ensured that our method to get rid of "Your computer has adware / spyware virus" is compatible with the majority of Microsoft operating systems (Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11). To prevent complicated steps, the commands used in the instructions are common, useful, and tested. If you encounter any compatibility problems when following this tutorial, please message us or leave your comment below, and we will reply and make the required modifications.
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