Computer users have many questions
Avoiding scams, repairing malfunctioning programs and other tips
I get plenty of emails from readers about a variety of issues and dilemmas. Some questions are about topics that I’ve covered before, which is understandable since I can’t assume readers will remember every topic I’ve covered. Other questions are about important concerns I’ve never written about. Here are the answers to a couple of items, one old and one new, that several readers asked about.
Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get a phone call or email from someone who has encountered a particularly popular and alarming scam. A popup window appears informing the user the computer is infected with a virus and they must call a phone number right away to get help. The popup cannot be closed, often bears a Microsoft label, and the computer appears to be frozen. Sometimes a voice is heard over the speakers reasserting the warning or a digital clock counts down the minutes until the moment all files will be deleted.
Despite the panic-inducing drama, nothing permanent has been done to the computer. It’s usually a java script exploit and will disappear if the browser is closed or the computer re-started. Try Task Manager first. In Windows 8.1 or 10 right click on the start icon in the bottom left of the screen and select “Task Manager” from the displayed list. In Win 7 you get to Task Manager by holding down the alt, ctrl, and delete keys at the same time.
In Task Manager select your browser, such as Firefox or Chrome, in the list of Processes and click on End Process. There are instructions at the Bleeping Computer site (https://tinyurl.com/ycoxyvrk). This will close the browser and the popup, but be careful. When you open the browser again it will ask if you want to return to the website you were at when the browser closed unexpectedly. Say no or the scam popup will return.
If this doesn’t work there’s a more direct method. Hold down the on/off button on your computer for five seconds or longer
until it abruptly shuts down. Restart the computer, open the browser, don’t let it restore the previous website, and everything should be fine.
If you panic and phone the number on the screen you could end up paying hundreds of US dollars to allow a charlatan to take over your computer and possibly do significant damage.
Since I previously wrote about this exploit, I’ve discovered a way to potentially prevent it by running an ad blocker on your browser. I’ve used an ad blocker for years to stop pages from bouncing around as ads load and to prevent ads and a lot of fake news on Facebook. Adblock Plus (https://adblockplus.org) is a free download and will run on most browsers on
computers, tablets and smartphones.
A new topic I hadn’t previously written about presented itself in an email from a reader who said that his Microsoft Outlook email program wouldn’t start and he didn’t have the MS Office discs to re-install the program. Luckily, in Windows 10 it’s possible to repair many Microsoft programs and other apps instead of re-installing them. To see if it’s possible, click on the Start icon, then the gear icon to open Settings, and select Apps. In the Apps and Features section scroll down the list, find the malfunctioning program, click on it, and see if the Modify button is active. Clicking on Modify should open a window with a repair function. If it’s greyed out don’t give up. Look for an Advanced Options
link in blue. Opening that should give you several options, including a reset function.
If you’re having other problems, such as connecting to the internet or playing sounds, Microsoft has a page of “easy fix solutions”, most of which involve a small download that runs a repair tool (https:// tinyurl.com/zo2bvhx). Don’t expect miracles but many of the tools I’ve run have resolved issues.
It would be nice if there was an easy fix for all of the questions I receive.