Something Went Wrong With Your Windows Scam

What is Something Went Wrong With Your Windows?

"Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" is a fake error message displayed by a malicious website that is often visited by users inadvertently - they are redirected by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). These applications usually infiltrate systems without permission (the "bundling" method).

As well as causing redirects, PUPs deliver intrusive ads and collect various user-system information relating to Internet browsing activity.

According to the "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" error, the system has been infected with high-risk malware and, therefore, the TCP Connection has been blocked.

In addition, malware might steal various personal data (logins/passwords, banking details, etc.) For these reasons, victims are encouraged to contact technical support via a toll-free telephone number ("1-855-743-8697") provided. They are then guided through the removal process.

As mentioned above, however, the "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" error message is fake. Cyber criminals attempt to trick users into calling and paying for technical services that are not required. You can remove this error simply by closing the web browser. PUPs deliver various intrusive online advertisements such as pop-ups, coupons, banners, etc.

These ads are displayed using a "virtual layer" - a tool that enables placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, the content of visited websites is often concealed. By displaying content-concealing advertisements, PUPs significantly diminish the browsing experience.

Furthermore, these apps continually record various user-system information-types such as Internet service providers, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, geo-locations, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, mouse/keyboard activity, and other similar information that might contain personal details.

The data is shared with cooperating third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. The presence of information-tracking apps can result in serious privacy issues or even identity theft and, therefore, they must be eliminated immediately.

Research reveals dozens of fake scams similar to "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows". The list of examples includes Invalid Partition Type Was Detected, Attempt To Tamper Data On This PC, Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted, and many others.

All claim that the computer has been infected or damaged in various ways, however, as with Something Went Wrong With Your Windows, these error messages are designed only to scare and trick users into paying for services that are not required. In fact, PUPs are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

By offering various 'useful features', they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, rather than providing any value for regular users, PUPs cause unwanted redirects (thereby increasing traffic of certain websites), deliver intrusive ads (via the "Pay Per Click" advertising model), and collect various user-system information (which is later sold to third parties).

How did adware install on my computer?

Criminals proliferate potentially unwanted programs by employing a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". users often rush these procedures and skip many steps. Therefore, bundled programs are hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings. Hence, users who skip this section often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue programs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent system infiltration by PUPs, be cautious during the download/installation processes. Closely analyze each step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and decline offers to download/install additional applications. Bundled software should never be installed.

Text presented within the first "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" error pop-up:

Windows System Security Alert
Oops!! Something went wrong with your Windows
Dear Windows user, The Website you have recently visited have downloaded the Malware and Virus on your Windows system.
Windows Defender is Suspicious about your Windows System Security.
Your TCP Connection Was Blocked by Your Windows Security System. Your Windows and Chrome has been locked until we may hear from your to immediately fix this issue. Please Contact Windows Help Desk Customer Support 1-855-743-8697 (TOLL-FREE) IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED Please contact network administration to rectify the issue. Please do not open Internet browser for your security issue to avoid data corruption on your registry of your operating system Windows. Please contact Windows network administration department a…rived from the story of the wooden horse used to trick defenders of Troy into taking concealed warriors into their city in ancient Greece, because computer Trojans often employ a form of social engineering, presenting themselves as routine, useful, or interesting in order to persuade victims to install them on their computers.
A Trojan often acts as a backdoor, contacting a controller which can then have unauthorised access to the affected computer. The Trojan and backdoors are not themselves easily detectable, but if they carry out significant computing or communications activity may cause the computer to run noticeably slowly. Malicious programs are classified as Trojans if they do not attempt to infect themselves into other files (computer virus) or otherwise propagate themselves (worm). Computer may host a Trojan via a malicious program a user is duped into executing files or browsing Internet. Please contact network administration department as 1-855-743-8697 (TOLL-FREE).

Screenshot of second "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" scam error pop-up:

Text presented within the second "Something Went Wrong With Your Windows" error pop-up:

The Website you may have recently visited have downloaded the Malware and Virus on your Windows system. Contact Windows Help Desk for Immediate Support and resolve the issue at Toll-Free 1-855-743-8697. Click on “Report To Windows” to let us know about the issue.

Windows detected major Malware and Virus Download from the Internet. DO NOT TRY TO CLOSE THIS PAGE. Your Personal Information like Login User Name, Password and Banking Details are may not be SAFE. Contact Windows Help Desk to prevent Data Theft on your Windows system. Call Support Toll Free 1-855-743-8697 For Immediate Support or download Windows Security Essentials to Scan your Windows PC.

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Quick menu:

• What is Something Went Wrong With Your Windows?
• STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue extension from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove adware from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "something went wrong with your windows" virus, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "something went wrong with your windows" virus, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with "something went wrong with your windows" virus removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "something went wrong with your windows" virus, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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