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Removing Ramsomware From Your Computer

Updated on April 12, 2013
If you see this....it's too late.  You're infected!
If you see this....it's too late. You're infected!

Symptoms You Have A Problem

If your computer is:

  • sluggish
  • redirecting to different websites
  • stalling
  • flashing images in the background as it loads a page (online)
  • cascading other pages you didn't request

you have a problem!

What is Threat?

AH! Springtime! When all the new virus' and ransomwares begin to show up on an unsuspecting computer screen near you!

The problem with the ransomware, is that it literally holds your computer for ransom until you "Pay" the ransom and then it will "Release" you. DON'T FALL FOR THIS! ALL YOU WILL DO IT PAY, PAY, PAY!

My desktop computer seems to be my most vulnerable computer. I don't understand why. When I built it, I made sure that it was protected and oddly enough, I run the same protection software on it that I run on my laptop without problems. Who knows! But, several days ago, my husband complained of REDIRECTS while online, several in one episode. This should have been my warning that something was amiss.

Unfortunately, I ignored it and today, my husband was given the ultimate issue.

First, he started surfing as normal. Suddenly, his screen locked. He shut down the computer and rebooted. Then, he tried surfing again. This time, the screen stalled, and approximately 30 windows cascaded across his screen......all porno sites! He immediately shutdown the computer and tried reopening in SAFE MODE.

At this point he was completely locked out, as the FBI WARNING screen was showing.

The Solution

As I have dealt with this creature previously, I went online to my favorite computer help site for assistance. As I noted previously, it seems that periodically, these nuts who create all these computer threats enjoy making them stronger and better, so how you treat them for removal needs updated regularly as well.

And, believe me, the virus software and scans don't catch everything! That's obvious!

But, if you go to http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-fbi-cybercrime-division-ransomware, this site keeps up with all the details and suggestions for assisting you with removal of these nasty little creatures. The site gives you step-by-step instructions for removal, complete with screen shots. If you have problems, simply create an account and post to the forums. I have never failed to get a helpful response.

It probably took me longer to clean off my USB Key for reformatting than it did for the removal. And now, the computer is running perfectly again with no redirects or stalls.

working

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