Forum

What’s a Scare Screen? A scare screen is a scam tactic that tricks users into thinking something's wrong with their system—usually to get them to call a fake support number. Modern scare screens often force your browser into full-screen mode to make it seem like your system is locked. In reality, it’s just the browser in full-screen (you can usually press F11 to exit). Some will play beeping sounds and use voice messages like “Your PC has been locked.” It’s all fake—nothing serious is actually happening. A very common scare screen A Very Common Scare Screen Easiest way to close these popups:If you're quick, just close the tab, not the whole browser. That usually gets you back to normal (either to your desktop or another open tab). What will appear when pressing ALT + CTRL and DELETE Too slow?Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE, then open Task Manager and end the browser task (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.). Task manager ending the chrome task How to Avoid These Popups A lot of these scams come from malicious ads, especially on news sites (e.g., MSN News). It’s common for URLs or ad links to be hijacked. Tips: • Avoid clicking ad banners unless you’re 100% sure of the destination. • Use browser extensions like uBlock Origin, which blocks scam sites, malware, and known bad ad networks. Get uBlock Origin: • Edge: uBlock Origin - Microsoft Edge Addons • Chrome: uBlock Origin Lite (Chrome Web Store) Note: Chrome has a Lite version, but it works just as well. Extra Protection (Edge Only) Microsoft Edge now uses AI to detect scareware and automatically redirect users away from scam pages. More info here: Scareware blocker | Microsoft Edge Also an extra thing you can do if you land on a page that doesn't look right is to use a site called virus total and copy and paste the URL into it and will check for you if its a phishing site etc. VirusTotal - Home

Microsoft is making waves in the Windows internals once again. In the latest Windows 11 Insider Dev preview build 26200.5516, the tech giant has quietly removed the popular BypassNRO.cmd script—a tool that allowed users to bypass the Microsoft Account requirement during setup. This decision marks another bold step in Microsoft’s quest to push a cloud-centric experience, enforce enhanced security protocols, and streamline user interaction from the get-go. A Quick Recap: What Was the BypassNRO.cmd Script?​ For many Windows enthusiasts, the ability to set up a local account on Windows 11 meant freedom from a mandated Microsoft Account sign-in—a feature that some saw as an invasion of privacy. The BypassNRO.cmd script emerged as a clever workaround in the pre-production builds. Here’s how it worked: The Setup Hack: During the Out-Of-Box Experience (OOBE), when the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen appears, pressing Shift+F10 opens a command prompt. Execution: Typing the command c:\windows\system32\oobe\BypassNRO.cmd would trigger a change: on reboot, the networking screen would now offer an option to skip the internet connection step, thereby permitting the creation of a local account. Under the Hood: The script essentially creates a registry value that disables the enforced network requirement leading to a forced Microsoft Account login. Alongside this popular script, some advanced users discovered that manually entering a registry shortcut could achieve the same effect. Running the command below in the Windows command prompt would do the trick:   reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f   shutdown /r /t 0 Despite this viable workaround, Microsoft’s latest decision to remove the script from Insider builds aims to bolster overall security and user experience.

How to activate your Norton protection with a product key