Tech News

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

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).

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…