What is Safewinodws.com?
Safewinodws.com is one of the sites promoting the McAfee – Your PC is infected with 5 viruses scam. The scam masquerades as a McAfee system scan, displays fake scan results and virus alerts claiming that a computer is infected with five viruses. Scammers use fake virus alerts to trick users into downloading or purchasing software they don’t need.
Usually, users end up on Safewinodws.com and similar scams by going to a misspelled URL or, clicking on a fake link from push notifications and spam emails. In addition, they can be redirected to this scam by malicious advertisements (malvertising) and Adware. Adware can be installed unknowingly when visiting malware-infested websites or downloading pirated versions of software.
Safewinodws.com website is a SCAM
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Typically, scam sites first check the user’s IP address to determine their geolocation. Scammers, having determined the user’s location, can use various scam schemes, change the page language or redirect the user to other malicious and scam sites. During the research, Safewinodws.com showed a fake message that the computer is infected with 5 viruses and other security threats. It instructs users to click “Proceed..”/”Renew License” to remove the found malware.
Safewinodws.com runs a fake McAfee system scan
As we reported above, scammers use such tactics to trick victims into installing untrustworthy and unreliable software, among which may be fake antivirus software, spyware, trojans, browser hijackers, adware and other malicious software; this is described in more detail in this article.
Safewinodws.com displays a show notifications pop-up that attempts to get users to click the ‘Allow’ button to allow to its notifications. These notifications are advertisements displayed in the lower right corner of the screen urges users to play online games, visit dubious web pages, install internet browser extensions & so on.
How to protect against Safewinodws.com scam
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is important to always keep in mind:
- There are no sites that can detect viruses and other security threats.
- Never install/purchase software promoted by suspicious sites, as it can be useless, and besides, it can be dangerous for you and your computer.
- Close Safewinodws.com as soon as it appears on your computer screen. Scammers can prevent you from closing it in various ways. In such cases, close your browser using Task Manager or restart your computer. If the next time you launch the browser, it prompts you to restore the previous session, abandon it, otherwise this scam will reopen on your screen.
- Use an ad blocker when browsing the internet. It can block known scam sites and protect you from scammers.
Threat Summary
| Name | Safewinodws.com |
| Type | scam, phishing, fake virus alerts |
| Fake claims | Your PC is infected with 5 viruses, Your McAfee subscription has expired |
| Symptoms |
|
| Removal | Safewinodws.com removal guide |
Your McAfee Subscription Has Expired, McAfee SECURITY ALERT, McAfee – Your PC is infected with 5 viruses are other scams designed to trick visitors into installing untrustworthy software or calling fake tech support. Some of these scams are positioned as a legitimate McAfee pages, but in fact have nothing to do with McAfee. The scam sites should never be trusted, they should be closed as soon as they appear on the screen.
The Safewinodws.com pop ups are caused by malicious advertisements on websites you visit, browser notifications or Adware. Browser (push) notifications are originally developed to alert the user of recently published news. Scammers use push notifications to bypass pop up blockers and therefore show a large amount of unwanted ads. These ads are used to promote questionable internet browser extensions, free gifts scams, adware software bundles, and adult webpages.
Adware is a type of malware that is developed to bombard you with unsolicited advertisements and pop-up windows that could potentially be dangerous for your personal computer. Adware can change internet browser settings and install malicious browser extensions.
How does Adware get on your PC
Adware gets onto PC system by being attached to various free programs. This means that you need to be very careful when installing software downloaded from the Web, even from a large proven hosting. Be sure to read the Terms of Use and the Software license, select only the Manual, Advanced or Custom installation method, switch off all unneeded internet browser extensions and applications are offered to install.
How to remove Safewinodws.com pop-up scam (Adware removal steps)
In order to delete Safewinodws.com popups from the Firefox, MS Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, you need to reset the web browser settings. Additionally, you should look up for other dubious entries, such as files, programs, web browser extensions and shortcuts. However, if you want to get rid of scam pop-ups easily, you should run reputable antimalware tool and let it do the job for you.
To remove Safewinodws.com, use the following steps:
- How to delete Safewinodws.com scam without any software
- Automatic Removal of Safewinodws.com pop ups
- Stop Safewinodws.com pop-ups
How to delete Safewinodws.com scam without any software
Most adware software can be deleted manually, without the use of anti-virus or other removal tools. The manual steps below will guide you through how to remove Safewinodws.com scam step by step. Although each of the steps is easy and does not require special knowledge, but you doubt that you can complete them, then use the free utilities, a list of which is given below.
Delete recently installed adware
First method for manual adware removal is to go into the MS Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of applications on your computer and see if there are any suspicious and unknown programs. If you see any, you need to delete them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Net search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted application, adware or malicious software, you will likely find information that says so.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, press Windows button
, then click Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.
Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed in the figure below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as displayed in the following example.
Very carefully look around the entire list of apps installed on your PC system. Most likely, one of them is the adware responsible for Safewinodws.com pop-ups. If you’ve many applications installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful programs by sort the list by date of installation. Once you’ve found a dubious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that press ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel such as the one below.
When the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to press ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as displayed on the image below.
You will see a list of software installed on your computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the applications that were installed last. Most probably, it is the adware software that causes multiple annoying popups. If you’re in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. After the program which you need to remove is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ like below.
Remove Safewinodws.com from Firefox by resetting browser settings
If your Firefox browser is re-directed to Safewinodws.com or an unknown search provider displays results for your search, then it may be time to perform the browser reset. When using the reset feature, your personal information like passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
First, run the Firefox and click 
button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button (
) as on the image below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as displayed in the following example. In the upper-right corner of this screen, press the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will display the confirmation dialog box. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will start a task to fix your problems that caused by the adware. When, it is done, click the “Finish” button.
Remove Safewinodws.com scam from Chrome
If you are getting Safewinodws.com pop ups, then you can try to remove it by resetting Google Chrome to its original state. It will also clear cookies, content and site data, temporary and cached data. It’ll keep your personal information such as browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and web form auto-fill data.
Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (
). It will display the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the addon labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following steps: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as displayed in the following example and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
Remove Safewinodws.com pop ups from Microsoft Internet Explorer
In order to restore web-browser settings changed by adware you need to reset the Microsoft Internet Explorer to the state, that was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your device.
First, run the IE, then click ‘gear’ icon 
. It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then click the “Internet Options” as displayed below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button like the one below.
Once the task is finished, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web-browser’s homepage, search provider by default and new tab page to default state.
Automatic Removal of Safewinodws.com pop ups
Malware removal utilities are pretty useful when you think your PC system is infected by adware software. Below we will discover best tools which can be used to remove adware software and Safewinodws.com scam from your computer and web browser.
Remove Safewinodws.com scam with Zemana Anti-Malware
Zemana is a free utility that performs a scan of your PC and displays if there are existing adware software, browser hijackers, viruses, worms, spyware, trojans and other malware residing on your personal computer. If malicious software is found, Zemana Anti-Malware can automatically remove it. Zemana doesn’t conflict with other anti malware and antivirus software installed on your computer.
Visit the page linked below to download Zemana AntiMalware. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
164977 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When downloading is done, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup as on the image below.
When the installation begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will allow you set up Zemana Anti-Malware on your device.
Once setup is done, you will see window like below.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the adware that causes Safewinodws.com popups. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the utility is checking, you may see how many objects and files has already scanned.
As the scanning ends, Zemana Anti-Malware will open a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been detected. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next” button.
The Zemana will get rid of adware software that causes the intrusive Safewinodws.com pop-up scam.
Remove Safewinodws.com scam from internet browsers with HitmanPro
Hitman Pro is a completely free (30 day trial) utility. You don’t need expensive ways to remove adware and other shady applications. HitmanPro will delete all the unwanted software such as adware and browser hijackers at zero cost.
Visit the following page to download the latest version of Hitman Pro for MS Windows. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.
When the download is complete, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.
Double click the HitmanPro desktop icon. Once the utility is launched, you will see a screen as shown below.
Further, press “Next” button . Hitman Pro program will scan through the whole PC for the adware software that causes Safewinodws.com pop-ups in your browser. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your computer. When HitmanPro is finished scanning your personal computer, Hitman Pro will show a screen that contains a list of malware that has been found as shown on the screen below.
Once you’ve selected what you want to remove from your computer click “Next” button. It will open a prompt, click the “Activate free license” button.
How to remove Safewinodws.com with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware
Trying to remove Safewinodws.com scam can become a battle of wills between the adware infection and you. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware can be a powerful ally, deleting most of today’s adware, malicious software and PUPs with ease. Here’s how to use MalwareBytes AntiMalware will help you win.
First, visit the following page, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes AntiMalware.
327220 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the downloading process is done, close all windows on your device. Further, open the file named MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed in the figure below, press the “Yes” button.
It will show the Setup wizard which will allow you set up MalwareBytes Anti-Malware on the computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once install is complete successfully, press “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will automatically launch and you may see its main window similar to the one below.
Next, click the “Scan” button to locate adware responsible for Safewinodws.com popup scam. This process can take some time, so please be patient. During the scan MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will scan for threats exist on your PC system.
As the scanning ends, MalwareBytes AntiMalware will open a scan report. Once you have selected what you want to remove from your personal computer click “Quarantine” button.
The MalwareBytes AntiMalware will begin to remove adware software that causes Safewinodws.com scam. After that process is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your device. We recommend you look at the following video, which completely explains the procedure of using the MalwareBytes to get rid of hijackers, adware and other malware.
Stop Safewinodws.com pop-ups
If you surf the World Wide Web, you cannot avoid malvertising. But you can protect your browser against it. Download and run an ad blocker program. AdGuard is an ad-blocking that can filter out a large number of of the malvertising, blocking dynamic scripts from loading harmful content.
AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
26883 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After the downloading process is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown on the image below.
Follow the prompts. Once the installation is complete, you will see a window as displayed below.
You can click “Skip” to close the setup application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your PC, AdGuard will start automatically and stop undesired ads, block Safewinodws.com, as well as other harmful or misleading web sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which can be found on your desktop.
Finish words
We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted pop up ads and unwanted malicious web pages) and Zemana AntiMalware (to periodically scan your computer for new malicious software, browser hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, malicious software and adware are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to remove Safewinodws.com popups from your browser, then ask for help here.
