Windows-hold.com pop-up scam (Virus removal guide)

What is Windows-hold.com?

Windows-hold.com is a site involved in the You’ve visited illegal infected website scam. The scam masquerades as a McAfee or Norton system scan, displays fake scan results and virus alerts claiming that a computer is infected with viruses. Scammers use fake virus alerts to trick users into downloading or purchasing software they don’t need.

Usually, users end up on Windows-hold.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.
 

QUICK LINKS

• What is Windows-hold.com?
• Protection
• Removal

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.

When users land on the Windows-hold.com site, they are presented with an alert disguised as a McAfee (Norton) security warning. This fake alert informs that the user’s computer is probably infected with viruses as a result of visiting an unsafe site with illegal content. The user is prompted to scan the computer to continue browsing the Internet safely.

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.

Windows-hold.com displays a ‘show notifications’ popup that attempts to get users to click the ‘Allow’ button to allow 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 Windows-hold.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 Windows-hold.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	Windows-hold.com
Type	scam, phishing, fake virus alerts
Fake claims	You have visited unsafe site with illegal content
Symptoms	fake security warnings fake system messages pop-up errors fake Windows Defender (Norton, McAfee) computer scan
Removal	Windows-hold.com removal guide

 

Your McAfee Subscription Has Expired, McAfee – Your PC Might Be Vulnerable, McAfee SECURITY ALERT are other scams designed to trick visitors into installing untrustworthy software or calling fake tech support. Some of these scams are positioned as legitimate Norton, McAfee pages (messages, emails), but in fact have nothing to do with Norton and McAfee.

 

The Windows-hold.com pop-ups are caused by malicious advertisements on websites you visit, push 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 display lots of unwanted ads. These ads are used to promote questionable internet browser extensions, free gifts scams, adware software bundles, and adult webpages.

Adware is something which designed in order to show third-party advertisements to the user without asking permission. Adware software takes control of browsers and redirects them to scam web-sites such as Upervisofosev.xyz every time users surf the Internet.

How does Adware get on your computer

Adware can end up on your computer in various methods. Most commonly is when you install freeware and forget to uncheck the box for the optional software installation. This means that you need to be careful when installing anything downloaded from the Internet, especially from file sharing web-sites. Be sure to read the Terms of Use and the Software license, select only the Manual, Advanced or Custom installation mode, switch off all bundled web browser extensions and apps are offered to install.

Remove Windows-hold.com notifications from browsers

If you have allowed the Windows-hold.com notifications by clicking the Allow button, then after a short time you will notice that these notifications are very intrusive. Here’s how to delete Windows-hold.com browser notifications from your web browser.

Google Chrome	Android
Just copy and paste the following text into the address bar of Google Chrome. chrome://settings/content/notifications Press Enter. Remove the Windows-hold.com URL and other rogue notifications by clicking three vertical dots button next to each and selecting ‘Remove’.	Tap ‘Settings’. Tap ‘Notifications’. Find and tap the browser which shows Windows-hold.com browser notifications advertisements. In the opened window, locate Windows-hold.com site, other rogue notifications and set the toggle button to ‘OFF’ on them one-by-one.
Mozilla Firefox	Edge
Click the Menu button (three horizontal stripes) on the top right hand corner of the Firefox window. In the drop-down menu select ‘Options’. In the left side select ‘Privacy & Security’. Scroll down to the ‘Permissions’ section and click the ‘Settings’ button next to ‘Notifications’. In the opened window, find Windows-hold.com URL, other rogue notifications, click the drop-down menu and select ‘Block’. Click ‘Save Changes’ button.	In the top right hand corner, click on the three dots to expand the Edge menu. Scroll down to ‘Settings’. In the menu on the left go to ‘Advanced’. Click ‘Manage permissions’ button under ‘Website permissions’. Right-click the Windows-hold.com. Click ‘Delete’.
Internet Explorer	Safari
In the top-right corner of the window, click on the gear icon (menu button). When the drop-down menu appears, click on ‘Internet Options’. Select the ‘Privacy’ tab and click ‘Settings below ‘Pop-up Blocker’ section. Select the Windows-hold.com domain and other dubious sites under and remove them one by one by clicking the ‘Remove’ button.	Go to ‘Preferences’ in the Safari menu. Open ‘Websites’ tab, then in the left menu click on ‘Notifications’. Check for Windows-hold.com URL, other suspicious URLs and apply the ‘Deny’ option for each.

How to remove Windows-hold.com pop-ups from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

Windows-hold.com pop-ups in Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and MS Edge can be permanently deleted by removing unwanted programs, resetting the internet browser to its original state, and reversing any changes to the PC by malware. The free removal tools listed below can help remove adware that displays multiple pop-ups and annoying ads.

To remove Windows-hold.com, complete the steps below:

1. How to manually remove Windows-hold.com
   • Remove recently installed adware
   • Remove Windows-hold.com scam from Chrome
   • Delete Windows-hold.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings
   • Get rid of Windows-hold.com pop ups from Internet Explorer
2. Automatic Removal of Windows-hold.com popup scam
3. Stop Windows-hold.com pop-ups

How to manually remove Windows-hold.com

In this section of the article, we have posted the steps that will help to get rid of Windows-hold.com scam manually. Although compared to removal utilities, this solution loses in time, but you don’t need to install anything on your computer. It will be enough for you to follow the detailed instructions with images. We tried to describe each step in detail, but if you realized that you might not be able to figure it out, or simply do not want to change the MS Windows and web browser settings, then it’s better for you to use tools from trusted developers, which are listed below.

Remove recently installed adware

In order to get rid of PUPs like this adware software, open the Windows Control Panel and click on “Uninstall a program”. Check the list of installed apps. For the ones you do not know, run an Internet search to see if they are adware software, browser hijacker or PUPs. If yes, delete them off. Even if they are just a programs which you do not use, then uninstalling them off will increase your computer start up time and speed dramatically.

Press Windows button , then press Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will show the Windows Control Panel as displayed on the screen below.

Further, click “Uninstall a program”
It will show a list of all applications installed on your PC. Scroll through the all list, and remove any suspicious and unknown applications.

Remove Windows-hold.com scam from Chrome

Like other modern browsers, Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby recover the internet browser’s settings (search engine by default, homepage, newtab URL, etc) that have been changed by the adware.

Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.

Carefully browse through the list of installed addons. If the list has the plugin labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: 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 on the image below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

Confirm your action, press the “Reset” button.

Delete Windows-hold.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings

The Firefox reset will remove redirects to the Windows-hold.com scam, fix modified preferences, disable malicious extensions and restore security settings. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed or cleared.

Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu such as the one below.

A small menu will appear, click the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as displayed in the figure below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to restore your Mozilla Firefox internet browser settings to their default values.

Get rid of Windows-hold.com pop ups from Internet Explorer

By resetting IE browser you return your internet browser settings to its default state. This is good initial when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by adware responsible for Windows-hold.com pop up scam.

First, start the IE, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then click the “Internet Options” such as the one below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as on the image below.

Once the procedure is done, click “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s search provider, home page and new tab page to default state.

Automatic Removal of Windows-hold.com popup scam

AntiMalware tools differ from each other by many features such as performance, scheduled scans, automatic updates, virus signature database, technical support, compatibility with other antivirus programs and so on. We recommend you use the following free removers: Zemana, MalwareBytes and HitmanPro. Each of these anti-malware tools has all of needed features, but most importantly, they can be used to identify the adware and delete Windows-hold.com scam from Edge, Chrome, IE and Firefox.

Use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to remove Windows-hold.com pop ups

Trying to delete Windows-hold.com pop-ups can become a battle of wills between the adware infection and you. MalwareBytes AntiMalware can be a powerful ally, removing most of today’s adware, malware and PUPs with ease. Here’s how to use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will help you win.

Visit the page linked below to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware. Save it on your Desktop.

After downloading is done, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will try to update itself and when this process is complete, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the adware that causes Windows-hold.com popups in your web browser. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware utility is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software. You may delete items (move to Quarantine) by simply click “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes AntiMalware is a free malware remover that you can use to delete all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malware removal tool, we recommend you to read and follow the few simple steps or the video guide below.

How to delete Windows-hold.com popups with Zemana Anti-Malware

Zemana is a malware scanner that is very useful for detecting and deleting adware that causes the Windows-hold.com pop-ups. The steps below will explain how to download, install, and use Zemana Anti-Malware to scan and remove malicious software, spyware, adware, PUPs, hijackers from your computer for free.

Now you can setup and use Zemana to get rid of Windows-hold.com popups from your internet browser by following the steps below:

Click the following link to download Zemana Anti-Malware installation package called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC. Save it on your Desktop.

Launch the installer after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to set up this utility on your PC system.

During installation you can change some settings, but we recommend you don’t make any changes to default settings.

When installation is done, this malicious software removal tool will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as displayed on the screen below.

Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the adware responsible for Windows-hold.com pop ups. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. When a threat is found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.

As the scanning ends, Zemana will show a list of detected items. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti-Malware will remove the adware related to the Windows-hold.com scam. After that process is finished, you can be prompted to restart your PC to make the change take effect.

Remove Windows-hold.com popups and malicious extensions with HitmanPro

Hitman Pro is a portable program that requires no hard install to scan for and delete adware software. The application itself is small in size (only a few Mb). Hitman Pro does not need any drivers and special dlls. It’s probably easier to use than any alternative malicious software removal utilities you have ever tried. HitmanPro works on 64 and 32-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7 and XP. It proves that removal utility can be just as useful as the widely known antivirus applications.

Visit the page linked below to download HitmanPro. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

After downloading is finished, open the file location and double-click the HitmanPro icon. It will run the HitmanPro utility. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to launch the program, click Yes button to continue.

Next, click “Next” to look for adware related to the Windows-hold.com scam. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient. During the scan HitmanPro will locate threats exist on your device.

As the scanning ends, Hitman Pro will produce a list of unwanted programs and adware as displayed on the screen below.

All detected threats will be marked. You can delete them all by simply click “Next” button. It will display a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button. The Hitman Pro will remove adware software that causes Windows-hold.com scam. When the process is done, the utility may ask you to reboot your PC system.

Stop Windows-hold.com pop-ups

If you want to delete unwanted advertisements, malicious browser redirects and pop-ups, then install an adblocker application like AdGuard. It can block Windows-hold.com, stop unwanted ads, pop-ups and stop web-pages from tracking your online activities when using the Chrome, MS Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. So, if you like surf the Internet, but you don’t like unwanted ads and want to protect your PC system from malicious web pages, then the AdGuard is your best choice.

Download AdGuard by clicking on the following link.

After downloading it, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as displayed on the image below.

Follow the prompts. Once the installation is finished, you will see a window as displayed in the following example.

You can press “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will help you get to know AdGuard better.

In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your device, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted ads, block Windows-hold.com, as well as other malicious or misleading webpages. 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 is located on your desktop.

To sum up

We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted advertisements and annoying harmful webpages) and Zemana Anti-Malware (to periodically scan your PC system for new malware, browser hijackers and adware software). 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, harmful software and adware are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to delete Windows-hold.com pop-up scam from your internet browser, then ask for help here.