my surface Book 3 is havinfg issues with am lot of pop ups and all kinds of files opening and creating a mess . I need to get some help cleaning up my lap tops.

Dorothy GONZALES 0 Reputation points
2026-05-19T14:04:47.03+00:00

pop ups, ads poping ups and files that does not make sense needs help cleaning up my laptop

Surface | Surface Book | Safety and security
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  1. Lychee-Ng 28,295 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-20T09:40:28.3266667+00:00

    Hi Dorothy GONZALES,

    I completely understand how overwhelming it feels when pop‑ups and random files start appearing unexpectedly. The AI answer has covered the basics, so if they don’t make a difference, we can look into some stronger options below.

    Just to make sure we’re on the same page, it’d be helpful if you could share a few more details about what you’re seeing (e.g. when and where the pop-ups appear, what kinds of files are opening, etc.) While waiting, here’s something you can check:

    1 - Test with Clean Boot

    If the ads and weird behaviors are gone after boot, it's likely that one of the disabled services was the cause. You may need to manually enable them half-by-half to identify the offender, then consider removing or disabling it. 

    Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering and to isolate the cause of a problem. They might look complicated at first glance but can help you get back on track. To avoid any trouble, please follow them in order and step-by-step.

    2 - Check and remove unwanted apps

    • Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps
    • Uninstall anything you don’t recognize.

    3 - Run an OFFLINE malware scan

    • Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options
    • Select Microsoft Defender Offline scan > Your PC will restart and scan.

    4 - Disk Cleanup

    • Press Win key > search Disk Cleanup > Run as Administrator
    • Choose C:\ > Check the locations needed cleaning up.

    If you’re unsure about anything you see, feel free to share a screenshot (just make sure no personal info is visible), and I can help you on what to do.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-19T14:05:17.7133333+00:00

    Follow these steps on the Surface Book 3 to reduce pop-ups, strange files, and clean up the device.

    1. Close scam or fake security pop-ups
    • If the screen is “locked” by a fake Windows Defender or support alert:
      • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del.
      • Select Task Manager.
      • In Processes, find the web browser (for example, Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox).
      • Select each browser process and choose End task until the browser closes.
      • If that doesn’t work, press Alt + F4 repeatedly to close the browser window, or hold the power button until the Surface turns off, then turn it back on.
    1. Clear the browser cache and history After closing the bad page:
    • Reopen the browser.
    • Clear browsing history, cookies, and cached files so the malicious page does not reload from history.
    • Then avoid revisiting the same site or link that triggered the pop-ups.
    1. Block pop-ups and intrusive ads in the browser Use the browser’s settings to reduce pop-ups and redirects. For example (Chrome/Edge style):
    • Open the browser Settings.
    • Go to Privacy and security → Site settings.
    • Set Pop-ups and redirects to Don’t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects.
    • In Ads, choose to block intrusive or misleading ads.
    1. Remove suspicious extensions
    • In the browser, open Settings → Extensions.
    • Remove any extension that is unfamiliar, not needed, or that appeared around the time the problems started.
    • Restart the browser.
    1. Run a full malware scan with Windows Security
    • Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection.
    • Select Scan options.
    • Choose Full scan and run it.
    • Follow any actions recommended by Windows Security.
    1. Use Microsoft’s safety scanner (optional extra check)
    • Use the Microsoft safety scanner described in the moderator answer to perform an additional malware check.
    1. Disable unnecessary startup apps Too many startup apps can cause a “messy” experience and slowdowns.
    • Open Startup settings (for example, via Settings → Apps → Startup, or using the Startup settings link if available: Open Startup settings).
    • Turn off apps that are not needed at startup.
    1. Free up drive space and remove junk files
    • Open Storage settings (for example, via Settings → System → Storage, or using the Storage settings link: Open Storage settings).
    • Use the options there to delete temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and remove other unnecessary files.
    • For more detailed steps, see Free up drive space in Windows.
    1. Install an ad blocker extension To reduce malicious ads that cause fake alerts and pop-ups:
    • Install a reputable ad blocker extension (such as uBlock Origin or similar) from the official browser extension store.
    • Enable it in the browser.
    1. Recognize and avoid tech support scams
    • Microsoft does not lock the computer and display a phone number to call.
    • Do not call any number shown in a pop-up or allow remote access to the device.
    • If a page claims to be from Microsoft and asks to call a number, close the browser using Task Manager as described above.

    If Windows continues to freeze or behave strangely even after these steps, check for Surface updates and driver/firmware health using the Surface app, and install any available updates.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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