Your Computer Has Been Locked

After you log into your operating system you may see a message about the FBI/Police/Goverment Agency saying that you violated some copyright or did something you should not of done.  The words “Your Computer Has Been Locked” tend to show in most of these messages.

This is a scam.  What you have is a malware virus.  These kinds of threats are commonly called ransomware.  What makes these scams so convincing is the harsh penalties  with the combination of personal information that may appear on the screen.

The purpose of this is to scare and trick the user into making a quick decision to pay the false fine.  When people mention jail time and huge fines, it’s easy to see how people can be conned into paying them.

To resolve this issue you can attempt several things.

Expert Help

If you just want an expert to remove this virus and all other viruses on your computer you should considerhttp://www.pcninja.com.  This is a remote computer repair company based out of California that has been repairing computers online for several years.  They are true experts at what they do and in speaking with them about this issue it’s something they have already dealt with hundreds of times so they will know exactly what needs to be done.

Using Antivirus Software

You can use Antivirus software to help remove this virus.  The issue here is most people will not be able to get antivirus software installed.  You can try booting into safe mode with networking and then download SpyHunter

Manual Your Computer Has Been Locked Removal

Manual removal of the “Your Computer Has Been Locked” virus threat can be hard.  If you attempt this method we strongly recommend you first backup your personally data.  You should also be sure to run a full antivirus scan once you are done to ensure you have everything removed.

Step 1.  Try to do a System Restore.  System Restore takes your computer back in time to a set date when things where operating normally.  This often works and is easy to do.  You may want to try doing it while in safe mode. Learn more at
http://www.removevirus.org/how-to-do-a-system-restore

Step 2.  You can log in under a different user account or Admin account while in safe mode with networking.  If you are able to log into a different account the virus should not be running.  From there you can download antivirus software and run a full scan.  You can also browse to the infected user account and delete the virus.  You ware looking for a single .exe program.  The name changes but the location should be

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local or just under C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\

You will need to show hidden files and folders to view the AppData folder.  See http://www.removevirus.org/show-hidden-files-and-folders

Once in the AppData folder you can sort the file names by date.  There should only be a small handful of files 3-5 that match the date of your infection or close to it.  From there you can normally tell which one is the virus because it will be oddly named and have no reasoning to the file name.  Things like 2354ghkdf.exe or flg.exe.  Go ahead and delete the file or simple re-name the file if you want to be safe.

Once re-named or deleted you can reboot your computer normally.  If the threat is gone then you have found the correct file.  At this time if you re-named the file you should now delete it.

Now you need to run a full virus scan to ensure there is no other viruses on your computer.  We like SpyHunter .  It’s easy to use and will find any other virus threats on your computer.

If you end up needed expert help do consider http://www.pcninja.com.  We have been recommending them out for several years and they are one of the best remote computer repair companies around.  All support is done in the United States.