“Error 3x3103fx” virus (Removal Guide) - Microsoft Support Scam
“Error 3x3103fx” virus Removal Guide
What is “Error 3x3103fx” virus?
Error 3x3103fx pop-ups that warn about virus infection are actually generated by adware
“Error 3x3103fx” virus is a name security experts give to a Microsoft Support Scam which uses misleading pop-up notifications to deceive users into thinking their devices have run into some kind of problem. This particular malware is designed to warn users about a supposed virus infection which threatens to compromise victim’s credit card information, passwords and browser history.
The scammers warn that if the victims do not call Tech Support technicians via indicated phone number +1-800-696-4076, they risk having their identities stolen and endanger their financial status. Here is how the full pop-up contents look like:
Error Code: 3x3103fx
Call Technical Support Immediately at +1-800-696-4076
The following data will be compromised if you continue:
1. Passwords
2. Browser History
3. Credit Card Information
The virus is well known for complete identity and credit card theft. Further action through this computer or any computer on the network will reveal private information and involve serious risks.
Call Technical Support Immediately at:
When Error 3x3103fx infects computers it redirects users to a malicious website and displays pop-up similar to the one illustrated above.
In reality, the worst thing on your computer that you have to worry about is not some malicious Zeus Banking Trojan but merely an annoying adware [1] which redirects you to the Technical Support Scam [2] pages. Once you remove Error 3x3103fx adware from your PC, you should stop seeing the pop-up alerts almost instantly. You should use reputable software like FortectIntego to complete the virus elimination properly.
Of course, you will probably have to reset your web browsers to roll back the changes that the malware may have implemented to be able to display the ads and execute redirects.
Needless to say, Microsoft will not show security warning messages to its customers while they are browsing online. Keep that in mind and don’t provide any of your personal information if you ever end up in such an unfavorable situation yourself. If the supposed “technicians” are asking you to purchase some questionable software or trying to gain remote access to your computer — hang up the phone immediately and move on to Error 3x3103fx removal.
Scammers employ bundling to distribute malware around
As you already know from the first part of the article, Error 3x3103fx scam is delivered on the targeted systems by lightweight ad-based programs called adware. Most of the time, users acquire these potentially unwanted programs by accident, when installing freeware or shareware applications via Quick or Recommended installation modes. These settings do not adequately disclose what additional components additionally arrive inside the downloaded package, so the users allow Error 3x3103fx to install on their computer unknowingly.
Advanced/Custom setup modes, on the other hand, allow users to choose, whether they want the additional software package components to enter their computers or not. The unwanted components can be opted out manually, so adware hijack can be prevented.
Remove Error 3x3103fx tech support scam pop-ups from your browser
In order to remove Error 3x3103fx virus from the infected browser and the computer, it is important to locate and eliminate the adware which is responsible for bringing this malware on your computer in the first place. Error 3x3103fx removal is not too complicated and can be easily performed by some more tech-savvy users. Nevertheless, experts suggest that it is simply not worth wasting your time when you can simply launch some anti-malware software and remove the virus from your PC automatically.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of “Error 3x3103fx” virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
”Error 3x3103fx” virus is a nasty cyber infection which may hide from your antivirus utility and prevent you from eliminating it from your computer properly. If this happens, remember that you can also carry out the virus elimination manually. All you have to do is follow these steps:
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
To stop your Microsoft Edge browser from displaying deceptive ads, you should also reset your browser. You can do that following the instructions here:
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
If you notice the suspicious redirects and ads on your Google Chrome browser after you remove the malware from your PC, you should perform the browser reset and these residue activities should be gone from your wbe browsing the next time you launch your web engine.
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of “Error 3x3103fx” registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Protect your privacy – employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
- ^ Adware. ESET. Virus radar.
- ^ Christian Cawley. What should you do about the Windows Tech Support Scam?. Makeuseof. Technology, Simplified.