Remove ‘Your PC performance might be poor’ virus (Virus Removal Guide)

Your PC performance might be poor is a scam that might trick users to install malware on their computers

Your PC performance might be poor

“Your PC performance might be poor” is a misleading notification that may show up on your computer during web browsing sessions on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, or any other web browsers at any time. Just like many other online scams, this fake alert tries to catch users off-guard, trying to imitate a legitimate message that users might have seen previously. “Your PC performance might be poor” scam claims the following:

Your PC performance might be poor
Click on Yes button below to fix windows errors now

Because the “Your PC performance might be poor” pop-up is presented in a pop-up that looks like it is coming from a browser, many inexperienced users might follow the provided instructions and install potentially unwanted programs^[1] or malware on their computers. Thus, never believe “Your PC performance might be poor” message, as you may harm your online safety and infect your computer with malicious software.

Name	“Your PC performance might be poor”
Type	Online scam, fake alert
Causes	The fake pop-up might show up once a malicious website is visited or be triggered by secretly installed adware/malware, as well as background scripts
Symptoms	The pop-up message shows up seemingly out of nowhere and claims that computer performance is poor. If the PC is infected with adware, users may also see redirects to suspicious sites, sponsored links in search results, web browser changes (i.e., homepage and search engine), intrusive ads, and experience other symptoms
Main dangers	Installation of other potentially unwanted programs or malware, sensitive information disclosure to unknown parties
Removal	Scan the device with anti-malware software or check the instructions below
Recovery & optimization	If the machine was infected with adware or malware, we recommend scanning it with Fortect Intego for virus damage fix

There are several reasons why you might be seeing “Your PC performance might be poor” alert. First of all, the message might be triggered by you stumbling upon a malicious website accidentally, although a malicious JavaScript can also be the cause of it. Additionally, the redirects to sites that show “Your PC performance might be poor” scam can also be a sign of adware infection.

You should never click “Yes” and especially not download/install anything suggested by the malicious “Your PC performance might be poor” pop-up. In case you do, you might end up with malware like ransomware^[2] or a Trojan on your machine, which might render your personal files useless or send sensitive information (such as credit card details) directly to cybercriminals without your knowledge. The worst part is that the latter might hide inside the system for a prolonged period of time, and you will not know that malicious activity is taking place.

“Your PC performance might be poor” is created by cybercriminals who are willing to monetize by tricking and harming innocent users. To make the scam more believable, crooks often employ social engineering skills – an art of manipulating users into believing something that is not true/real.

Unfortunately, because there are many computer users who are not that familiar with how malware or computers work, scams like “Your PC performance might be poor” are successful more often than not. Fortunately, many users are by now aware of the online dangers, and cybersecurity advisers^[3] and security sites often warn about the most popular scams and phishing attempts.

Your PC performance might be poor scam

To remove “Your PC performance might be poor” virus, you should not click “No” or the “X” button, but simply leave the page which triggered the fake alert. In case it is impossible to close it, you should call up the Task Manager (or Activity Monitor on macOS) and shut down the process of your browser.

However, “Your PC performance might be poor” removal might not end just there. In case your computer is infected with adware, you will also have to eliminate it to stop the unwanted activity on your machine, which may include the following symptoms:

Web browser redirects to scam, phishing, and other suspicious sites;
Intrusive ads are shown on all visited websites;
Search results filled with sponsored links that lead to predetermined sites;
Changed homepage, new tab URL, and the search engine;
Slow browser response time, etc.

Note that malware might be present on your system too. Thus, if you noticed any suspicious activity even after leaving the malicious site that shows “Your PC performance might be poor” pop-up, you should scan your machine with anti-malware software. Another way to check for potentially unwanted programs is by checking the list of the installed apps as per our instructions below.

If you indeed find PUPs or malware on your system, get rid of it with anti-malware software. Also, for the best results, we also recommend using the PC repair tool Fortect Intego and reset all the installed browsers.

Avoid the installation of potentially unwanted programs

The constantly occurring data breaches and new malware strains like Djvu ransomware became the epidemic of modern times. Despite the rising awareness of all the internet users, there are many that are unwilling to listen and protect themselves as required in order to prevent computer infections; in other cases, users simply lack basic computer skills to avoid unwanted programs and malware infiltration.

Installing comprehensive security software is not enough, however, and users need to always combine it with good online browsing practices. As previously mentioned, cybercriminals often employ social engineering to make users perform actions they otherwise would not, i.e., installing unwanted software on their machines.

To protect yourself from phishing attacks, never believe pop-ups and warning messages coming from various websites and claiming virus infections, data theft, and threatening with consequences. Only install software from trusted sources (avoid torrents) and always pick Advanced/Custom settings during the installation process of freeware/shareware to get rid of all the optional components before they manage to enter your PC.

Your PC performance might be poor ads

“Your PC performance might be poor” removal may be as simple as closing down the malicious site in some cases

As mentioned above, “Your PC performance might be poor” removal might consist of simply closing down the tab of the malicious web page that you came across. It is absolutely vital not to download anything offered by the fake alert or to click the “Yes” button, as it may trigger the installation of malware in the background. In the best-case scenario, you might end up with bloatware^[4] programs like Full System Care, Pro PC Cleaner, and others – these can also harm the computer by performing inadequate changes to it.

All in all, to remove “Your PC performance might be poor” virus along with anything that might be installed on your device, scan it with security software. If the infection is triggered by adware, you might be lucky and eliminate it manually by using our instructions below. Additionally, you should reset all the installed browsers.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
Pick Manage Add-ons.
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:

Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
Select Internet Options.
In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:

Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
Under Browsing history, click Delete...
Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:

Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
Select Reset.
In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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.

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.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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

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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove ‘Your PC performance might be poor’ virus

Your PC performance might be poor is a scam that might trick users to install malware on their computers

Avoid the installation of potentially unwanted programs