Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted Scam
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted?
"Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" is a fake pop-up error message identical to You Have A ZEUS Virus and You Have A ALUREON Virus. This error is displayed by a malicious website that users often visit inadvertently - they are redirected by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).
Research shows that these programs stealthily infiltrate systems during installation of other software ("bundling" method). As well as causing unwanted redirects, PUPs also deliver intrusive advertisements and collect various user/system information.
The "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" error message states that the system has been infected with high-risk malware and, therefore, all data will be deleted within a few minutes (the aforementioned website contains a timer). Therefore, users must immediately eliminate the infection by contacting technical support via the telephone number ("+1-877-244-0727") provided.
Users are then supposedly guided through the removal process. Be aware, however, that "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" error is fake - there is no infection. Criminals merely attempt to scare and trick victims into calling and paying for services that are not required.
Potentially unwanted programs employ a "virtual layer" to generate pop-up, coupon, banner, and other similar ads. This enables placement of third party graphical content on any site. The advertisements often conceal underlying content of visited websites, thereby significantly diminishing the web browsing experience.
In addition, they often redirect to malicious websites - even accidental clicks can result in high-risk adware or malware infections.
Furthermore, potentially unwanted programs continually gather Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, Internet service providers (ISPs), geo-locations, websites visited, pages viewed, search queries, mouse/keyboard activity, and other similar information that might contain personal details.
The data is shared with third parties who generate revenue by misusing personal information. Thus, the presence of data-tracking apps can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. All potentially unwanted programs must be uninstalled immediately.
There are dozens of fake error messages similar to "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted". All claim that the system is infected, missing files, or damaged in other similar ways - these messages are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and should never be trusted.
Potentially unwanted programs have an identical purpose - by offering users various 'useful features', PUPs attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, rather than providing any value for regular users, they cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive online advertisements, and collect various user/system information.
How did adware install on my computer?
Cyber criminals proliferate potentially unwanted programs using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of third party software with regular (usually free) applications. Developers are aware that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps.
Therefore, potentially unwanted programs are hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings of these processes. By skipping this section, users often expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
To prevent system infiltration by PUPs, be cautious during the download and installation processes. Select the "Custom/Advanced" settings and carefully analyze each step. Furthermore, decline offers to download/install additional applications and cancel those already included. The key to computer safety is caution.
Text presented within "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" pop-up:
WARNING! Your hard drive will be DELETED if you close this page You have a ZEUS virus! Please call Technical Support Now! Call Toll-Free: +1-877-244-0727 To Stop This Process
Screenshot of the malicious website displaying "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" error (GIF):
Text presented within the malicious website:
0x000314CE VIRUS DETECTED WITHOUT CANCELING PEDING OPERATIONS Hard Drive Safety Delte Starting in - To STOP Deleting Hard Drive Call: +1-877-244-0727 ERROR CODE: 0x000314CE Please contact technical support Toll Free: +1-877-244-0727 To immediately rectify issues and prevent data loss
Another variant of "Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted" scam:
Text presented in this variant:
WARNING!
Your Hard Drive will be DELETED if you close this page. You have a ZEUS virus! Please call Support Now! Call-Toll-Free: +1-888-659-1333 To Stop This Process.
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Quick menu:
- What is Your Hard Drive Will Be Deleted?
- STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue extension from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Adware removal:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Remove adware from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon 
(at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the "your hard drive will be deleted" virus, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the "your hard drive will be deleted" virus, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with "your hard drive will be deleted" virus removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....
In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon 
(at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the "your hard drive will be deleted" virus, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.
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