Unlock computer

Question

Need assistance to restart computer

Computer has been locked

Received Windows and Microsoft alert

Answer 1

Hi! Let me help you with this issue.

That may be a fake Microsoft Technical Support alert.

To close it, press Windows Key + R on your keyboard, then in the Run box type taskmgr and press Enter.

In the Task Manager window, close all open applications under APPS, especially all the open browsers.

That should close the fake alert on your screen.

Answer 2

Follow these steps to get back control of the computer and restart it.

1. Try to close a fake “locked” or “virus” alert If the screen shows a browser-style warning (often with a loud voice or a phone number to call), it is likely a tech support scam page, not Windows itself.

Use one of these methods to close it:

• Press F11 to exit full-screen mode, then close the browser tab or window.
• Press Alt + F4 repeatedly until the browser closes.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, select the web browser process (for example, Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox), then choose End task.
• If nothing responds, hold the power button down until the PC turns off, then press it again to turn the PC back on.

After the restart, clear the browser cache to reduce the chance of the same page reappearing.

2. If the Windows lock screen says the computer is locked If the message looks like a standard Windows lock screen (for example, “This computer is in use and has been locked. Only DOMAIN\username or an administrator can unlock this computer.”):

• Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
• Enter the username and password of the last user shown in the message, then select OK.
• When the “Unlock Computer” dialog disappears, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete again and sign in normally.

If the message does not show who locked the computer and it keeps returning immediately after restart, the cause can be a damaged or invalid screen saver configuration. In that case, the fix is to change the screen saver in the registry (requires an account with administrative access):

1. Sign in before the screen saver activates (restart if necessary, then quickly press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and log on).
2. Open Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
3. Go to: HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Desktop
4. Set the Scrnsave.exe string value to logon.scr.
5. Set the ScreenSaverIsSecure string value to 0.
6. Close Registry Editor and restart.

Editing the registry incorrectly can cause system problems, so ensure a backup of the registry is created first. For details, see 322756.

3. If the alert is about a virus and asks to call a number

• Do not call any phone number shown in a pop-up or voice message.
• Close the browser using the methods above and restart the PC.
• After restart, run a full antivirus scan using Windows Security or another trusted security product.

If the PC still cannot be unlocked or restarted normally after these steps, use the power button to shut it down, then start in Windows Recovery Environment and seek further support.

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References:

• possible virus, computer locked - Microsoft Q&A
• Administrator unable to unlock a "locked" computer