Malware Deleted Edge

Question

I accidentally installed a piece of malware that deleted Edge from my computer, which has completely ruined the functionality of my computer. The widgets on the task bar are gone, all my restore points have been deleted (so I can't go back) and it broke restore points altogether. A bunch of programs disappeared from my start menu. Edge has vanished from the list of apps in my Control Panel so I can't modify it or view settings or anything, it's just gone.

I tried to just reinstall Edge through both the website and the app store but it just tells me it's already installed and won't let me do anything. When it tries to open it to "prove" it's installed it just gives me an error message.

I tried doing all the current updates, restarting my computer. I REALLY don't want to upgrade to Windows 11, because the last laptop I upgraded ran so slowly that it was rendered completely unusable.

I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

Hi, LeaEH

Thanks for your reply.

Theoretically, a repair install won't change your key, so you can skip that step.

If you want to retrieve the current key, please:

1. Open Command Prompt: Press Win + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Enter the command: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
3. View the activation key: The system will display your Windows 10 activation key.

This method will show the original Windows activation key stored in your computer's BIOS or UEFI firmware.

By the way you can also try to download a Canary version Edge check whether it works.

Become a Microsoft Edge Insider | Microsoft Edge

Best regards

Tommy Jin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

The WebView2 didn't work, it gave me this error:

Looking at the instructions for the In-Place Upgrade, it says I need the license key for the OS, but I don't think I have it. I've had this laptop for maybe a decade now, and I genuinely don't remember if it used to be 8.1 and I upgraded or if it came with Win10. Is there really no way to find that out without contacting the manufacturer for the product key? I don't even know if the manufacturer still exists, they were bought out by another company years ago. Is there really nowhere *on the system* that I can view the license number? Or find out what the original OS on the system was (to see if I upgraded or not)?

Thanks for your help,

-LeaEH

Answer 3

Hi, LeaEH

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

Based on your description, it seems that Edge is having issues which could be due to a corrupted Webview2 environment.

You can try repairing the Webview2 components first.

Microsoft Edge WebView2 | Microsoft Edge Developer

If that doesn't work, you might consider performing an In-Place Upgrade to see if it can fix your system.

In-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides:

How to perform an In-place Upgrade with Windows 10 Step-by-Step Guide - Microsoft Community

Best regards

Tommy Jin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist