Sad Computer Ransomware Removal Guide

If you infect your system with Sad Computer Ransomware, you might notice that your pictures, documents, videos, and other personal files became “sad,” e.g., b-day_party.avi.sad, panda.jpg.sad, and so on. Files with the .sad extension should be encrypted and, as a result, become unreadable without decryption software. Unfortunately, it is not all, as users who want to keep on using the infected device should know the malicious program can restart with Windows. Meaning it could encrypt files all over again upon each restart. It may not make any difference to already enciphered data, but if you create anything new, it could get ruined too. This is why we advise deleting the malicious program. If you want to learn how to get rid of Sad Computer Ransomware you should have a look at the instructions located below. Also, we would recommend reading our full blog post if you want to know more about the malware.

To begin with, users should know that Sad Computer Ransomware could be spread with malicious software installers. That is because if you open its launcher, the malware displays a window asking whether the user wants to install an antivirus program. Clicking the Yes button should initiate the encryption process during which the malware enciphers various user’s files and marks them with the .sad extension. On the other hand, if the user decides he does not need an antivirus tool after all, the threat should not do anything besides closing the pop-up.

Our specialists suspect Sad Computer Ransomware’s installers could be disguised as setup files of some antivirus tool. No doubt, such executable files should come from untrustworthy sources like P2P file-sharing web pages, suspicious pop-up advertisements, and so on. Users should always be careful with such content or better yet try to avoid it. To protect the system users should download chosen applications from reputable sources alone. Also, every time you encounter a pop-up or another add suggesting some tool, make sure you learn more about it before interacting with the advertisement. However, if it is too difficult to identify potentially harmful content on your own, we recommend keeping a reliable security tool that could detect threats for you. Additionally, you should make sure your browser and the chosen antimalware tool are both always up to date as hackers could misuse this vulnerability to enter the system.

As explained earlier, selecting yes on the malware’s displayed window should encipher the user’s data. What’s more, after this task is complete, the threat should drop a text document containing a ransom note as well as display the same terms on a pop-up window named Sad Computer. This is why the malicious program was titled Sad Computer Ransomware. The mentioned window ought to explain what happened to the user’s data and that he needs to pay hackers with Bitcoins to decrypt his files. If the threat continues to run and the displayed clock runs out of time the enciphered files should be erased automatically. Nonetheless, we recommend not to rush and think about your options carefully. Paying the ransom could end up hazardously as there are no guarantees the malware’s developers will do as they promise. The sum could be huge as well while recovering files from your backup would not cost you anything.

If you decide you do not want to pay a ransom and wish to erase Sad Computer Ransomware we can offer a couple of options. The first one is to follow the instructions located below and remove the malicious application manually. The second option is to install a reliable security tool, do a full system scan, and eliminate the malware by pressing the tool’s displayed deletion button.

Get rid of Sad Computer Ransomware

1. Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
2. Pick Task Manager.
3. Select the Processes tab.
4. Look for a process associated with the malware.
5. Select the process and click End Task.
6. Leave Task Manager.
7. Tap Win+E.
8. Go to these locations:
   %TEMP%
   %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
   %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
9. Find the malicious file opened before the system got infected, right-click it and select Delete.
10. Search for files named sadcomputer_note.txt, right-click them and select Delete.
11. Close File Explorer.
12. Tap Win+R.
13. Type Regedit and click Enter.
14. Go to: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
15. Identify the malware’s created value name that ought to have the same name like your computer’s, right-click it and press Delete.
16. Close Registry Editor.
17. Empty Recycle Bin.
18. Restart the computer.