I wrote this article to help you remove “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” Virus. This “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” Virus removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

If you are pop-ups with the title phrase “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted”, your system is infected with adware. These messages are fake. The developers of the nefarious program are cyber criminals. The bogus alerts show a false security warning. The scheme involves a set of pop-up windows which go hand-in-hand. They talk about supposed compromises. The first notification begins with the phrase “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted”. It explains that the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. The problem is unspecified. To have it identified and resolved, users are instructed to call the following support hot line: 888-886-7703. This telephone line is listed as toll-free, but it is not. If you dial the number, you will be changed with a high fee for the call.

At the bottom of the first pop-up, there are two buttons. The user can choose to stay on the page or leave. In reality, it is irrelevant which option you will pick. Regardless which button you press, the result will be the same. The adware will open the second pop-up on top of the first. This message is more specific and more concerning. It states that the system is infected with a virus by the name of RDN/Trojan.worm!055BCCAC9FEC. This infection can supposedly compromise your passwords, browser history, and credit card information. As the message goes on elaborate, it is well known for credit card theft. The same hot line is provided for assistance. There is an added explanation that the line is operated by Microsoft Technical Support.

If you close the second window, the first will remain open. You will be back to square one. The first message, saying “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted”, will give you the same options as before. After you have tried both buttons, you will discover that the “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” window cannot be closed. You should not do what the alerts are instructing you to. The statements they make have no merit to them. The described infection does not exist. Therefore, there is no problem with your hard drive and your data is not at risk. You can ignore the warning. The adware behind it is the real issue. You need to have it removed. While the insidious program is active on your computer, it will disrupt your work and spy on your browsing sessions.

There are a few ways to contract the adware behind the “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” pop-ups. The propagation vectors are referred to as dark patterns. We will start off with a widely spread technique called bundling. A developer merges the executable of the covert tool with the setup file of another program. The download client hosts the installation of the bundled program in parallel with its own. The adware will be listed as an extra tool. It will be optional. You can choose to install it or opt out. This vector has a high rate of success because users tend to skip reading the terms and conditions. If you do so, you would be accepting the default settings. Taking a few moments to read the end user license agreement (EULA) can spare you a lot of issues.

Spam emails are another common distribution method for malware. Similarly to bundles, there is a mediator involved. In this case, it is a file. The payload of the adware is packed with an attachment. The sender will describe the appended file as an important piece of documentation, like a receipt, a recommended letter, an invoice, a bill, a fine, a subpoena, or a contract. He will ask you to read the document and give a response as soon as possible. Accessing the attachment is enough to trigger the transfer of the secluded program. The adware will be installed through background tasks. The entire process could go unnoticed. The same is true for drive-by installations. A compromised website can transfer a program like the adware behind the “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” pop-ups when entered. There are dangers lurking around every corner, so you need to keep your guard up at all times.

“Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” Virus Removal

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you are familiar with this task, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:

For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.

For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.‌

Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.

While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.

Here are the steps you must perform to remove the hijacker from the browser:

Remove From Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.

Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.

Remove From Chrome:

Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).

Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.

Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.

Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.

Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.

Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.

Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.

Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.

Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.

Still can not remove “Hard Drive Is Not Accepted” Virus from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.