I got a new laptop for Christmas running Windows 11 Home in S mode. A little while ago I clicked on a link in a post and got a pop-up saying it was an unsafe site with a button to scan for viruses. It startled me and I clicked it. Yeah, I know. I immediately got another pop-up saying my computer was infected. I then realized it had the McAfee logo and knew it was a trick so I closed the windows.
Since then I’ve been trying to find a way to run a quick scan just to be sure nothing happened. “Security” is not an option in the settings on the start menu even though googling info about this says it should be. Anyway, I finally found “Windows Security” in the hidden icons on the bottom task bar. (The dashboard tells me everything is ok.) But under “Virus and Threat Protection” there are no options for running any individual scans. Nor under any other sections. When I first got the laptop I was checking things out and I know I saw a “quick scan” option somewhere but now I can’t find it. Anyone have any ideas?
Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will reply, but I had never heard about S mode until last week (I am considering a new laptop, and saw a few that had S mode as the OS).
From what I learned after a small amount of googling, S mode is a locked down version of Windows that puts security as a priority. As I understand it, you can only load apps and programs from the Microsoft store. I think the idea is to make it like a Chromebook. So even if you made a mistake and clicked on a malicious link, S mode should prevent it from installing any malware. I wouldn’t worry about it, but maybe someone who knows more will chime in.
Edited to add: since you can only add apps from the Microsoft store, that would be the place to look for an anti virus/malware program
That is the normal place for it. Under Virus and Threat Protection, it should have an option for “Quick Scan.” If it doesn’t, then perhaps it isn’t available in S-mode.
I looked it up, and apparently S-mode does not allow you to do manual virus scans. It’s considered unnecessary due to the S-mode restrictions, which won’t run code that isn’t from the Microsoft Store and signed.
Given your scenario, I would not worry that you have malware. To avoid such fake malware in the future, I would instead suggest installing uBlock Origin inside Edge.
If you don’t want to block all ads, you can mess with the settings for uBlock Origin, but make sure not to enable the malware stuff.
Actually, that was my intention when I bought it since I preferred Chrome to Edge (but didn’t want a Chromebook for other reasons). Now that I’ve been using it for a few weeks, I’m ok with Edge. Although if it doesn’t stop annoying me about “enhancing my experience”, I may rethink things.
Yes, I’ve just started using Edge, too and was pleasantly surprised that it’s better than I expected. I’ll still install another browser or two, but Edge isnt too bad.