How Can I Tell if a Script is Safe to Run?

If a script uses obfuscation, I would be very cautious about running it. It's often a red flag for malicious intent. Since you found this online, it's hard to be sure about its safety without deeper knowledge of PowerShell scripts. Just changing registry keys doesn't guarantee it's malware-free, so I’d advise you to avoid executing it unless you're comfortable reading and understanding all parts of it.

A good rule of thumb is: if you don’t understand the code, don’t run it. Even if it seems to work for your issue, it could do something nasty later on. Always err on the side of caution. If you want to analyze it further, maybe try simplifying it or using tools that can help expand the aliases to see exactly what it does.

If you're not sure, copy the script and paste it into something like ChatGPT to get a breakdown of what it does. It seems to be modifying some settings but without being able to parse the whole thing safely, I'd tread lightly before running it. Also, look for any commands that require elevated privileges, as those can sometimes indicate malicious intent.

Honestly, I’d avoid this one unless you can read through it line by line. The obfuscation makes it pretty hard to trust. If you can't get clear explanations or comments from the author, I'd say it's best not to run it, even if it does fix your pop-up issue.

Scripts like this can be very complex. I usually recommend running them in a controlled environment first if you have to. First, expand all the aliases so you can see what each part does and then check for anything suspicious, especially parts that modify the registry.