How Can I Stop the 'These Files Might Be Harmful' Warning from Popping Up?
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CuriousTraveler42
I'm getting really frustrated with an annoying popup that keeps appearing whenever I try to drag a file or folder into another folder. It says, 'These files might be harmful to your computer. Your internet security settings suggest that one or more files may be harmful. Do you want to use it anyway?' I've tried a ton of things to get rid of it: tweaking settings in local intranet, disabling Windows antivirus, checking my smart screen settings, editing the registry, turning off controlled folder access, and messing with group policy editor. Nothing has worked, and I'm stuck. Does anyone know how to solve this issue?
Answers
If you’re transferring files between two computers, make sure both devices are set to a private network in their network settings. But if it’s just one computer, then I’d look at those other tips people shared.
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Are you trying to move files directly from your Downloads folder? Remember, files downloaded tend to be marked as unsafe until you unblock them. It could be triggering this alert. Just a heads up! Without antivirus, you might be setting yourself up for an ongoing headache with potential malware issues down the line.
LogicalLara: That's true! They might end up dealing with more than just pop-ups if they keep downloading shady files.
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It sounds like Windows might think some of your drives are removable, which can trigger that warning. I've seen systems where an SSD gets marked as removable by mistake. Check if that’s what's happening with your drives. Try searching for how to stop Windows from treating an SSD as removable; there might be options in your BIOS to disable hot swapping.
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CuriousTraveler42: Oh, I should have mentioned—it’s actually all on the same computer!