How to Remove Adware Manually
Boot into Safe Mode with Networking Support., Start your browser to check for rogue extensions or add-ons.Often adware takes the form of browser extensions or add-ons., Check your browser start page, search engines and other defaults., See what...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Boot into Safe Mode with Networking Support.
With all removable media (such as CDs and flash drives) removed, restart the computer in Safe Mode.
Windows 8 and 10:
Press ⊞ Win+X and select “Shut down or Sign Out,” then choose “Restart.” When the computer boots to the login screen, hold down the ⇧ Shift key as you click the power icon.
The computer will restart again.
When it comes back up, click “Troubleshoot,” then “Advanced Options,” then “Startup Settings,” then “Restart.” At the resulting boot options screen, press the key next to “Safe Mode with Networking” (it will be either F5 or 5, depending on your computer).
Windows 7 and prior:
Click the Start menu, then click the arrow next to “Shut Down.” Select Restart.
Once the computer clicks off and then turns back on, start tapping the F8 key to launch a boot menu.
Use the arrow keys to navigate to “Safe Mode With Networking” and press ↵ Enter. -
Step 2: Start your browser to check for rogue extensions or add-ons.Often adware takes the form of browser extensions or add-ons.
In Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu (in the top right corner of the browser, marked by three horizontal lines) and select “Settings.” Click “Extensions,” then look for any extensions you don’t recognize.
If anything looks unfamiliar, click the associated trash icon.
Internet Explorer:
Click “Tools,” then “Manage add-ons.” Click “All add-ons” to view the list of everything that’s installed.
Select anything you don’t recognize and click “Disable.” When you’re finished, click “Close.” Firefox:
Check your Add-ons by clicking the Open menu (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of the screen and selecting “Add-ons.” Now click “Extensions” and look for anything you don’t recognize.
To disable an extension, click it once then click “Disable.” , Sometimes adware will hijack your browser’s default webpage and search engines.
Chrome:
Click “Settings” in the Chrome menu, then click “Set Pages” (just below “On Startup”).
If you see anything other than a blank page or a page you specifically configured to show up when you start the browser, select the listed site, then press the X to delete.
Make sure the Chrome buttons haven’t been messed with.
In the same Settings menu, find the Appearance section.
Select “Show Home Button.” Now click “Change,” then select “Use the New Tab Page.” Click “Ok” to save your changes.
Verify your search engine settings in the Settings menu by clicking “Manage Search Engines” under “Search.” Choose the search engine you use and select “Make default.” Make sure the URL on the right side of the screen matches the name of the search engine! If you see Yahoo.com on the left, but the URL on the right starts with anything other than search.yahoo.com, delete it with the X marker on the screen.
Internet Explorer:
Click “Tools,” then “Manage Add-ons.” Select “Search Providers” from the list, then choose a search engine that you know and use (Google, Bing, etc).
If you don’t recognize something, click it, then click “Remove.” Back in the Tools menu, select “Internet Options,” then take a look at the “Home Page.” The URL listed in that box is your browser’s default homepage.
If you don’t recognize it, delete it and select “Use new tab.” Find the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop (or wherever you typically double-click the icon to launch the browser).
Use the right mouse button to click once on the icon and select “Properties.” Navigate to the “Shortcut” tab and look at the field labeled “Target.” If you see any text at all after iexplore.exe, delete it (but leave iexplore.exe alone).
Click “OK.” Firefox:
In the Open menu, select “Options,” then “Restore to Default.” Click OK to continue.
To verify Search Engine settings, click the Open menu and select “Options.” On the left bar, click “Search” and set your default search engine to something reputable like Google or Bing.
If anything you don’t recognize is listed beneath “One-click search engines,” click it once, then click “Remove.” , Press ⊞ Win+S to launch the search field.
Type msconfig into the blank to launch the System Configuration panel.
When it appears in the search results, click the file.
If you are asked to confirm, select “Yes” or “OK.” Click the Startup tab to see a list of all programs set to start when the computer boots (Windows 8 and 10 users may be redirected to the Task Manager, but the rest of the steps will be similar).
Browse through the list and see if anything stands out as adware.
It’s a good idea to search the internet from a non-infected computer for the names of anything you don’t recognize—some things may look legitimate when they actually aren’t, and vice-versa.
Next to the name of the software you’ll find the company who published it.
The companies listed can help you figure out which startup programs are legitimate.
To disable anything you don’t recognize, remove the check from the box preceding it (or if you’re on Windows 8 or 10, click the program, then click “Disable”). , If you’re using Windows 7 or earlier, click “Apply,” then “OK.” If you’re using Windows 8 or later, just click the X to close the Task Manager window. , Open the search bar and type Programs and click “Programs and Features” when it appears.
In the list of installed software, look for anything you don’t recognize.
You can sort the list by install date by clicking on the date at the top of the list.
To uninstall a piece of software, click it once, then click “Uninstall.” Restart the computer after uninstalling software. , MalwareFox is a proven solution, and you can download it by visiting the website and clicking “Free Download.” Select “Download Free Version” to start the download, and save it to your desktop when prompted.
If you’re unable to download any programs, use a different computer to download MalwareFox Anti-Malware and save it to a flash drive or CD/DVD.
Then, insert that drive or disc into the infected computer.
With the drive or disc inserted, press ⊞ Win+E to launch the File Explorer, then double-click the drive or disc on the left side of the screen. , Double-click the downloaded file to start the software, then click the “Scan” button.
When the scanner finds adware, interface color changes to red and you can choose to remove it by clicking "Next".
If you’re unable to remove the adware (this is rare but it happens), write down the name of the adware and proceed. , In Safe Mode or on a different computer, Visit Symantec’s A to Z listing of Malware.This frequently-updated site contains links to removal instructions of nearly every type of adware in existence.
Select the first letter of the name of your adware and scroll down until you find it.
Click the name of your adware. , The first set of instructions pertains to users of Symantec security software.
If you don’t use their software, scroll to the second step and follow the removal instructions as indicated.
All adware is different, and some are more difficult to remove than others.
Reboot the computer when you’re finished with all of the instructions on the page that corresponds to your adware. , If you’ve made it this far and have not had success removing the adware, run a System Restore to bring your PC back to a date when it was functioning properly. -
Step 3: Check your browser start page
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Step 4: search engines and other defaults.
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Step 5: See what programs are set to start automatically.
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Step 6: Save your settings and restart the computer.
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Step 7: Check for programs that can be uninstalled.If your computer still has pop-ups or intrusive ads upon reboot
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Step 8: see if there’s any software that can be removed by a typical uninstallation.
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Step 9: Download MalwareFox Anti-Malware.If you were unable to find and remove the adware in any of the previous manual steps
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Step 10: it’s time to break out the big guns.
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Step 11: Start Anti-Malware and run a scan.
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Step 12: Get removal instructions from Symantec.
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Step 13: Click “Removal” to view instructions.
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Step 14: Run a System Restore.
Detailed Guide
With all removable media (such as CDs and flash drives) removed, restart the computer in Safe Mode.
Windows 8 and 10:
Press ⊞ Win+X and select “Shut down or Sign Out,” then choose “Restart.” When the computer boots to the login screen, hold down the ⇧ Shift key as you click the power icon.
The computer will restart again.
When it comes back up, click “Troubleshoot,” then “Advanced Options,” then “Startup Settings,” then “Restart.” At the resulting boot options screen, press the key next to “Safe Mode with Networking” (it will be either F5 or 5, depending on your computer).
Windows 7 and prior:
Click the Start menu, then click the arrow next to “Shut Down.” Select Restart.
Once the computer clicks off and then turns back on, start tapping the F8 key to launch a boot menu.
Use the arrow keys to navigate to “Safe Mode With Networking” and press ↵ Enter.
In Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu (in the top right corner of the browser, marked by three horizontal lines) and select “Settings.” Click “Extensions,” then look for any extensions you don’t recognize.
If anything looks unfamiliar, click the associated trash icon.
Internet Explorer:
Click “Tools,” then “Manage add-ons.” Click “All add-ons” to view the list of everything that’s installed.
Select anything you don’t recognize and click “Disable.” When you’re finished, click “Close.” Firefox:
Check your Add-ons by clicking the Open menu (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of the screen and selecting “Add-ons.” Now click “Extensions” and look for anything you don’t recognize.
To disable an extension, click it once then click “Disable.” , Sometimes adware will hijack your browser’s default webpage and search engines.
Chrome:
Click “Settings” in the Chrome menu, then click “Set Pages” (just below “On Startup”).
If you see anything other than a blank page or a page you specifically configured to show up when you start the browser, select the listed site, then press the X to delete.
Make sure the Chrome buttons haven’t been messed with.
In the same Settings menu, find the Appearance section.
Select “Show Home Button.” Now click “Change,” then select “Use the New Tab Page.” Click “Ok” to save your changes.
Verify your search engine settings in the Settings menu by clicking “Manage Search Engines” under “Search.” Choose the search engine you use and select “Make default.” Make sure the URL on the right side of the screen matches the name of the search engine! If you see Yahoo.com on the left, but the URL on the right starts with anything other than search.yahoo.com, delete it with the X marker on the screen.
Internet Explorer:
Click “Tools,” then “Manage Add-ons.” Select “Search Providers” from the list, then choose a search engine that you know and use (Google, Bing, etc).
If you don’t recognize something, click it, then click “Remove.” Back in the Tools menu, select “Internet Options,” then take a look at the “Home Page.” The URL listed in that box is your browser’s default homepage.
If you don’t recognize it, delete it and select “Use new tab.” Find the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop (or wherever you typically double-click the icon to launch the browser).
Use the right mouse button to click once on the icon and select “Properties.” Navigate to the “Shortcut” tab and look at the field labeled “Target.” If you see any text at all after iexplore.exe, delete it (but leave iexplore.exe alone).
Click “OK.” Firefox:
In the Open menu, select “Options,” then “Restore to Default.” Click OK to continue.
To verify Search Engine settings, click the Open menu and select “Options.” On the left bar, click “Search” and set your default search engine to something reputable like Google or Bing.
If anything you don’t recognize is listed beneath “One-click search engines,” click it once, then click “Remove.” , Press ⊞ Win+S to launch the search field.
Type msconfig into the blank to launch the System Configuration panel.
When it appears in the search results, click the file.
If you are asked to confirm, select “Yes” or “OK.” Click the Startup tab to see a list of all programs set to start when the computer boots (Windows 8 and 10 users may be redirected to the Task Manager, but the rest of the steps will be similar).
Browse through the list and see if anything stands out as adware.
It’s a good idea to search the internet from a non-infected computer for the names of anything you don’t recognize—some things may look legitimate when they actually aren’t, and vice-versa.
Next to the name of the software you’ll find the company who published it.
The companies listed can help you figure out which startup programs are legitimate.
To disable anything you don’t recognize, remove the check from the box preceding it (or if you’re on Windows 8 or 10, click the program, then click “Disable”). , If you’re using Windows 7 or earlier, click “Apply,” then “OK.” If you’re using Windows 8 or later, just click the X to close the Task Manager window. , Open the search bar and type Programs and click “Programs and Features” when it appears.
In the list of installed software, look for anything you don’t recognize.
You can sort the list by install date by clicking on the date at the top of the list.
To uninstall a piece of software, click it once, then click “Uninstall.” Restart the computer after uninstalling software. , MalwareFox is a proven solution, and you can download it by visiting the website and clicking “Free Download.” Select “Download Free Version” to start the download, and save it to your desktop when prompted.
If you’re unable to download any programs, use a different computer to download MalwareFox Anti-Malware and save it to a flash drive or CD/DVD.
Then, insert that drive or disc into the infected computer.
With the drive or disc inserted, press ⊞ Win+E to launch the File Explorer, then double-click the drive or disc on the left side of the screen. , Double-click the downloaded file to start the software, then click the “Scan” button.
When the scanner finds adware, interface color changes to red and you can choose to remove it by clicking "Next".
If you’re unable to remove the adware (this is rare but it happens), write down the name of the adware and proceed. , In Safe Mode or on a different computer, Visit Symantec’s A to Z listing of Malware.This frequently-updated site contains links to removal instructions of nearly every type of adware in existence.
Select the first letter of the name of your adware and scroll down until you find it.
Click the name of your adware. , The first set of instructions pertains to users of Symantec security software.
If you don’t use their software, scroll to the second step and follow the removal instructions as indicated.
All adware is different, and some are more difficult to remove than others.
Reboot the computer when you’re finished with all of the instructions on the page that corresponds to your adware. , If you’ve made it this far and have not had success removing the adware, run a System Restore to bring your PC back to a date when it was functioning properly.
About the Author
Christine Mendoza
Creates helpful guides on hobbies to inspire and educate readers.
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