How to remove Adware and Malware - SELF HELP

yigido

yigido

Translator
Hi Adguard Forum friends and visitors,

I am yigido and I have enough knowledge for cleaning an infected PC. People around me called me "Geekbuddy"
Before, I was not using Adguard or any adblocker on my browser and I saw many fake downloads and ads.
Those ads are serving malicious installers and they are directing you malicious websites.

What is Malware?
‘Malware’ is a general term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software.

How do you solve this? First, I want to help you to remove possible Adwares and Malwares from your PC.
You can think you are not infected but lets check it with my removal guide.

This is a self-help guide and this guide will remove all forms of malware from Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP.
All tools on this guide is FREE!

Save all work and back up any and all important data (images, documents etc) on your system before proceeding! This guide was tested on many computer and there were no problem. Just do what the guide says! Every single sentence is important on this guide!

Step 1 . Preparing your system for removal​

In this step, we will remove too much garbage from your PC to make malware scans faster.
On this step we won't remove any infection but it is recommended step. Please do!

Download CCleaner : https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard

- Install this sofware to your PC.
- Open CCleaner from the desktop shortcut.
- Click on "Run Cleaner" and accept the warning.
- Please wait for the cleaning...


Step 2 . Lets Remove Malwares and Adwares​

In this steps we will remove most of the malwares from your system.
We will use multiple tools and softwares on this step, because there is no software that can detect every single bad file. There is no 100% detection!

Download Zemana AntiMalware : https://zemana.com/en-US/Download

- Install Zemana on your PC.
- The interface will be opened automatically after installation.
- Click on "Scan" button right-down side of the interface. (See how it looks?)
- Please wait for scan finish... it doesn't take much less than 3 min.
- On the scan results you may see infections. Apply the recommended actions. If it needs restart, please restart your PC.

After restart you may be totally malware-free but as I said we need to check with other tools to make sure.
Zemana is great software to remove malwares and adwares. You can use this program after removal.
It is free to use. You have limetless scan and removal with free version. Check your PC every week with Zemana.

Lets move on..

Download Malwarebytes AntiMalware Free : https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/

- Install Malwarebytes on your PC.
- The interface will be opened automatically after installation. In case, start it on its desktop shortcut.
- Please wait the database update and click on "Scan Now"
- Please wait for scan finish...
- On the scan results you may see infections. Apply the recommended actions. If it needs restart, please restart your PC.

On this step we will remove any browser toolbars and adware effects on your browsers. AdwCleaner is a portable tool, you do not need to install it.

Download AdwCleaner : https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/

- Run the AdwCleaner after download. It doesn't require install.
- Click on "Scan" and wait for the results.
- After scan finish, please click on "Clean" button and restart your PC.

Your browsers now must be clean. All unwanted changes on your browsers cleaned by AdwCleaner.

Step 3 . Repair Your Internet Connection​

This tool will be reset your connection settings and hosts file.
Many of the adwares configure the internet settings and hosts for their bad purposes. So you should do this step.

Download Complete Internet Repair : http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Other-Internet-Related/Complete-Internet-Repair.shtml

- Run this tool.
- Check all options but the last one and click "GO" (see how it looks?)
- Wait for action...
- Restart your PC.

*I strongly recommend you to change your online account's passwords. Keylogger type malwares can save your passwords and keystrokes while you were infected.

Step 4 . How to Keep Your System Clean​

OK, your computer should now be free of malware.
Always make sure that you have a real-time antivirus program running on your PC, and make sure that program and signature database are always up-to-date.
Make sure that you have Windows Update turned on and enabled to download and install updates automatically.

The following helpful tools are my suggestions to harden your security setup.

If you want to pay money for your security. My recommendation is always Zemana AntiMalware.

If you don’t want to spend money on yearly subscriptions of antivirus,
Use free Comodo Internet Security. Download from there using 'Free download' button. Comodo IS looks like the best solution against ransomwares, no matter the variant of them. Alternatively,
use Avast Free Antivirus: https://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download
or
Use Bitdefender Free Antvirus: http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html (I do not recommend paid version of it)

*Do not use multiple antivirus on the same system! They can interfere each other. Pick one!

and other tools for hardening your configuration;

- Malwarebytes Anti-exploit (Blocks exploits from delivering their payload)
- Unchecky (Unchecks options in installers that install PUPs)
- Adguard Windows (Blocks ads, trackers and malicious websites) or Adguard extension

Please leave comments below for your questions, I can edit this thread, for you.
Do not forget to bookmark this page ;)

Thank you for reading,
I wish you a malware-free and ad-free days.
yigido
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Boo Berry

Boo Berry

Moderator + Beta Tester
Moderator
Personally, I'd avoid Malwarebytes' 3.0 version for the time being. It's very buggy - I still use 2.2.1 and it works great.
 
yigido

yigido

Translator
Boo Berry said:
Personally, I'd avoid Malwarebytes' 3.0 version for the time being. It's very buggy - I still use 2.2.1 and it works great.
Click to expand...
You can use other 3rd party malware scanners. Malwarebytes is the well known for recent threats because Malwarebytes database can detect threats only younger than 3 months.
In most cases Zemana can clean the machine because Zemana uses multiple engines and its own cloud (it is very strong).
If you want a suggestion instead MBAM, you can try Emsisoft Emergency Kit.
 
avatar

avatar

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
@yigido is Zemana really good for this?

We're thinking about providing a short instruction on the browsing security "access denied" page.

So, according to your instruction, we should tell user about the following products:
Malwarebytes AdwCleaner (https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/)
Malwarebytes AntiMalware
Zemana AntiMalware

I just don't like that we show two different products from a single vendor (Malwarebytes).
Aren't they doing the same thing?
 
yigido

yigido

Translator
avatar said:
@yigido is Zemana really good for this?

We're thinking about providing a short instruction on the browsing security "access denied" page.

So, according to your instruction, we should tell user about the following products:
Malwarebytes AdwCleaner (https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/)
Malwarebytes AntiMalware
Zemana AntiMalware

I just don't like that we show two different products from a single vendor (Malwarebytes).
Aren't they doing the same thing?
Click to expand...
AdwCleaner is mostly used for cleaning infected, malfunctioning browsers. Changed homepages and unremovable extensions for example.
AntiMalware, product detects newest threats (not older than 3 months). If I am not wrong, Malwarebytes removes the signatures older than 3 months from their database.
Zemana AntiMalware, uses cloud database. There is no updates on local, evrything running in cloud, and cloud uses multiple scanners to detect as possible as much.
I prefer Zemana over Malwarebytes, Zemana provides free scanning and cleaning till end of the world, and it is fairly enough for us to clean an infected PC.
Maybe you can remove Malwarebytes AntiMalware from the guide.
But remember
There is no 100% detection! This is why we use multiple tools and softwares to clean infected PCs, because there is no software that can detect every single bad file.
;)
 
avatar

avatar

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
@Blaz

Let me then explain why do I want to do it.

1. When users see an "access denied" page, they usually do not understand, that it is due to some Adware/Malware.
2. They contact our support and ask what to do.
3. Adguard itself cannot clean a computer from adware/malware. So, the support provides them with an instruction on what to do. Something like what @yigido wrote here.

This is one of the top support questions, but I don't want support service to spend time on it. Both question and answer are typical.

Blaz said:
@avatar That would be advertising and should not be done at all.
Click to expand...
Any thoughts on how to solve this issue without it being considered advertising?
 
yigido

yigido

Translator
avatar said:
@Blaz
Any thoughts on how to solve this issue without it being considered advertising?
Click to expand...
There is no way, we have to use other vendors softwares to clean an infected PC. As you said, Adguard has no such funtions.
Believe me, this guide solved many problems for my enviroment.

and Adguard already have such guide (it is very bad imo) and it also offers Dr.Web and Kaspersky.. it is an advertisement too and it seems adguard already accepted it.
https://kb.adguard.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/28/0/what-to-do-if-you-suspect-infection
 
Gass

Gass

Member
avatar said:
Any thoughts on how to solve this issue without it being considered advertising?
Click to expand...
If by only mentioning of a free product as the little sibling (is it really seen as advertising then) to offer a free fully functional version it must be supplemented by something?
And since Adguard is for the removal in ads we don't want and then to prevent such ads in the future anyway, so I say let them be mentioned as free then, as we all know they have big brothers and sisters that aids for them to be offered as a freely used product.
It's a catch 22 - damned if I do and damned if I don't...

But if it's of help to a user then - to its needed knowledge let it be shared and not seen in a way as advertising, as we're only interested in the free use to solve our current problem.
I like milk but I don't suckle a cows utter to get it I need a container, advertising is the container to the free products software getting to us in use. Adguard prevents this advertising at some users expense, so the vested products have fuller versions that cost for more features, if they didn't we wouldn't have benefit of a free version...
Quite splitting hairs over it - please. It dose noting but to divide us!
Besides some advertising is good and a setting in Adguard allows for such, so should it be of information in the forums, blog be allow to inform as it's not advertising but advise to a problem of a user.
Common sense over stepped on toes and hurt feelings will prevail for the communities good.

PS: @avatar welcome back how was your trip, cold in NY and baked in Florida ?
 
Last edited:
avatar

avatar

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Gass said:
PS: @avatar welcome back how was your trip, cold in NY and baked in Florida ?
Click to expand...
Thank you!
Cold is what we have currently in Moscow, I wish we had NY weather:) Florida was great indeed, not too hot, though, about 20°C
 
yigido

yigido

Translator
Hi @avatar ,

I read this: https://kb.adguard.com/en/windows/solving-problems/malware
It is new. But I want to inform you that "Kaspersky Virus Scanner" only scans the PCs.. it has no malware cleaning capability! So useless.. it offers you Kaspersky Antivirus (paid) to remove threats! So, it smells more "advertising" ..
Dr.Web utility has cleaning capability of infected PCs. it is fine in the instruction.
and I can understand you guys, you choosed Russian softwares but Kaspersky Virus Scanner is their advertising to tool to make people install Kaspersky Antivirus (trial) then they will claim money for license keys. Like all PCs come with Norton or McAfee when you purchased. Then the products claims money to activate protection. Antivirus marketing... and your instruction is supporting these tactics right now.
and the title "Free antivirus-utility" is totally wrong! These softwares have no real-time protection.

Just FYI.
yigido
 
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