Remove CaptureItPlus adware (Virus Removal Guide)

CaptureItPlus (or popupalert.exe) is an adware program that injects advertisements onto your machine. When you browse the web while this adware is installed, CaptureItPlus will display intrusive and unwanted ads onto web sites that make it difficult to read the content of the site.
To make matters worse, you will also find that this adware will cause your computer to act more sluggish or for your web browser to freeze.

What is CaptureItPlus?

CaptureItPlus is advertised as a program that will allow its users to easily take screenshots of their desktop. Though this may sound like a useful service, the CaptureItPlus program can be intrusive and will display ads whether you want them to or not.
When installed, the CaptureItPlus displays a pop-up ad that will state that you computer is infected and that you need to call their paid support service to remove the infection.
These alerts are designed to scare you into thinking that your computer is infected so that you will call the number listed in the fake security alert. Once you call 1-800-245-2579, the salesperson will try to convince you that your computer has a problem and that you should purchase a support contract to fix it. This is a complete scam and you should not purchase anything from numbers listed in alerts.
This is a fake alert that will pop-up:

McAfee | Trojan Detected
Your computer is at high risk
Virus and Spyware Protection – Not Found
Adware.Win32.Look2me.ab – Critical
Web Protection – Not Found
Threats Detected – High
System critically infected! Contact Support Immediately!
Call Support Toll Free: 1-800-245-2579

When Capture It Plus is installed it will copy itself to a filename from the list below.

C:\Windows\System32\PopupAlert\popupalert.exe
C:\Windows\system32\Express\explorer.exe
C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\taskprocess.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Task Host\taskhost.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Explore\iexloprer.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\IIS\iis.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\internet.exe

When infected with CaptureItPlus the common symptoms include:

• Advertising banners are injected with the web pages that you are visiting.
• Random web page text is turned into hyperlinks.
• Browser popups appear which recommend fake updates or other software.
• Other unwanted adware programs might get installed without the user’s knowledge.

How did CaptureItPlus got on my computer?

CaptureItPlus is an adware program that is commonly bundled with other free programs that you download off of the Internet.
Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed CaptureItPlus without your knowledge. Most commonly CaptureItPlus is bundled within the installers from Cnet, Softonic or other similar custom third-party installers.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this CaptureItPlus adware. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place.
It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove CaptureItPlus Ads (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove CaptureItPlus adware from your computer, and any other adware program that may have been installed during the setup process.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.

STEP 1: Uninstall CaptureItPlus from Windows
STEP 2: Remove CaptureItPlus adware with AdwCleaner
STEP 3: Remove CaptureItPlus (and popupalert.exe) with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
STEP 4: Double-check for the CaptureItPlus malware with HitmanPro

STEP 1 : Uninstall CaptureItPlus from Windows

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. Go to the uninstall menu.
   

   Windows 10 or Windows 8

   1. To uninstall a program on Windows 10 or Windows 8, right-click on the Windows Start button and choose “Control Panel” from the pop-up menu.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      

   Windows 7 or Windows Vista

   1. If you are using Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      
2. When the “Programs and Features” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall “CaptureItPlus version 1.0.4878.41984”.
   The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your program by the installation date. Scroll through the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown programs.
   If you are having issues while trying to uninstall the CaptureItPlus program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

   

   If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

STEP 2: Remove CaptureItPlus adware with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer for the CaptureItPlus adware and other unwanted browser extensions, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

1. You can download AdwCleaner from the below link.
   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “AdwCleaner”)
2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close your web browser, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
   
   AdwCleaner will now start to search for adware and other malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
4. To remove the malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Cleaning” button.
   
5. AdwCleaner will prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer to complete the cleaning process. Please do so, and then click on the “OK” button.
   
   When your computer reboots and you are logged in, AdwCleaner will automatically open a log file that contains the files, registry keys, and programs that were removed from your computer.

STEP 3: Remove CaptureItPlus (and popupalert.exe) with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free”)
2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the CaptureItPlus adware. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
6. When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Remove Selected” button.
   
   Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
7. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
   
   After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 4: Double-check for the CaptureItPlus malware with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for the CaptureItPlus malware.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove malware.
   
5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.