XSETUP.exe is Trojan Horse that will open different sites that display a message stating that you need to allow notifications to view the content of a site. However if you click on the “Allow” button, you will be subscribed to the site notifications and receive unwanted advertisements directly to your desktop.
The XSETUP.exe Trojan is bundled with other free software 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 adware without your knowledge.
When installed the XSETUP.exe Trojan will show different sites will display the “Please click on the ALLOW to stream” message. These sites will ask you to subscribe to their notifications to view the content of the page. If you click on the “Allow” button, unwanted pop-up ads will be shown on your desktop even when your browser is closed.
To make matters worse this malicious program will change the Chrome group policy settings so that prevent you from deleting the notifications once they are configured.
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 XSETUP.exe Trojan (Virus Removal Guide)
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: Use Malwarebytes to remove XSETUP.exe Trojan
- STEP 2: Use Zemana AntiMalware Free to scan for malware and unwanted programs
- STEP 3: Double-check for malicious programs with HitmanPro
- (OPTIONAL) STEP 4: Reset your browser to the default settings
STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove XSETUP.exe Trojan from your PC
Malwarebytes is a powerful on-demand scanner which will remove the XSETUP.exe Trojan from your PC. It is important to note that Malwarebytes will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.
- You can download download Malwarebytes from the below link.
MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new page from where you can download “Malwarebytes”) - When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the “mb3-setup-consumer” file to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
- When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
To install Malwarebytes on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
- Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
- Malwarebytes will now start scanning your computer for malicious programs.
This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
- When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected.
To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.
- Malwarebytes will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found.
To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.
STEP 2: Use Zemana AntiMalware Free to scan for malware and unwanted programs
Zemana AntiMalware is a free malware scanner which can detect malicious programs that your antivirus has failed to find.
- You can download Zemana AntiMalware Free from the below link:
ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE FREE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new webpage from where you can download “Zemana AntiMalware Free”) - Double-click on the file named “Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.exe” to start the installation of Zemana AntiMalware.
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.
- Click on the “Next” button, to install Zemana AntiMalware on your computer.
When you reach the “Select Additional Tasks” screen, you can opt-out the “Enable Real Time Protection” option, then click on the “Next” button.
- When Zemana AntiMalware will start, click on the “Scan” button.
- Zemana AntiMalware will now scan computer for malicious files. This process can take up to 10 minutes.
- When Zemana AntiMalware has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Next” button, to remove the malicious files from your computer.
Zemana AntiMalware will now start to remove all the malicious programs from your computer. When the process is complete, you may need to restart your computer.
STEP 3: Double-check for malicious programs for HitmanPro
HitmanPro can find and remove malware, adware, bots, and other threats that even the best antivirus suite can oftentimes miss. HitmanPro is designed to run alongside your antivirus suite, firewall, and other security tools.
- 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”) - When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on the “hitmanpro” file to install this program on your computer.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
- When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Now click on the Next button to continue with the scan process.
- HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
- 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.
- Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.
(OPTIONAL) STEP 4: Reset your browser to the default settings
This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.
Google Chrome
1. Reset the Group Policy to remove the XSETUP.exe Trojan
This malicious program will configure a Chrome group policy under the Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\NotificationsAllowedForUrls that prevents you from deleting the notifications once they are configured. To fix this we will need to reset the Chrome group policy by running the below commands.
- Open the Command Prompt by pressing “Windows Key + X”, and click on “Command Prompt (Admin)” to open it in Administrator mode.
You can easily open the command prompt by typing “cmd” into the search box (Win + S), then right-click and choose Run as Administrator - In the Command prompt type (or copy/paste) the following commands:
- Type:
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"
Press Enter. - Type:
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
Press Enter. - Type:
gpupdate /force
Press Enter.
You should see the following notifications after the commands been run:
User Policy update has completed successfully.
Computer Policy update has completed successfully
- Type:
2. Reset Google Chrome to the default settings
Google Chrome has an option that will reset itself to its default settings. Resetting your browser settings will reset the unwanted changes caused by installing other programs. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be cleared or changed.
- Click on Chrome’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled Settings.
- Chrome’s Settings should now be displayed in a new tab or window, depending on your configuration. Next, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Advanced link (as seen in the below example).
- Chrome’s advanced Settings should now be displayed. Scroll down until the Reset browser settings section is visible, as shown in the example below. Next, click on the Reset settings button.
- A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue on with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the Reset button.
Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
- In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
- In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
- When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.
Mozilla Firefox
- In the upper-right corner of the Firefox window, click the Firefox menu button, then click on the “Help” button.
- From the Help menu, choose Troubleshooting Information.
If you’re unable to access the Help menu, type about:support in your address bar to bring up the Troubleshooting information page.
- Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
- To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
- Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on the “Finish“.
Your PC should now be free of the XSETUP.exe Trojan. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove XSETUP.exe Trojan from your device, please do one of the following:
- Run a system scan with Zemana AntiMalware
- Ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance For Windows forum.