Removal guide Adware

Remove “Ads not by this site” pop-up ads (Virus Removal Guide)

By Stelian9 min read

If your web browser is randomly being redirected to the “Ads not by this site” advertisements then your computer is infected with an adware program.

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Picture of Ads not by this site virus

The “Ads not by this site” adware program 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.

Once this malicious program is installed, whenever you will browse the Internet, an ad from Ads not by this site will randomly pop-up.
These ads are aimed to promote the installation of additional questionable content including web browser toolbars, optimization utilities and other products, all so the adware publisher can generate pay-per-click revenue.

When infected with the “Ads not by this site” adware, other 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.
You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this Ads not by this site 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.
The below instructions are for Windows users, however we also have an Android guide and a Mac OS guide which should help clean up your device.
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How to remove Ads not by this site pop-ups (Virus Removal Guide)

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the amount of the steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
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 malicious programs from Windows

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

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  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.
      Control Panel in Windows 10
    2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      Uninstall A Program on Windows 10

    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.
      [Image: Control Panel in Windows Start Menu]
    2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      [Image: Uninstall a program]
  2. When the “Programs and Features” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall any unwanted programs.
    Known malicious programs: Dns Unlocker, Cinema Plus, Price Minus, SalesPlus, New Player, MediaVideosPlayers, Browsers_Apps_Pro, PriceLEess, Pic Enhance, Sm23mS, Salus, Network System Driver, SS8, Save Daily Deals, Word Proser, Desktop Temperature Monitor, CloudScout Parental Control, Savefier, Savepass, HostSecurePlugin, CheckMeUp and HD-V2.2.
    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 cannot find any unwanted programs on your computer, you can proceed with the next step.

    If you are having issues while trying to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

    Uninstall malicious programs


STEP 2: Use AdwCleaner to “Ads not by this site” remove adware

Malwarebytes AdwCleaner is a free utility that will scan your computer for “Ads not by this site” adware and other malicious programs that may be installed.

  1. You can download Malwarebytes AdwCleaner from the below link.
    Download AdwCleanerFree official download. Nothing to install.
  2. When Malwarebytes AdwCleaner has finished downloading, please double-click on the AdwCleaner icon to perform a system scan with this program.
    Malwarebytes AdwCleaner Icon
    If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Malwarebytes AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
    Windows asking permission to start Malwarebytes AdwCleaner
  3. When the Malwarebytes AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
    Scan your computer with Malwarebytes AdwCleaner to remove adware
    Malwarebytes AdwCleaner will now start to search for the Ads not by this site adware and other malicious programs.
  4. To remove the malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
    Malwarebytes AdwCleaner removing Adware
  5. Malwarebytes 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.
    Malwarebytes AdwCleaner finishing malware removal
    When your computer reboots and you are logged in, Malwarebytes AdwCleaner will automatically open a log file that contains the files, registry keys, and programs that were removed from your computer. Please review this log file and then close the notepad window. You can now continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 3: Scan and clean your computer with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a powerful on-demand scanner which should remove the Ads not by this site pop-ups from your machine. It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

  1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
    Download MalwarebytesFree official installer. Your download starts right away.
  2. When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the “mb3-setup-consumer” file to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your computer.
    Malwarebytes installer
    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.
    Malwarebytes User Account Control Prompt
  3. When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
    Setup Malwarebytes installer
    To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
    Completing the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard
  4. Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
    Perform a system scan with Malwarebytes
  5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 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.
    Malwarebytes scanning for malware
  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 has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.
    Malwarebytes Quarantine Selected
  7. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 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.
    Malwarebytes removing malware from computer
    When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with 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.

  1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
    Download HitmanProOfficial Sophos download. Free scan, free 30-day trial to remove threats.
  2. When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on the “hitmanpro” file to install this program on your computer.
    HitmanPro icon
    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.
    HitmanPro User Account Control Pop-up
  3. 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 setup process
  4. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
    HitmanPro scanning for Ads not by this site virus
  5. 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.
    HitmanPro detected malware
  6. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
    Activate HitmanPro to remove malware
    When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

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(OPTIONAL) STEP 5: Reset your browser to default settings

If you are still experiencing issues with the Ads not by this site pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, we will need to reset your browser to its default settings.
This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

Google Chrome

To remove Ads not by this site pop-ups, 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 programmes. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be cleared or changed.

  1. Click on Chrome’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled Settings.
    Google Chrome Settings button
  2. 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 Show advanced settings link (as seen in the below example).
    Google Chrome Advanced Settings
  3. 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 browser settings button.
    Google Chrome Reset button
  4. 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.
    Reset Google Chrome settings

Internet Explorer

To remove Ads not by this site pop-ups, you can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
    [Image: Internet Options in Internet Explorer]
  2. In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
    [Image: Reset Internet Explorer]
  3. In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
    [Image: Reset Internet Explorer to its default settings]
  4. 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.
    [Image Reset Internet Explorer settings]

Mozilla Firefox

If you’re having problems with the Ads not by this site pop-ups within Firefox, resetting it can help. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history and open tabs.

  1. In the upper-right corner of the Firefox window, click the Firefox menu button, then click on the “Help” [Image: Firefox Help button] button.
    Firefox Help button
  2. 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.
    Troubleshooting Information in Firefox
  3. Click the “Refresh Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
    Refresh Firefox button
  4. To continue, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
    Reset Firefox settings to default
  5. 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 old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

Your computer should now be free of the Ads not by this site pop-ups. You can remove AdwCleaner from your computer, however we recommend that you keep Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro installed to periodically scan your device for malware.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Ads not by this site adware from your computer, please do one of the following:

Take back control of your browsing.

After revoking unwanted notification permissions, add protection against malicious downloads and the advertising that interrupts your browsing.

Affiliate links We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. How we’re funded

MalwarebytesSCAM & MALWARE PROTECTION

Check suspicious software, too.

If a pop-up persuaded you to install something, Malwarebytes can scan for malware and unwanted software. Premium adds ongoing protection.

  • Scam Guard for suspicious messages
  • Real-time malware protection with Premium
Explore MalwarebytesExplore features on the official website
AdGuardAD & TRACKER BLOCKING

Fewer pop-ups. Quieter browsing.

AdGuard blocks many intrusive ads and pop-ups, and filters trackers. Keep browser notification permissions under control separately.

  • Blocks intrusive ads and pop-ups
  • Filters trackers while you browse
Explore AdGuardExplore features on the official website

Features vary by device and plan. These tools add protection; they do not guarantee that a website or offer is trustworthy.

Join the discussion

175 comments

Share your experience or ask a question about this article.

Discussion

  1. Robert

    thanks mate…just removed ads from google chrome using your guidelines…had installed an HD Codec, which was the source of everything. it was getting too very frustrating! by the way, I have also installed installed chrome extension adblock plus, but your tips did the trick.

    thanks once again

    rob

    ReplyReport
  2. Luz

    thanks!! it worked just… great!!! i had been going like this for 6 months at least!! thank you!!

    ReplyReport
  3. Lulu

    I went through all the steps; unfortunately it did not work. In my extensions I have PSdToPng which does not allow removal. Could it be this?

    ReplyReport
  4. d.g.g.

    Dude, thank you alot, you solve a headache I had since months with my browser

    ReplyReport
  5. Jr

    Praise God!!! this was an answer to a prayer. I really need to complete a presentation and could not do any research especially on youtube omg it was like adwere central. cant thank you enough and keep doing what you do. your a brother from another mother :) and a real life hero blessings and thanks to you again, advise was really effective and worked. I did not trust you at first to be honest thought I could be downloading more viruses but that was deff not the case
    thank you

    ReplyReport
  6. ChrisTopher Hance-George

    hi,

    the ONLY extension it shows is “PDFViewer 1.1

    Permissions

    ID: hafjilfochochfhhojdjldgdaoobjnlg

    (This extension is managed and cannot be removed or disabled.)

    Inspect views: background.html

    Allow in incognito”

    and it does not have a delete or disable button

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian Pilici

      In reply to ChrisTopher Hance-George

      Hello,
      So you found the culprit, and you’ve got a newer version of this adware, which is harder to remove.
      Now, you have two options:
      1. Follow our Installed by enterprise policy removal guide: http://malwaretips.com/blogs/installed-enterprise-policy-removal/ …. At step 1, search and uninstall PDF Viewer 1.1.
      2. Ask for support in our Malware Removal Assistance forum: http://malwaretips.com/forums/malware-removal-assistance.10/

      ReplyReport
  7. ChrisTopher Hance-George

    Hi, thanks for the great instructions, BUT NONE of this worked for me, this malware seems ingrained in my browser, I use chrome, I’ve performed all the steps twice now and still can’t remove the malware

    ReplyReport
  8. Thornybastard

    OK, success! You were right about disabling extensions one by one. It was the last thing I had to try. The extension was called Flash Player 11. All clear. great job, great site!

    ReplyReport
  9. Thomas

    Thank you so much!!! Step 1 did the trick for me! This was really easy!!!!
    THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!!

    ReplyReport
  10. Thornybastard

    This didn’t work for me. I followed the instructions meticulously. The optional step 5 in my version of FF (27.0.1) did not have a reset button in the troubleshooting guide. I can say it worked partially since I get less offensive adds now, but the pop-ups are still coming on many but not all pages (not on Facebook or any Google sites) and now not on this site either. But it’s still trying to redirect and failing. I still get the redirect on some pages and of course when that happens you can’t hit the back button because it loses the page I was trying to go to. I keep MalwareByte anti-malware running now too.

    One of the redirects I see flashing at the bottom of the FF screen is for shopping-guide-onlines.com. Yes it has the “s” at the end. I also see lookup.bluecava.com. According to Disconnect I’m getting 94 advertising requests (not on this page).

    Oddly, none of the scans with any of the software in 1-4 found anything from Ads not from this site. They all found stuff. But some of it has been on my HD for years.

    I attached a screen cap of the popup from the lower left corner of the screen. Note how it’s transparent, but you can still see the red close icon with white x. Occasionally a visible ad will appear. In this case the text on the webpage is visible without the ad running in the window. also attached is the Jumba ad from the higher on the page.

    One more note: I think I got hit by the java or flash update ploy Curlygirly in DC below mentions.

    Any ideas? Thanks.

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian Pilici

      In reply to Thornybastard

      Hello,
      You have run both AdwCleaner and Junkware Removal tool right? Lets see what extension you have installed:
      1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button, and then click Add-ons. The Add-ons Manager tab will open.
      2.In the Add-ons Manager tab, select the Extensions or Appearance panel.
      3. Let me know which extensions you have installed.

      ReplyReport
      1. Thornybastard

        In reply to Stelian Pilici

        Extensions:
        AVG Privacy Fix
        Better Privacy
        Disconnect
        Download Helper
        Flash player 11
        https everywhere
        lightbeam
        MaskMe
        QQ Mail plugin for FF
        Skype click to call
        Tencent storage plug-in
        Adblock plus (disabled)
        DoNoTrackMe (disabled)
        Real downloader (disabled)

        Appearance:
        Night before Christmas
        Default (disabled)
        Homestyle Christmas (disabled) (yeah, i know, xmas is over)

        Report
      2. Thornybastard

        In reply to Stelian Pilici

        And yes, I ran everything exactly like the instructions said and in the same order. Adwcleaner, Junkware, etc Everything. Should I keep FF closed while running everything?

        Report
  11. ANGEL

    Thank you so much this worked great and your instructions were very easy to follow.
    Thank You, Angel

    ReplyReport
  12. Stelian Pilici

    Hello,
    I would not recommend a tool that I would not personal use. You can search reviews for it, basically is a tool that is used by IT professional to easily remove unwanted programs. :)

    ReplyReport
  13. Ryan Pilcher

    Thanks alot for the guide worked really well, I don’t even know how it got on my computer but the first program u suggested got rid of it.

    ReplyReport
  14. CurlyGirlyinDC

    I consider myself pretty tech savvy and can’t remember the last time I ever had a virus. This thing sucker punched me when I thought I was allowing Java or Adobe update. The pop-ups were beyond obnoxious and I couldn’t click on anything without being overcome by the ads. Your article was easy to follow and seems to have resolved the issue. I could never have done this on my own. I’m sharing it with my friends and colleagues and will be making a donation as you saved me hours of headaches. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyReport

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Stelian

Stelian leverages over a decade of cybersecurity expertise to lead malware analysis and removal, uncover scams, and educate people. His experience provides insightful analysis and valuable perspective.

61,141 articlesWriting since 2011
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