If your web browser is constantly being redirected to suspicious website, or you are seeing intrusive ads on the websites that you visit, then your computer may be infected with an adware or a potentially unwanted program. The advertisements that are displayed by adware will typically be shown in the header in strange positions or overlaying the content of the web page.



These unwanted advertisements usually caused by adware installed on your computer. These adware programs are 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 a malicious program is installed, whenever you will browse the Internet, an ads will randomly pop-up and your browser may be redirected to malicious websites.
The advertisements may have a different text under the pop-up: “Powered by (adware name)“, “Brought to you by (adware name)“, “Sponsored by (adware name)“, “Ads by (adware name)” or “Ads by (adware name)“.
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.
Adware can slow down your PC. It can also slow down your Internet connection by downloading advertisements. Sometimes programming flaws in the adware can make your computer unstable. Advertising pop-ups can also distract you and waste your time if they have to be closed before you can continue using your PC.
![Browser Popup Advertisement [Image: Browser Popup Advertisement ]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/popup-advertisment.jpg)
If your computer is infected with adware or any other type of malicious software, you can follow the below guide to easily clean up your computer.
This guide was written to help users remove pop-up ads and advertisements that are caused by adware and other malicious programs, if your just looking for a way to block ads, then you can use a free browser extension like Adblock Plus.
Remove Pop-Up Ads & Advertisements from Web Browser (Help 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.
To remove adware and unwanted pop-ups, follow these steps
- STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows
- STEP 2: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware from the computer
- STEP 3: Scan and clean your computer with Malwarebytes
- STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with HitmanPro
- (OPTIONAL) STEP 5: Use Zemana AntiMalware Portable to remove browser hijackers
- (OPTIONAL) STEP 6: Reset your browser to the default settings
STEP 1 : Uninstall the 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.
- Go to the uninstall menu.
Windows 10 or Windows 8
- 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.

- When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.

Windows 7 or Windows Vista
- If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
![Control Panel in Windows Start Menu [Image: Control Panel in Windows Start Menu]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/windows-start-menu-control-panel.jpg)
- When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
![Click on Uninstall a program [Image: Uninstall a program]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/uninstall-a-program-windows.jpg)
- 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.
- 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.
STEP 2: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware from the computer
Malwarebytes AdwCleaner is a free utility that will scan your computer for adware programs that may have been installed without your knowledge.
- You can download Malwarebytes AdwCleaner from the below link.
MALWAREBYTES ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will start the download of “Malwarebytes AdwCleaner” on your computer) - When Malwarebytes AdwCleaner has finished downloading, please double-click on the AdwCleaner icon to perform a system scan with this program.

If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Malwarebytes AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

- When the Malwarebytes AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.

Malwarebytes AdwCleaner will now start to search for adware and other malicious programs. - To remove the malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.

- 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.

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
Malwarebytes is a powerful on-demand scanner which should remove malware from your computer. 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 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.
- 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.
STEP 5: Use Zemana AntiMalware Portable to remove browser hijackers
This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.
- You can download Zemana AntiMalware Portable from the below link:
ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE PORTABLE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new web page from where you can download “Zemana AntiMalware Portable”) - Double-click on the file named “Zemana.AntiMalware.Portable” to perform a system scan with Zemana AntiMalware Free.

You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this program. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to allow Zemana AntiMalware to run.

- When Zemana AntiMalware will start, click on the “Scan” button to perform a system scan.

- Zemana AntiMalware will now scan your computer for malicious programs. This process can take up to 10 minutes.

- When Zemana has finished finished scanning it will show a screen that displays any malware that has been detected. To remove all the malicious files, click on the “Next” button.

Zemana AntiMalware will now start to remove all the malicious programs from your computer. When the process is complete, you can close Zemana AntiMalware and continue with the rest of the instructions.
(OPTIONAL) STEP 6: Reset your browser to default settings
This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.
Reset Google Chrome
Google Chrome has an option that will reset itself to its default settings. You might need to do this if apps or extensions you installed changed your settings without your knowledge. Your saved bookmarks and passwords won’t be cleared or changed.
- On your computer, open Google Chrome.
- At the top right, click “More” (represented by the three dots) and then “Settings”

- At the bottom, click “Show advanced settings”.

- Under the section “Reset settings”, click Reset settings.

- In the box that appears, click Reset.

Reset Internet Explorer
You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon”
in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
![Click on the Gear Icon then on Internet Options [Image: Internet Options in Internet Explorer]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Internet-Options-Internet-Explorer.jpg)
- In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
![In the Advanced tab click on the Reset button [Image: Reset Internet Explorer]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Reset-Internet-Explorer.jpg)
- In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
![Click on the Reset button to revert IE to its default settings [Image: Reset Internet Explorer to its default settings]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/reset-button-Internet-Explorer.jpg)
- 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.
![Click on the Close button [Image Reset Internet Explorer settings]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Close-button-Reset.jpg)
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If you’re having problems with 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.
- 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“.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove malware from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.