How to remove Incognito Start Button adware (Virus Removal Guide)

Incognito Start Button (by incognitostartbutton.info) is a malicious Google Chrome extension which may hijack your default search engine or display pop-up ads and unwanted advertisements on web pages that you visit.

The Incognito Start Button “Installed by enterprise policy” extension got on your PC after you have installed a freeware software that had bundled into their installation this program. Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed Incognito Start Button Chrome extension without your knowledge.

The Incognito Start Button extension is forcefully installed into Chrome through the use of Windows group policies. This makes the Incognito Start Button extension very difficult to remove because when a user tries to right-click on the extension to remove it, the normal “Remove” option will not be available and instead the user will see a message that states “Installed by your administrator” or “Installed by enterprise policy“.

A typical behavior for the Incognito Start Button “Installed by enterprise policy” malicious extensions is:

• 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.
• Your browser homepage and default search may be changed
• Your browser search queries are being redirected or tracked

How to remove Incognito Start Button “Enterprise Policy” Extension (Virus Help Guide)

• STEP 1: Reset the Group Policy to remove Incognito Start Button Enterprise Policy
• STEP 2: Reset Google Chrome to the default settings
• STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes to remove the Incognito Start Button Chrome Extension
• STEP 4: Use HitmanPro to Scan for Malware and Unwanted Programs
• STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware Portable

STEP 1: Reset the Group Policy to remove Incognito Start Button Enterprise Policy

1. 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

   

2. In the Command prompt type (or copy/paste) the following commands:
   1. Type:
      rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"
      Press Enter.
   2. Type:
      rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
      Press Enter.
   3. 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
   
3. The “Installed by enterprise policy” permissions will now be removed from Chrome, and you should be able to remove the Incognito Start Button extension.

STEP 2: Reset Google Chrome to the default settings

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.

1. On your computer, open Google Chrome.
2. At the top right, click “More” (represented by the three dots) and then “Settings”
   
3. At the bottom, click “Show advanced settings”.
   
4. Under the section “Reset settings”, click Reset settings.
   
5. In the box that appears, click Reset. ​
   

STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes to remove the Incognito Start Button Chrome Extension

Malwarebytes is a powerful on-demand scanner which should remove the adware responsible for the Incognito Start Button redirect. It is important to note that Malwarebytes will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new page from where you can download “Malwarebytes”)
2. 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.
   
3. 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.
   
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.
   
5. 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.
   
6. 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.
   
7. 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: Use HitmanPro to Scan for Malware and Unwanted Programs

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:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
2. 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.
   
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.
   
4. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
   
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.
   
6. 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: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware Portable

Zemana AntiMalware Portable is a free utility that will scan your computer for the Incognito Start Button adware and other malicious programs.

1. You can download Zemana AntiMalware Portable from the below link:
   ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE PORTABLE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Zemana AntiMalware Portable”)
2. 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.
   
3. When Zemana AntiMalware will start, click on the “Scan” button to perform a system scan.
   
4. Zemana AntiMalware will now scan your computer for malicious programs. This process can take up to 10 minutes.
   
5. 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.