How To Remove Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP’s) From Windows

A Potentially Unwanted Program, also called in short as PUP, is a software that contains adware, installs toolbars or has other unclear objectives.

The term “Potentially Unwanted Program” was given by McAfee to avoid labelling downloadable programs as malware. What makes a PUPs different from malware is that the user gives consent to download it. When the user downloads a program from the Internet and neglects to read the download agreement, he or she may fail to understand what other unwanted programs are being downloaded.

Potentially Unwanted Programs usually gets on your computer with freeware software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation these type of programs. These unwanted programs are also bundled within the custom installers on many download sites, so if you have downloaded a software from these websites, chances are that a Potentially Unwanted Program was installed during the software setup process.

In most cases these Potentially Unwanted Programs are adware programs, that displays pop-up ads and advertisements on web pages that you visit. These advertisements will be shown as boxes containing various coupons that are available, as underlined keywords, pop-up ads or advertising banners.
These ads are aimed to promote the installation of additional questionable content including web browser toolbars, optimization utilities and other products, all so the Potentially Unwanted Program publisher can generate pay-per-click revenue.

When infected with a Potentially Unwanted Program 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.

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.

How To Remove Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP’s) From Windows

To remove Potentially Unwanted Programs from Windows, follow these steps:

• STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove adware and browser hijackers
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs
• (OPTIONAL) STEP 4: Reset the browser settings to their original defaults
• (OPTIONAL) STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware

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.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes to remove adware and browser hijackers

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

The first time you install Malwarebytes, you’re given a free 14-day trial of the premium edition, which includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and specific protection from ransomware. After two weeks, it automatically reverts to the basic free version that will detect and clean up malware infections only when you run a scan. It is important to note that Malwarebytes will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. Download Malwarebytes.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the mb3-setup-consumer-x.x.x.xxxx.exe file to install Malwarebytes on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   
   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. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

   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 PC, click on the “Agree and Install” button.
   
   

4. Click on “Scan Now”.

   Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To perform a system scan, click on the “Scan Now” button.
   

5. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now start scanning your computer for adware and other 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. Click on “Quarantine Selected”.

   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. Reboot your computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove 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 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to the their clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is actually no limit in scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one time 30 day trial to enable the clean up.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   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. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.
   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs. This process will take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that the program has found. Click on the “Next” button to remove the malicious programs.
   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your PC.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

(Optional) STEP 5: Reset the browser settings to their original defaults

If your PC is being redirected to unwanted sites we will need to reset the web browser settings to their original defaults. This step should be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

(OPTIONAL) STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with Zemana AntiMalware Free

Zemana AntiMalware is a free popular on-demand antivirus scanner which can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find.
While the Malwarebytes and HitmanPro scans are more than enough, we’re recommending Zemana AntiMalware to users who still have malware related issues or just want make sure their PC is 100% clean.

1. Download Zemana AntiMalware.

   You can download Zemana AntiMalware Free by clicking the link below.

   ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download Zemana AntiMalware)

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.exe” to start the installation of Zemana AntiMalware. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   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. Install Zemana AntiMalware Free.

   Click on the “Next” button to install Zemana AntiMalware on your PC. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the install process.
   

   When you reach the “Select Additional Tasks” screen, you need to opt-out the “Enable Real Time Protection” option, then click on the “Next” button.
   

4. Click on “Scan”.

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

5. Wait for the Zemana AntiMalware scan to complete.

   Zemana AntiMalware will now scan your PC for malicious files. This process can take a few minutes.
   

6. Click on “Next”.

   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.
   

7. Restart your PC.

   When the malware removal process is complete, Zemana AntiMalware may need to restart your computer. Click on the “Reebot” button to reset your PC.
   

Your computer should now be free of adware, browser hijackers and other types of malware. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove malware from your PC, please do one of the following:

• Run a system scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit
• Ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance for Windows forum.