Removal guide Adware

Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar (Removal Instructions)

By Stelian8 min read

WhiteSmoke Toolbar is a program that has changed your browser home page,installed a unwanted toolbar and changed your default search engine to its own.
White Smoke Toolbar Virus
WhiteSmoke Toolbar got on your computer after you have installed another program that had bundled in their installer the WhiteSmoke Toolbar toolbar.
You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this WhiteSmoke Toolbar toolbar. 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.

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How to remove search.whitesmoke.com  (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove search.whitesmoke.com from your Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.
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 search.whitesmoke.com malicious programs from your computer
STEP 2: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome
STEP 3: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com browser hijacker from your computer with AdwCleaner
STEP 4: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 5: Double-check for the WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com infection with HitmanPro

STEP 1 : Uninstall search.whitesmoke.com malicious programs from your computer

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. To uninstall the malicious program responsible for the search.whitesmoke.com redirect from 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]
    If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for “control panel” .Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control Panel from there.
    [Image: Control Panel in Windows 8]
  2. When the Control Panel window opens click on the Uninstall a program option under Programs category. This option is shown by the arrow in the image below. If you are using the Classic View of the Control Panel, then you would double-click on the Programs and Features icon instead.
    [Image: Uninstall a program]
  3. When the Programs and Features or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall WhiteSmoke Toolbar, Uninstall WhiteSmoke Bar Toolbar, SupTab and any other recently installed unknown program from 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 though the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown programs.
    WhiteSmoke Toolbar uninstaller
    Depending on what program has installed the search.whitesmoke.com adware infection, the above program may have a different name or not be installed on your computer. If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

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


STEP 2: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from 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.

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” [Image: icongear.jpg] 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]

Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from 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.

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  1. In the upper-right corner of the Firefox window, click the Firefox menu button ([Image: Firefox Menu button]), then click on the “Help” ([Image: Firefox Help button]) button.
    [Image: Click on the Menu button then Help]
  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.
    [Image: Troubleshooting Information in Firefox]
  3. Click the “Reset Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
    [Image: Reset Firefox to its default settings]
  4. To continue, click on the “Reset Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
    [Image: Click on the Reset Firefox button]
  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“.
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Note: 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.

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Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from Google Chrome

  1. Click on Chrome’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines ([Image: Chrome's main menu button]) .When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled Settings.
    [Image: Click on 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).
    [Image: Click on Show advanced settings link]
  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.
    [Image: Click on Reset browser 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.
    [Image: Click on Reset button to restore Chrome to default settings]

STEP 3: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com browser hijacker with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for the “search.whitesmoke.com” malicious files, browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

  1. You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
    Download AdwCleanerFree official download. Nothing to install.
  2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
    AdwCleaner Icon
    If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
  3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
    Click on Scan button to find search.whitesmoke.com virus
    AdwCleaner will now start to search for the “search.whitesmoke.com” malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
  4. To remove the “search.whitesmoke.com” malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
    Remove search.whitesmoke.com virus with AdwCleaner
  5. AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.
    AdwCleaner removing search.whitesmoke.com virus

STEP 4: Remove WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com virus from your computer with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should 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. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware setup program]
    Picture of User Account Control 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. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard]
    To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Final Setup Screen]
  4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Fix Now” button.
    [Image: Click on the Fix Now button to start a scan]
    Alternatively, you can click on the “Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the “Scan Now” button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Threat Scan]
  5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any, you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
    [Image: Click on Update Now to update Malwarebytes Anti-Malware]
  6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the search.whitesmoke.com virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware while performing a scan]
  7. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the “Apply Now” button.
    [Image: Remove the malware that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has found]
    Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
  8. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware while removing viruses]
    After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 5: Double check for the WhiteSmoke Toolbar and search.whitesmoke.com infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

  1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
    Download HitmanProOfficial Sophos download. Free scan, free 30-day trial to remove threats.
  2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
    [Image: HitmanPro start-up screen]
    Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
    [Image: HitmanPro setup options]
  3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for search.whitesmoke.com malicious files.
    [Image: HitmanPro scanning for malware]
  4. 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 search.whitesmoke.com malware.
    [Image: HitmanPro scan results]
  5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
    [Image: HitmanPro Activate Free License]

Your computer should now be free of the search.whitesmoke.com infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with HitmanPro.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove search.whitesmoke.com hijacker from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.

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Join the discussion

63 comments

Share your experience or ask a question about this article.

Discussion

  1. Marty

    Thank YOU soooo much! The toolbar has DISAPPEARED, but, I still have some files in my computer with the names Conduit and WhiteSmoke that the anti-malware softwares can’t seem to get rid of, and there is too many of them to delete all with FileAssassin, and it seems that they keep growing, any advice?

    ReplyReport
  2. Sandy

    This was Great ….. I got rid of White Smoke and a lot of other problems. The only thing is that Hitman had a lot of Delete failed on the Tracking Cookies. I can’t say THANKS enough.

    ReplyReport
  3. Sarah

    THANK YOU FOR THIS! It worked right away and fixed all of our search engines!!! THANK YOU!

    ReplyReport
  4. Amy

    Hi. Thank you SO much for this article! I did everything except I don’t use Internet Explorer or Google Chrome (I do use Google as my homepage though). Do I need to do anything with those anyway?

    I did run malware which found 9 items and I ran HitmanPro which found 35 items. I guess I didn’t realize I could have ignored some of the threats HitmanPro detected as being innocent so I just hit ‘next’ and now I can’t get to my favorite online radio site. Is there any way I can get access to that site again without getting the message “PHP has encountered an Access Violation at 7C810913”? Thanks!

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian PiliciTeam

      In reply to Amy

      Hello Amy,
      If you don’t use Chrome or Internet Explorer, then their is no need to do those steps (the Adwcleaner should have cleaned those browsers too)….
      As far as HitmanPro goes, it cannot block you from connecting to a wesite, that PHP error is due to a mysql error… so it’s the website administrator job to fix it. :)

      ReplyReport
  5. Carl Nilsson

    Thanks for your help. My problem began when I downloaded a pdf manual, language swedish, with google chrome. The white smoke programme was not able to find in “add or remove progams” but I found it in the programs list. Later it appeared in even in “add or remove progams”. I took it away 8 times under diffrent names, such as Whitesmoke, WD Smart ware, WS, Soft Ware version updates, Save As

    ReplyReport
  6. Ember Cross

    Thanks for the help, for some reason whitesmoke never showed up in my software files on my computer but the toolbar and search programs were added to my internet. I went in and deleted everything I had downloaded today that it could have “rode” in with and it still wouldn’t go away and I just couldn’t figure out how to get rid of it.

    Thank you so much for helping solve my problem :)

    ReplyReport
  7. S

    i basically got the program removed from my computer but the folder just doesn’t wanna leave it stays in my program files regardless of what i try

    iv tried using MS DOS to remove the folder for Christ sakes

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian PiliciTeam

      In reply to S

      Do you still have Malwarebytes still installed?If yes,open MBAM and go to More Tools tab,from there select Run Tool,and browse to the file or folder that you want to remove….After you’ll reset your computer,FileAssasin should get rid of it!

      ReplyReport
  8. Roshan Cader

    Thank you very much for the tip. Worked perfectly on my Chrome.
    Thanks again.

    ReplyReport
    1. John Martin

      In reply to Roshan Cader

      Many thanks for your invaluable help in removing “White Smoke” from my I/E task bar. Your comments are humbly accepted concerning the downloading from dubious web sites. Ironically this was the very last task on my new Windows 8 laptop. I’ll be more careful in future!

      Thanks again………John

      ReplyReport

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Written by

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.

61,114 articlesWriting since 2011
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