Adware is a Pain but you Can Deal with Fast
If you're like most people, you probably have the unfortunate experience of waking up to your phone making noises at inopportune moments from a notification that's constantly popping up. You may feel like there's nothing you can do about it but if you see the word "adware" pop up on your screen, don't panic!
Don't feel helpless against these pesky ads — just follow some of our simple tips and tricks on how to get rid of them for good. It all boils down to persistence and patience: what one ad software package may be able to stop another might not be able to thwart. All said, this article will provide a range of ideas on how we can peacefully coexist with adware.
Stay in the Know of Adware
Out of all the adware that you're probably dealing with, some of it is better than others. In general, it is wise to stay away from poorly coded adware that doesn't respect your privacy and is also easy to uninstall. In these instances, there's a high possibility that they could be back again in no time.
On the other hand, companies like AdProtect have created brilliant software that can clean up fast and do a pretty thorough job at it. Because these types of software use sophisticated algorithms to detect, identify and remove malicious code from your device, they are able to achieve higher levels of performance than when run on manual mode. Plus, leaving your computer clean is a way to stay protected against the latest threat.
Run Free Diagnostics
Do you find yourself constantly getting surprised by advertising pop-ups? You can launch the Adware Doctor Checker to get a better idea of what's going on and how it's affecting your web experience. The tool can even remove adware that you didn't know existed!
To run the Adware Doctor Checker, just follow these simple steps:
1. Go to http://www.adwaredoctor.com/downloads/ADW_Doctor_Checker_Setup_v7-37~en-US.exe and download the tool.
2. Install the tool, and then run it. You'll see a screen that looks like this:
3. Click on "Check for updates". It will display a note saying there is an update; click on "Yes" to begin downloading the latest definition file:
4. Once it's downloaded, click "Launch Update". If you have already installed the previous version of Adware Doctor, it will start updating automatically:
5. Once the update is finished, you'll see a box pop up stating that your definition file has been updated successfully:
6. Click "OK", and then click on "Scan your computer now" to start scanning for adware:
7. Once the scan is finished, you'll get a list of programs that it found. From there, you can choose to delete any of them:
Congratulations! You've successfully completed the process of uninstalling adware from your computer with the help of free antivirus software. If it doesn't seem like this was enough, please take a look at some other methods below.
Scan and Eliminate Adware
If you've run the Adware Doctor Checker and still have adware on your computer, you're in luck! One of the best ways to get rid of these types of malicious software is with a free tool like AdAway. This handy software is extremely easy to use and can perform a variety of tasks, such as clearing adware from your browser, removing falsified URLs from your search engine results pages, and cleaning out corrupted cookies from your browsing session.
Please keep in mind that there are different versions of this tool for different Internet browsers. For example, if you're running Internet Explorer, you'll want to go with the "AdAway for IE".
To download the program for your browser, please follow these simple steps:
1. Go to http://code.google.com/p/adaway and click on the name of the appropriate browser. For Internet Explorer users, that would be "AdAway for IE":
2. Click on "Download", choose a folder, and then click on "Save". You will have to agree to the license terms, so click on "Agree" once you've read over them:
3. Once it downloads, go ahead and install it by double-clicking on the file that you downloaded:
4. Once it's installed, you can launch the program. A window will pop up asking if you want to run it in safe mode. Choose "Yes":
6. From there, click on the "Configure AdAway" button:
7. On this screen, we're going to uncheck all of the available options, except for "Block apps". Check that box, and then press "Save":
8. Next, we'll go into the section for ad blocking. This is where we'll specify which websites to block ads from — in this case, any site using AdSense:
9. On the last tab, click on "Save" and then "Exit":
10. That concludes the ad blocking portion of the program — now we can clean up any other malicious files that are still sitting on your machine. If you've chosen not to block ads on websites that allow it, you still want to look through those sites and remove any suspicious code you find.
11. Simply go into your Internet settings and choose "Delete Cookies":
12. This will delete any cookies that may have been left behind by the adware:
13. Now we'll go through the settings to delete all of the files associated with other ad software that may have been installed on your computer:
14. Click on "Erase Unwanted Files":
15. This will show all of the files that were found and installed, along with two options for removal: "Keep for later" and "Delete":
16. Choose "Delete" from either option and then press "OK":
17. Finally, we'll run the "Complete Scan" button to scan for and uninstall any remaining adware:
Congratulations! You've successfully removed all of the adware and malicious software from your machine. If you're still having trouble removing adware from your browser, please read below.
Remove AdBlock Plus from Chrome
If you find that some ads are better than others, or websites are loading slower because they're serving up invalid ads, there's a good chance that you may be installing AdBlock Plus in your browser. This popular extension blocks any advertisements that show up on websites and prevents those ads from running in the browser window.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, adware and unwanted software can sneak onto computers without your knowledge and cause problems for the end user. Luckily, by using AdAway to get rid of adware and making some simple changes in your web browser settings you can keep yourself safe from the many threats that lurk out there waiting to cause havoc on your system.
What's Your Opinion?
Have you ever had to deal with adware on a computer before? How did you handle it? I'm interested in any comments, tips, or tricks that you've tried — let me know in the comments below! Hope this post helped! :)
About the Author: Carolyn is a lover of all things techy.