I think I have adware on my PC, Help!

Shant

Reputable
Jul 19, 2014
13
0
4,510
So I was looking through my control panel programs list and I found a program called "Blasteroids," after googling it, I found out it's an adware software. I have no idea how it got on my computer, so I tried uninstalling it, only to get blocked by Norton. I went online and installed an anti-malware software called "SpyHunter4", and it scanned my system revealing a shit ton of adware on my computer, all centered around Blasteroids. After the scan, it asked me to buy their product to remove it, I obviously refused because it was $30 when I already have Norton.

I tried again at removing Blasteroids and it worked, the program disappeared from my control panel programs list. Then I proceeded to do a full system scan with Norton and a spyware scan with Windows Defender, they found nothing. I also restored the default on Mozilla, just to make sure.

Then I turned pale at the random appearance of an ad by Blasteroids when I clicked on a few links while browsing game stats and even here on Tom's Hardware....Keep in mind, I have Norton internet security enabled on my browser and Adblockplus, so where the hell are these ads coming from, and why do they all have "ads by Blasteroids" written underneath them?
 
You did a boot time scan? Adware is derived from "advertisement". The user will see advertisements. Adware itself is not dangerous, but tons of displayed adverts are considered a nuisance and thus are detected by good anti-malware solutions.

It unfortunately however isn't compulsory that all good antivirus detect all adwares. The adware may have installed a yet unknown trojan with you knowing about it via a click. Check this out for better knowledge about different virus types:
http://forum.thewindowsclub.com/windows-security/33940-difference-between-virus-trojan-worm-adware-rootkit-malware-etc.html

Can "Blasteroids" come under any of the other categories? A Trojan can disguise itself as adware too. It can place multiple programs of the same type on the same PC like adwares to distract users.
 
OK first of all Norton is terrible . it uses a lot of system resources and has a weak detection engine compared to many alternatives out there.

Download malwarebytes free trial and spybot search and destroy (free) along with bit defender. Don't install yet. Just have the .exe's ready for installation.
Next boot into safe mode . remove Norton. Install all three programs. Run All three ( alongside or one after the other ) and boot back into normal windows after that's done. I'd scan again then too just to he safe. The last option after all that is install hitman pro to get rid of it.
 

byza

Honorable


I use a combination of AdwCleaner, Malwarebytes and Hitman Pro. AdwCleaner is free and seems good at cleaning out browsers.
 

quarrel

Reputable
May 14, 2014
29
0
4,530


beat me to it. i.recomend spy bot to everyone, amazing program.

also you can.get a program called ad aware. its primary goal is to.remove adware from your pc. though i.havent used it in a long while its worth.a look.


http://www.lavasoft.com

good luck.
 

Shant

Reputable
Jul 19, 2014
13
0
4,510
Well, I already have Norton purchased and an account with them, I'd rather not remove them. As for the adware, I used a combination of Adw cleaner and Malwarebytes to remove it, after an hour or more of dealing with the issue. After scanning with Malwarebytes about 3 times, I browsed the web (for a good 30 minutes) to find no more Blasteroids ads. So I removed Malwarebytes and Adw Cleaner, since they did their job. I'm usually very careful when downloading and installing programs on my computer, and based on what I've observed, the adware showed up today. So either it showed up when I was getting the warcraft 3 patch (off of a sorta shady site) or when I installed coretemp...
 
Well considering you browse shoddy sites and are installing foreign executables you probably want more than Norton. Dont renew Norton because it really causes more harm than good (in my opinion, especially when you can use other free programs). Look into keeping malwarbytes free and use the internet/website scanner, an extra step to having an antivirus scanner.