Category Archives: adware

How To Remove TowerTilt

Found a new adware called TowerTilt while testing a free download.  This is how it will appear when it adds itself in Firefox:

TowerTilt 1.0.1 Firefox Extension

Removing TowerTilt from Firefox and Internet Explorer with help from FreeFixer is pretty straightforward. Just check the TowerTiltBho.dll file and the Firefox extension in FreeFixer:

TowerTilt in Firefoxtowertiltbho.dll

I haven’t tried it, but TowerTilt also has an uninstall entry in the Windows Control Panel:Remove TowerTilt

Please let me know if this helped you remove TowerTilt by posting a comment. Do you know how you got TowerTilt on your computer?

PriceMeter – Just Another Adware

Found another adware called PriceMeter. Here’s the info displayed in a few of the installers:

pricemeter adware

PriceMeter install screen

However, PriceMeter would not install, not when testing it on a 64-bit Windows 8.1 machine, nor on my old 32-bit Windows XP system. Since it refused to install, I could not examine how to uninstall it, but usually these adware programs have an entry in Add/Remove programs dialog, accessible from the Windows Contol Panel, which allows you to uninstall it. I’m pretty sure FreeFixer also can remove it completely.

Did you know more about uninstalling PriceMeter, please share by posting a comment.

Ads By BlockAndSurf – Removal Instructions

Do you see ads, like the ones shown below, labeled Ads by BlockAndSurf, brought by BlockAndSurf or Powered by BlockAndSurf while browsing the web, and two files named BlockAndSurf158.exe and BlockAndSurf_wd.exe in the Windows Task Manager?

brought by BlockAndSurf ads

Ads by BlockAndSurf Nav-LinksAds by BlockAndSurf bannerAds by BlockAndSurfPowered by blockandsurf

 

When I scanned one of the BlockAndSurf files over at VirusTotal, it was detected as “AddLyrics” and “Lyckricks“.

Here’s a quick video guide how to remove the ads and fix the proxy settings if necessary:

Hope you found the video useful.

Update 2014-10-27: A few users have reported that the Add/Remove uninstall for BlockAndSurf does not work. The BlockAndSurf ads remained after running the uninstaller, so I thought I should follow up on how to remove BlockAndSurf with FreeFixer. The BlockAndSurf adware has also updated its file names since I first published this blog post. Anyway, to remove BlockAndSurf, download FreeFixer and start the scan. Here’s the files I checked to remove BlockAndSurf:

First the webinstrnew.sys driver:BlockAndSurf webinstrnew.sys remove

Then the updater.exe scheduled tasks:BlockAndSurf tasks remove

Followed by bservice.exe, bservice64.exe and wd.exe:BlockAndSurf startup remove

Then the BlockAndSurf Internet Explorer files, 180_x64.dll and 180.dll:BlockAndSurf remove Internet Explorer

And here’s I’m removing BlockAndSurf from Firefox. The 180.xpi file:BlockAndSurf firefox remove

BlockAndSurf is also loaded into Explorer.exe, with the bhelper64.dll file:BlockAndSurf bhelper64.dll remove

I’m also removing the BlockAndSurf.exe file and a few other processes as shown in the screenshot:Block And Surf processes remove

And to remove the BlockAndSurf Chrome extension, type in chrome://extensions in Chrome and remove BlockAndSurf.

Then fix your proxy settings as shown in the video. FreeFixer v1.13 will be able to repair proxy settings 😉

Last step: Reboot.

That’s it. Thanks for reading. Hope this helped you solve the problem.

WebSpades – Removal Instructions

Found another adware today called WebSpades. Made a quick video on how to remove it with FreeFixer.

The WebSpades removal is pretty straightforward with FreeFixer. Download and install FreeFixer, scan, check the WebSpades files, click Fix, reboot if FreeFixer asks you to do so, and WebSpades is gone.

Here’s some WebSpades Screenshots:

webspades.info web sitewebspadesbho.dll WebSpade Firefox Extension

 

How did you get the WebSpades adware on your machine. Please share by posting a comment.

Ads by Costmin and RightCoupon – Removal Instructions

Stumbled upon ads labeled Ads by Costmin and RightCoupon a few days ago. Here’s a video where I show how to remove the ads:

Here are some CostMin and RightCoupon screenshots:

costmin overview

 

The offers will pop at the top right corner of your browser and help you save money and time.

Here’s how the RightCoupon pop-up looks like:

rightcoupon ad

How to uninstall it? Easy, remove it from the Programs and Features dialog, or nuke it with FreeFixer.

Costmin in the Add Remove programs dialog

Jotzey Removal Instructions

Found another bundled piece of software today dubbed Jotzey. It is bundled with download from CNet’s download.com:

Jotzey is bundled with free downloads

If you got Jotzey installed on your machine, you’ll see it listed in Firefox add-ons and in the Add/Remove programs dialog.

Jotzey in the add remove dialog Jotzey Firefox Add-on

You can uninstall it using FreeFixer. Check jotzeybho.dll and the firefox@jotzey.net.xpi extension for removal, or use the entry in the Add/Remove programs dialog.

Here’s a demonstration on where I remove Jotzey with FreeFixer:

Feven Adware – How to Removal

Found a new adware called Feven yesterday. The screenshot from the installer should give you some insights in what the Feven software does:

feven adware

There are a few anti-virus programs that detects Feven, with the following names:

  • PUP.Optional.Feven.A
  • AppRider
  • Crossrider (fs)

Feven can be uninstalled with help from FreeFixer. Here are some of the filenames that I’ve seen the Feven adware use:

You can also try the Feven entry in the Add/Remove programs dialog.

Feven in the Add/Remove dialog.

 

How did Feven find its way into your computer? I found it on a web site which package Feven with third party downloads.

SerialTrunc Adware Removal Instructions

Yesterday I was testing FreeFixer for the v1.09 release and ran into an adware called SerialTrunc. The following screenshot should explain what the software does:

SerialTrunc may show offers, coupons, etc

Basically, it shows ads, coupons, etc.  Here are some of the detections done by the anti-virus programs:

  • Application.Win32.Altbrowse.AK
  • a variant of Win32/BrowseFox.F
  • AdWare.Win32.Agent
  • Adware/Agent.jaw
  • AdWare.Win32.Agent.ahbx
  • Riskware.Win32.Agent.cqvnby

Once installed, you will see an Internet Explorer and a Firefox add-on installed:

SerialTrunc and Feven extension in Firefox

You will also see files such as SerialTruncBho.dll and updateSerialTrunc.exe on your filesystem.

Removal is easy, just check the SerialTrunc files for removal in FreeFixer, or use the Add/Remove programs dialog:

SerialTrunc can be uninstalled from the add/remove programs dialog

Hope that helped you figure out what SerialTrunc is and how to remove it.

And by the way, how did you get SerialTrunc on your machine?

How To Remove HD Streamer

I’m current working on some code for FreeFixer to repair hijacked Internet shortcuts. I’ve installed a few browsers such as Chrome, Mozilla, Safari and Opera on the lab machine, and then l installed a download that I knew messed around with the shortcuts to the browsers. Typically, the Internet shortcuts on the desktop is modified to launch an unwanted web page instead of the web page that the user wants.

While doing this I found a new adware variant called “HD Streamer“. At the moment, only Vipre is picking up ScriptHost.dll, which is the main file of HD Streamer.

HD Streamer Firefox Extension

HDStreamer has an entry in the Add/Remove programs dialog. I haven’t tested it but I suppose it works.HD Streamer in the Add/Remove programs dialog

I did however test that FreeFixer deleted both ScriptHost.dll and the Mozilla Firefox Extension without any problem.

HD Streamer's ScriptHost.dll listed in FreeFixer

Now, back to writing that code.

Ads by PassShow – How To Remove

Do you see ads labeled Ads by PassShow on your machine?

Ads By PassShow ad

Then you got the PassShow adware installed. You may also see pop-ups from the gld.pathticket.net web site.

PassShow is pretty easy to delete with FreeFixer. The following removal instructions will remove PassShow from Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

  1. Download, install and start FreeFixer
  2. Start the scan.
  3. Check 150.dll, PsUp.exe and 150.xpi for removal in the scan result, as shown in the screenshots below.
  4. Click Fix
  5. Restart your machine.

That’s it.

How did you get PassShow on your machine? I found it while testing a download from CNet’s Download.com site.

PassShow PsUp.exe PassShow Mozilla Firefox Extension PassShow 150.dll