Removing Adware from a Windows Machine

How to get rid of adware that can harm the drive or browser of a Windows machine

Problem

• Ads prevent the user from doing what they need to do.
• It may cause other problems like spamming the user’s contacts.

Solution

• Remove and uninstall any unrecognized extensions.
• Restore the default settings.
• Install an adware removal tool (for example Malwarebytes AdwCleaner).
• Ask the client to provide us with the adware scan report.
• Review the log and provide the client with the right tips based on the scan report.
• Remove any suspicious file or program detected by the malware tool.

See Article #133: How to clean a malware-infected Windows machine for further instructions.

Comments

If you suspect the client might have been targeted with other kinds of malware, also see Article #258: Advanced Threats Triage Workflow and Article #133: How to clean a malware-infected Windows machine.

Related Articles

• Article #133: How to clean a malware-infected Windows machine
• Article #258: Advanced Threats Triage Workflow
• Article #128: Antivirus for Mac