Member Avatar for desmotic

first off id like to say ive tried 4 other so called "tech forums" and none of them had replied back to me so im hoping someone here can help me out.

basically this is the problem:
-when i use my browsers explorer 8 and firefox i am getting repeatedly redirected to other unwanted site and yes some disturbing porn sites often and this is bugging my beacuse i use this pc for business aswell.

i was down at family and allowed them to use it when theres was in the shop and i comeback to this.

in the add remove programs section via control panel is a program called "advertising center" which leads me to supect is is the main source of the problem.the real problem is that when you click it there is no removal or uninstall to this program and i cant get it off this pc for nothing.tried several so called program removers and nothing worked.microsoft sent me a email saying this is a malware program in works.

does anyone know of this program or unwanted app cause it seems to be unknown to others. this is rather urgent that i get this problem taken care of and i do appreciate all help.thanks alot.

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reported persistent browser redirects and an Add/Remove entry named "Advertising Center" with no uninstall. That pattern usually indicates adware that leaves a bogus uninstall stub while persisting from another place (service, scheduled task, startup entry or browser helper). The suggestions from , and are good starting points; the notes below add a practical, low-risk workflow and exact places to inspect when the normal Uninstall button is missing.

Recommended workflow (safe, repeatable steps)

  • Isolate the PC from the network and work from a different, clean machine for any account password changes.
  • Use an offline rescue environment (bootable AV/rescue USB) to scan while the malware cannot run.
  • Hunt persistence with Sysinternals tools: Autoruns to list Logon, Services, Scheduled Tasks, IE Helper Objects/Browser Helper Objects and Explorer entries; Process Explorer to find running processes and the exact file paths they use. Remove only entries that clearly point to the offending file, and always export/save a backup before deletion.
  • Search for the fake uninstall entry in the registry (export the key before editing). Typical locations to check are:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Command-line search examples:

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" /s | findstr /I "Advertising Center"
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" /s | findstr /I "Advertising Center"
  • Check browser shortcuts for extra URL text in the Target field, check the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for unwanted redirects, and verify DNS/proxy settings have not been changed.

Final steps and cautions

  • After removal, reboot, run a fresh, fully updated scan, clear browser caches, and change important passwords from a known-clean device. If persistence cannot be eliminated or sensitive accounts were used on the infected machine, a clean OS reinstall and restore from known-good backups is the safest option. Always export registry keys or create a system restore point before making changes.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for amyflavored

Start the computer up in safe mode and remove it and then restart. If your not sure how the start in safe mode google the operating system and the words safe mode.

Good Luck.


first off id like to say ive tried 4 other so called "tech forums" and none of them had replied back to me so im hoping someone here can help me out.

basically this is the problem:
-when i use my browsers explorer 8 and firefox i am getting repeatedly redirected to other unwanted site and yes some disturbing porn sites often and this is bugging my beacuse i use this pc for business aswell.

i was down at family and allowed them to use it when theres was in the shop and i comeback to this.

in the add remove programs section via control panel is a program called "advertising center" which leads me to supect is is the main source of the problem.the real problem is that when you click it there is no removal or uninstall to this program and i cant get it off this pc for nothing.tried several so called program removers and nothing worked.microsoft sent me a email saying this is a malware program in works.

does anyone know of this program or unwanted app cause it seems to be unknown to others. this is rather urgent that i get this problem taken care of and i do appreciate all help.thanks alot.

Member Avatar for Asphodel

Hi,
first of all, scan your computer with good antivirus and antimalware software (if you haven't already done so). I recommend free Avira, free Malwarebytes', and free SUPERAntiSpyware.

Always worth it to do a virus scan in safe mode (repeatedly tap F8 on startup while there is still black screen, then you will be offered to select a boot mode. Select Safe Mode). Do a scan, hopefully get rid of the problem, reboot and tap F8 again, select normal mode.

If the program is still in the add/remove list, try an uninstaller, like free Revo. Hopefully you'll get rid of that unwanted program.

You might also want to cleanup the registry to remove any leftovers. Backup the registry first (usually registry cleaners offer you to backup, or you can create a system restore). CCleaner and Auslogics Registry Cleaner (both free) are very good.

Edited by Asphodel because: n/a
Member Avatar for domino124

Hi
Have you tried C Cleaner from Prirform?
There is and add remove section there in tools that seems to be better than the control panel one
once that has run just check the registry and remove all the left over parts of the program and reboot
Hope this helps

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