Malware/adware keeps reappearing

Calcium20

Estimable
Dec 23, 2014
7
0
4,510
A few weeks back a small programs were installed which I didn't authorise. I uninstalled them because I didn't want them on my computer and a few days later they came back along with some adware which redircts me to these suspicious website. I uninstalled those as well from the add/remove option in control panel but they came back eventually as well. Doing a full scan using malware bytes didn't change the problem. I downloaded adwcleaner and scanned my pc. It picked up a lot of things which I then removed. It happened to remove to situation but only temporarily. I am completely unsure where to go now.
 

rockie_

Estimable
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2438989/deleting-malware-tikotin.html

"...
All you have to do is uninstall any unknown programs. Anything that was recently installed in the past week (or whenever you started getting this stupid thing), simply uninstall. From there, you just need to go to the extensions (for Google Chrome) and delete anything you don't recognize. To prevent this from happening in the future, DON'T go on sketchy websites. When installing free, less popular software, make sure to always check what the software is asking to install. That's how I managed to get this. From there, restart your computer. What also helps is to uninstall and reinstall your browser is you feel that paranoid.
 

Rit_86

Honorable
Jul 3, 2012
149
0
10,910
Give a list of all the programs at the startup. Also take a screenshot of all the processes running from the task manager.
Also, uninstall and reinstall all your browsers. Even if all the malware are removed, they change the setting of the browser to redirect to certain websites. This will explain why the anti malware is not detecting anything yet you are being taken to those websites. Remove the browser and all their traces cleanly and completely. Perform a registry cleanup. Restart your computer and reinstall the browsers. If possible use a different browser and see if the problem persists or not.
Also disable all your programs except the AV from the startup.
 

Calcium20

Estimable
Dec 23, 2014
7
0
4,510


List of startup programs:
Microsoft Security Client
Realtek HD Audio Manager
puush (fast sharing screen capture software)
Steam client
Microsoft Windows Operating System
f.lux (screen colour changer)
USB 3.0
Catalyst Control Center
AMD Duel-Core optimiser
TP-Link Wireless Configuration Utility

Screenshot of Task Manager processes:
http://puu.sh/dHm3r/4bb8464dd5.png

Also how would I go about completely removing a browser? I am able to uninstall it but whether that will fully remove it is another question I can't answer.
 

Rit_86

Honorable
Jul 3, 2012
149
0
10,910
As i had suspected, there doesn't seem to be any malicious program running and in all probability your browser settings were hijacked.
To remove chrome completely, you can google it so that you can do it completely.
If you are doing it by yourself, delete it atleast from the program file folder and from this directory C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Local. After that, search with the keyword "chrome" and "google" from the search bar in c drive and delete any further trace. Also perform a registry cleanup by any free software like CCleaner after you uninstall/delete chrome.
Restart after the cleanup.
After that I would suggest you to download and install firefox only if you don't have it already in your system. If you alredy have firefox, do the same routine as Chrome.
However, assuming you don't have firefox, download a fresh copy and install it. One very vital step is that, do not import anything from other browsers while installing it. Remember to uncheck the option, because if you don't, it will be back to square one. See if firefox is also redirecting to the same website. If not, your work is nearly done.
Then, you should install a fresh copy of chrome and see if the problem persists.
Give an update if possible.
 

Calcium20

Estimable
Dec 23, 2014
7
0
4,510
The adware or whatever it was would redirect me to more than one website (one website at any one time) but it stopped with the removal of chrome and installation of firefox and chrome again. There are ads on most websites but this is normal compared to before as I had adblock. The problem doesn't seem to be there anymore but I will update again if necessary. Thanks for your help :)