Disk Cleanup pop-up ads (Removal Guide) - 2015 update
Disk Cleanup pop-up ads Removal Guide
What is Disk Cleanup pop-up ads?
Disk Cleanup is an adware program which delivers fake pop-up ads asking to install suspicious software
Disk Cleanup pop-up ads[1] are deceptive messages which might appear during your browsing sessions. Users who encounter suspicious advertisements which are asking to install Disk Cleanup utility should be aware that their computers are infected with an adware program. Fraudulent pop-up ads are created to trick people into installing potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or even infiltrate the systems with malware.
| Name | Disk Cleanup pop-up ads |
|---|---|
| Type | Adware |
| Sub-type | Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) |
| Affected browsers | Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and others |
| Distribution | It can enter the computer through bundled software |
| Elimination | The quickest way to get rid of Disk Cleanup pop-up ads is run a full system check with FortectIntego |
If you tend to install free applications without monitoring the installation procedure attentively, your computer can be infected with an adware-type program. As a result, browser settings are modified to start displaying Disk Cleanup pop-up ads during your browsing sessions.
Note that adware programs target most popular browsers, like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and others. Once the potentially unwanted program hijacks the system, your browsing experience can become unbearable due to Disk Cleanup pop-up ads.
We want to warn regular computer users that Disk Cleanup pop-up ads might look exceptionally legitimate. Unfortunately, if people are lured into clicking on the Disk Cleanup installation link which is provided in the advertisement, they might infect their systems with more potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or even malware.
Furthermore, content presented in Disk Cleanup pop-up ads can be programmed to cause redirects to less than reliable sites which might distribute other cyber threats, including the following:
- Browser hijackers[2];
- Banking Trojans;
- Spyware;
- Etc.
Therefore, you should perform a full system scan with FortectIntego and remove Disk Cleanup pop-up ads as soon as you notice them on any of your browsers. This security tool will scan your computer for all potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) which might be related to the adware and eliminate them immediately.
Although, you can try to complete Disk Cleanup pop-up ads removal by yourself as well. For that, check the guidelines presented at the end of this article and follow them attentively. However, keep in mind that security experts cannot identify the name of the adware which is displaying Disk Cleanup pop-ups. Thus, researchers[3] say that this elimination method might be challenging.
Ways to prevent adware infiltration
You should be aware that potentially unwanted programs, including adware, spread with the help of the bundling method. In other terms, developers bundle two applications and offer them as one without disclosing such information for regular computer users.
In order to avoid allowing adware or other PUPs to come on your computer, you should pay more attention to freeware's installation. Don't choose “quick” or “recommended” installation method, always go for “advanced” or “Custom,” and you will get the ability to see what “additional downloads” are trying to get inside your machine.
Steps to get rid of Disk Cleanup pop-up ads
If you have noticed Disk Cleanup pop-up ads trying to trick you into installing suspicious applications, you should take immediate actions to protect your system. For that, install a reliable malware removal software to remove Disk Cleanup pop-up ads automatically.
Additionally, if you insist on performing Disk Cleanup pop-up ads removal on your own, you can use the elimination guide which is appended below. Just don't forget to reverse the modifications in each of the affected browsers and reset its settings to defaults.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Disk Cleanup pop-up ads. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Get rid of suspicious applications from Windows OS:
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
If you have noticed Disk Cleanup pop-up ads on Chrome, follow these steps:
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
You can complete adware uninstall by deleting unknown entries from Safari:
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Disk Cleanup pop-up registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
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