Why should you be careful with the MPC AdCleaner?
“Say goodbye to Web ads and Popup windows” is the slogan MPC AdCleaner virus uses to attract the users to download the application. Alright, perhaps “virus” is a little bit too strong term to describe this program because technically, it is not capable of damaging or corrupting your computer systems. Nevertheless, the cyber security community has its eyes set on this program and, apparently, not in vain. Some rather questionable features of this program keep emerging, and we would like to discuss them in this article as well.
MPC AdCleaner is an application created by the company called DotCash Limited which is also known as a developer of another questionable software, the MPC Cleaner. MPC stands for More Powerful Cleaner, and the software itself is introduced as one of the leading anti-ad software worldwide. This PC optimization tool supposedly allows the user to speed up their browsing experience by eliminating the pop-up ads, banners and other advertising media from the visited websites. Surprisingly the tool is free to download, which already suggest that there must be some other way its creators use to monetize it. Besides, though the program is not a virus, the problems with its functionality can already be seen from the user feedback. 70% of the users and experts who have downloaded this program on their computer recommend to remove it. That is a quite a significant number when talking about a program which presents itself as one of the leading ones in the world. So why exactly encourages people to remove MPC AdCleaner from their computers?
Once it is on the computer, AdCleaner starts making other changes such as altering your browser settings to assign search.mpc.am as the default search engine and homepage. Remember when we talked about monetizing? Well, this is exactly how MPC AdCleaner does it. Search.mpc.am is a platform that the software creators have used to advertise other websites and products though it looks like a legitimate search engine at first. Searching on it, though, will prove that all that it offers are sponsored ads and links leading to the affiliate websites. The problem is that these sites may be potentially dangerous since the search engine creators do not take any responsibility for the reliability of the advertised content. If you are still hesitant about the MPC AdCleaner removal – don’t be. There are other software that can help you get rid of the ads without forcing you to use suspicious search engines and risk having your computer infected.
How did this application turn up on my computer?
First of all, we should point out the program uses shady ways to reach its potential clients. Though DotCash Limited has an official website to promote its products, MPC AdCleaner is a frequent download suggestion on sites like download.com, cnet.com. Nevertheless, the direct downloads are not the main source from which this cleaner creates its user database. More commonly, it infiltrates computers with other freeware and shareware applications, often without even informing the users about it. To disclose such program before they enter your computer, choose advanced installation setting, i.e. always choose the “Advanced” or “Custom” setup modes instead of the “Quick” or “Recommended” ones when installing new software on your computer. Then follow the installation steps attentively and opt out unwanted installs.
How do I remove MPC Adcleaner from my PC?
Since MPC AdCleaner is not technically a virus, you should have no trouble eliminating it. Just remove it like you uninstall any other program from your computer. However, it is worth mentioning that users have noticed some residual files left on their computers after the MPC AdCleaner removal. If you have noticed anything like it on your computer, we suggest running a system scan with FortectIntego or some other antivirus suite to eliminate the junk files and make sure they are not malicious. In order to reset your browser, follow the instructions provided below the article. You will find instructions on how to remove MPC AdCleaner from IE, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select 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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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
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 suspicious extensions 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.
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