Remove KOOL Player (Removal Guide) – Simple Removal Guide

KOOL Player – another misleading application that is used for promoting PUPs

Image of KOOL Player

KOOL Player is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that is presented as a legitimate video and audio player. However, it’s an adware^[1] program that is presented as a useful software that operates as an adware that causes numerous problems on the affected computer, such as displaying ads and data tracking.

The so-called KOOL Player virus might be spread bundled with various free programs. Thus, users might accidentally install it during installation of other free programs. However, the pop-up offering to download this software might appear when browsing on the questionable and potentially dangerous websites as well.

If you are tricked into downloading KOOL Player Update or the program itself, you might install many other PUPs as well. This program is designed to promote many other questionable toolbars and applications that might cause numerous problems on the browser.

After the installation, users might also suffer from intrusive KOOL Player ads, numerous discount coupons and shopping offers that are popping up on the screen, advertising banners and random hyperlinks replacing regular text.

The biggest dangers are hiding under KOOL Player redirect tendencies. The commercial content displayed by the adware might lead to high-risk websites that are designed to trick people into installing malware^[2] or revealing personally identifiable information.

Another issue with the KOOL Player is that it tracks user's personal information. Soon after this PUP is installed on your computer, it starts to capture your IP addresses, memorize your most visited website URLs and so on. Therefore, this program might lead to serious privacy issues.

It goes without saying that you should not install this program. However, if you already did it, we highly recommend dedicating some time for KOOL Player removal. We suggest using anti-malware software to terminate all adware-related components.

As you already know, adware might arrive in the bundle and bring other unwanted apps on the system. Thus, it’s better to use Fortect Intego or other malware elimination tools to remove KOOL Player with all its components entirely. However, if you insist on uninstalling it manually, you can find the guide below the article.

Picture of KOOL Player virus

The methods used to get into the system

Most commonly, KOOL Player infects your computer when you decide to download or install free software on doubtful web pages. Therefore, you should stay away from the questionable download sources and rely on official developers’ websites.

Additionally, you have to monitor installation process. Security experts from Los Virus^[3] note that users do not pay proper attention to freeware installation. To avoid cyber threats, you should use Advanced/Custom settings, monitor the process and opt out optional downloads.

The removal of KOOL Player virus

To remove The KOOL Player entirely, we recommend using anti-malware/anti-spyware software. This PUP may have installed additional components that might continue disturbing your browsing sessions.

However, if you are willing to try manual KOOL Player removal, you can find the guide below. But please be careful, you have to eliminate all programs, extensions and other entries that are related to the PUP. The final step is resetting all web browsers installed on your PC.

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.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

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 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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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.

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.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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.

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove KOOL Player

KOOL Player – another misleading application that is used for promoting PUPs

The methods used to get into the system