CoolSurfing (Free Guide) - virus
CoolSurfing Removal Guide
What is CoolSurfing?
CoolSurfing – a potentially unwanted program that focuses on delivering users ads
CoolSurfing is an adware-type program that may try to enter your computer without your permission. This can be done with the help of bundling – a method that is closely related to freeware and shareware. If you have already noticed intrusive ads on each of your web browsers during your browsing, this can easily indicate the fact that your system has been affected by a type of potentially unwanted program known as a browser hijacker.
Some people might install this app because it offers useful functionality – it seemingly allows users to append lyrics to all songs on YouTube. However, it is important to note that intrusive ads and information tracking are two very negative aspects of it that should not be ignored when deciding whether to keep it installed or not.
| Name | CoolSurfing |
| Type | Adware |
| Distribution | Software bundling |
| Operation | Tracks user-related information via cookies and other technologies; inserts ads into all visited websites |
| Removal | You can uninstall adware by following our guide below or using anti-malware software |
| Browser fix | If you want to make sure that your browser is clean and no tracking technologies remain, use ReimageIntego to clean it quickly |
Browser hijackers, adware, and other PUPs are quite suspicious because they may alter your system's settings and then may cause irritating and irrelevant advertisements. The reason why these ads are displayed as soon as a user starts his/her browsing on the Internet is very simple – ads by CoolSurfing are supposed to redirect people to affiliate sites and help them to increase their page rank or sales.
Of course, these ads are displayed no matter users want to see them or not. In addition, the app may also initiate such unwanted activities as slowdowns, raking of people's browsing activity on the Internet, and similar issues. So, beware that it may act as a tracking cookie and may try to record your browsing habits in order to use this information for targeted advertising.
Such information is considered non-personally identifiable, but we still believe that you should keep it for yourself because there is no information on what parties are capable of reaching it.
If you have been experiencing CoolSurfing redirects or have been seeing annoying pop-ups that belong to this program, you should ignore these messages because they may lead you to unsafe or dangerous websites. In addition to that, you should find and remove this adware that initiates them.
If you want a quick solution, you should simply use SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or similar anti-malware software – it could get rid of the PUP automatically for you. Also, you can use ReimageIntego to quickly clean your web browsers.
How did adware spreads
Internet users can easily download this and other adware-type programs (Jollywallet, Online HD TV, Incredibar, FB Photo Zoom, etc.) without knowing about it. That's because the developers of such and similar ad-supported plug-ins often rely on questionable and unfair distribution methods.
One of the most popular methods that are used to transmit adware is called bundling. If you are installing a doubtful free program from the web, you may overlook and install hidden attachments offered in one pack. To avoid them, you should be very careful when installing unfamiliar programs.
First of all, read the terms of agreement section before any questionable installation in order to understand what program you are installing and what additional attachments it has. Furthermore, you should select the advanced or custom installation option and follow the entire installation process step by step. Along the way, unmark all unwanted accessories.
Remove CoolSurfing virus from your PC
No matter how hard you try, sometimes these potentially unwanted programs enter computers unnoticed. In the future, when you install free applications from the internet, be sure you pay attention to the process and decline all the offers in order to prevent the infiltration of PUPs.
As for now, your main task is to remove CoolSurfing ads for good – and there are several tasks you have to accomplish to be successful with that. First of all, you should check the list of the installed programs via the Control Panel or the Applications folder and uninstall everything suspicious. If you are not sure, we strongly recommend you employ anti-malware software instead and let it do the job for you.
You should also remember that you have to clean your web browsers accordingly, as the ads may remain after you delete the main program causing them. This is because tiny pieces of data might remain within the browser environment. Follow the instructions below to clean them correctly.
You may remove virus damage with a help of ReimageIntego. 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 CoolSurfing. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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 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 Options.
- 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
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
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 CoolSurfing 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: ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
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