Remove Driver Restore (Removal Instructions) - updated Jan 2019
Driver Restore is the system tool that cannot be considered trustworthy due to the PUP functionality
Driver Restore is a tool that poses as a legitimate software designed to find the latest driver updates, Unfortunately, this is a potentially unwanted program that displays annoying alerts suggesting to update drivers. The software seeks to trick users into buying its full version despite the system's status, which is not a tolerable activity. Developed by 383 Media Inc. and distributed on the official website, Driver Restore is the program that only states about legitimacy and usefulness while providing fake scan results. At first, this scanner delivers altered results about the state of your programs and needed updates but the minute you want to update the suggested programs you need to pay for the full version. Unfortunately, the licensed version that costs up to $29.95 cannot perform the alleged features either. Device drivers can be updated manually and there is no need for such programs.
| Name | Driver Restore |
|---|---|
| Developed by | 383 Media |
| Type | System tools/adware |
| Category | Potentially unwanted program |
| Symptoms | Delivers unwanted commercial content, displays altered scan results, suggests purchasing licensed version |
| Alleged features | Monitors, updates your drivers and creates backups of your data with the ability of file restore, improves the performance of your device |
| Price | $29.95 for the one year of licensed version |
| Elimination | You should clean the system thoroughly with Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego after you uninstall Driver Restore |
Driver Restore virus gets called like that due to the unwanted commercial content that constantly gets delivered on the screen. Also, users complain that they have no idea how this software got onto the system and they haven't installed this tool themselves. It shows that this system tool is a PUP which infiltrates the device without users' consent. However, this is not a virus nor a malicious program that affects the machine in a more significant way.[1]
Despite being non-malware, this program can cause various problems to your PC, make it run slower, perform system scans and deliver altered results just to convince you to buy its full version. Sadly, even the licensed version of this PUP can barely give anything useful in return. Many users have expressed their concerns about this program in various Internet forums already.
You need a system scan to remove Driver Restore properly because this is a program that comes on the computer without your permission or knowledge. You should clean the system using Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego or similar programs to make sure there are no intruders left.
This questionable program was developed by a company that is called 383 Media Inc. In fact, this company is responsible for releasing such doubtful programs as System Optimizer Pro and SuperFast PC. As you can imagine, these programs are also labeled as potentially unwanted programs[2]. You need help and tips with Driver Restore uninstall? Follow our guide below.
What is more, 383 Media Inc. is an online marketing company; therefore, Driver Restore application may hijack your browser, change its settings, manipulate your browsing experience, display annoying ads and try to redirect you to affiliate websites.
Although the tool is promoted as a useful tool for your computer, that should help you update and if needed, restore your drivers, please do not fall for such cheap trick and do not install this program. Perform automatic Driver Restore removal and check for additional content on your browsers afterward.
Even though this program is promoted via commercials that say that you can check your PC for free, to use all the features that it offers, you will have to buy its 'full' version for $29.95 or $39.95. We highly recommend not to purchase this program as it is unlikely to be a useful tool.
Another issue related to this potentially unwanted application is annoying web advertisements that show up on PC screen from time to time. If you notice strange pop-up ads appearing on your screen or new tabs opening in your browser when you browse the Internet, it indicates that the PC is infected with adware[3] program. Adware programs always advertise something, and in this case, they promote Driver Restore PUP. Ads that promote this suspicious program usually come from landing.driverrestore.com site.
Landing.driverrestore.com ads say that this program is a “Highly Recommended Download!”, but if these ads started bothering you, you shouldn't wait any longer and remove Driver Restore from the system. To find out how to do it, follow the instructions provided below.
If Driver Restore keeps popping up, you need to find and uninstall this suspicious system tool from your PC. Usually, it can be done via Control Panel.
PUP distribution ways
As we have mentioned above, this questionable program is aggressively endorsed as a helpful tool that should help you to manage your drivers. You can easily download this potentially unwanted program from its official website or from various download websites.
For that reason, you should be very careful and avoid downloading (or buying) unfamiliar and suspicious programs. No matter that these programs may look legitimate, you should conduct small research and find as much information[4] as possible about your desired programs.
Furthermore, always check what freeware you install. Choose 'advanced' or 'custom' installation option and follow the entire process. Try to spot and opt out of all unfamiliar attachments. As we have mentioned before, similar potentially unwanted programs may travel in tandem with popular free software.
Q&A on Driver Restore
Question. Is Driver Restore a safe program? Should I use it?
Answer. If you want to update your drivers, better stay away from Driver Restore virus. This potentially unwanted program (PUP) can be discovered and removed by the majority of spyware and malware removers, although it belongs to the system tools' category.
Question. Driver Restore window keeps popping up. Besides, the annoying program won't uninstall – an error message appears whenever I try to remove it. Can you help me with DriverRestore removal?
Answer. Driver Restore ads can reach you on a daily basis, especially if you installed this potentially unwanted software alongside another free program. The system tool isn't considered malicious; however, its marketing tactics are unacceptable.
You should ignore those ads and uninstall DriverRestore whenever you want. If you are having problems with the removal of the said software, please use the instructions provided below the article.
Get rid of Driver Restore and clean the system from additional PUPs
The best way to kill this virtual annoyance is to remove Driver Restore from your computer system. We strongly recommend removing this useless program before any further damage is done.
Don't waste your money for anything and don't buy such dubious programs that can barely give anything useful in return. Follow these simple guidelines and eliminate the useless software from your computer.
- Check your My Documents (user) folder and try to find Driver Restore folder there (it may hide in Downloads folder) and eliminate it from there.
- Perform Driver Restore removal using the instructions provided below.
For the best Driver Restore removal results you only need a good anti-malware or PC repair tool. Pay more attention to the process and make sure to double check after that and uninstall any suspicious programs.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
To remove Driver Restore, follow these steps:
Uninstall Driver Restore from Windows systems
Clean the system by following these steps:
To remove Driver Restore from Windows 10/8 machines, please follow these steps:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
![Uninstall from Windows 1]( "Uninstall from Windows 1")
- From the list, find entries related to Driver Restore (or any other recently installed 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.
![Uninstall from Windows 2]( "Uninstall from Windows 2")
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.
![Uninstall from Windows 7/XP]( "Uninstall from Windows 7/XP")
- 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.
Erase Driver Restore from Internet Explorer (IE)
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 Driver Restore and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
![Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer]( "Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer")
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.
![Reset IE homepage]( "Reset IE homepage")
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete…
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
![Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer]( "Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer")
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 again to complete Driver Restore removal.
![Reset Internet Explorer]( "Reset Internet Explorer")
Eliminate Driver Restore 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 Driver Restore-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
![Remove extensions from Edge]( "Remove extensions from Edge")
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.
![Clear Edge browsing data]( "Clear Edge browsing data")
Reset MS Edge if that 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.
![Reset MS Edge]( "Reset MS Edge")
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
![Advanced MS Edge reset 1]( "Advanced MS Edge reset 1")
- 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
![Advanced MS Edge reset 2]( "Advanced MS Edge reset 2")
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
![Remove extensions from Chromium Edge]( "Remove extensions from Chromium Edge")
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.
![Clear browser data from Chroum Edge]( "Clear browser data from Chroum Edge")
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.
![Reset Chromium Edge]( "Reset Chromium Edge")
Remove Driver Restore 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 plugins that are related to Driver Restore and click Remove.
![Remove extensions from Firefox]( "Remove extensions from 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.
![Clear cookies and site data from Firefox]( "Clear cookies and site data from Firefox")
In case Driver Restore did not get removed after following the instructions above, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
![Reset Firefox 1]( "Reset Firefox 1")
- 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 – this should complete Driver Restore removal.
![Reset Firefox 2]( "Reset Firefox 2")
Delete Driver Restore from Google Chrome
You should also check the browser for additional suspicious content:
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 Driver Restore by clicking Remove.
![Remove extensions from Chrome]( "Remove extensions from Chrome")
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.
![Clear cache and web data from Chrome]( "Clear cache and web data from Chrome")
If the above-methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the Driver Restore-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 to complete Driver Restore removal.
![Reset Chrome 2]( "Reset Chrome 2")
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.
If this free removal guide helped you and you are satisfied with our service, please consider making a donation to keep this service alive. Even a smallest amount will be appreciated.
- ^ Liam Tung. Google: Unwanted bundled software is way more aggressive than malware. ZDNet. Technology news, analysis and reviews.
- ^ Wendy Zamora. How to avoid potentially unwanted programs. Malwarebytes Labs. The Security Blog .
- ^ Adware. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ NoVirus. NoVirus. Security and Spyware News.
April 28th, 2015 at 11:46 am
I have removed driver restore from my old computer and I do not wont it any more. so I would like you stop any money from my pay pal I would like THANK YOU VALERIE
May 4th, 2015 at 3:29 am
this is VINDICTIVEWARE. I just uninstalled it, and as a parting gift, it trashed my BIOS.
DO NOT INSTALL THIS CRAP!!!! Youll be sorry.
April 18th, 2016 at 12:23 pm
Driver Restore an excellent program I do not know why there is so much negative being thrown around. In fact, I like how they bad mouth Driver Restore and then turn around and try to sell you their product. LOL
April 25th, 2016 at 10:54 pm
Hello I had driver restore on my computer and it caused me so many problems and I have a brand new computer too!!! I tried every traditional way I knew to get it off my computer. I finally did some research and someone suggested using Malwarebytes Anti Malware. When I used it..Driver Restore had downloaded 657 malware objects on my new computer. The Malwarebytes fixed the problem and now I have my computer back. Driver Restore is bad news.
November 8th, 2016 at 1:05 am
I was facing hang and other issues with my system. I have used this product and it helped me alot to make my system work as it was before. Thanks Driver Restore 🙂
November 24th, 2016 at 2:57 am
Why would a bad application come with an uninstaller and give everyone their address?
Anyways, I downloaded it, installed it. I never used it and asked for them for a refund. Everything worked like a charm, I just realized I didnt need it.
November 24th, 2016 at 8:24 am
Dear Peter,
Thank you for your comment.
This article aims to inform computer users that Driver Restore is a hardly useful and paid program, which is actively promoted via ad-supported programs. There is a reason why people complain about this program on various Internet forums. We do not say that this program is malicious – it is totally legitimate.