MediaPlayAir virus (Improved Instructions) - Jun 2017 update
MediaPlayAir virus Removal Guide
What is MediaPlayAir virus?
MediaPlayAir hardly provides any useful functions, acts like an adware instead
MediaPlayAir virus is a potentially unwanted program that cyber security experts classify as adware[1]. This program is set to display repetitive and highly annoying ads to the computer user in various formats. Such potentially unwanted programs (PUP) are distributed as extra components added to popular freeware, and once installed, they change certain system settings, create new folders and do everything to root into the computer system deeply. The adware we discuss today creates C:\Program Files (x86)\MediaPlayAir folder, which contains additional folders such as Libraries, plugins, access, access_output, audio_filter, audio_mixer, codec, video_filter, video_output, and drops numerous .dll files in them. The suspicious ad-supported software assigns itself to startup programs and creates its shortcut on the desktop and in Start Menu.
This potentially dangerous program alters Windows Registry and then starts sending annoying pop-ups and banners to the computer user. Such advertisements deliver offers from various ad networks, sadly, clicking on them could be risky. These ads are likely to contain suspicious links which can cause redirects to hazardous or even phishing websites[2]. In fact, you may need a reputable anti-malware tool like ReimageIntego to help you with the MediaPlayAir removal. Even though this application may seem like a useful tool for video streaming, you should remember that the longer you keep it installed on your system, the more difficult it is going to be to remove it. Besides, we feel that there is no need to keep such ad-supported program on the system, especially when it poses a threat to your security and privacy. For this reason, we suggest you delete it from your PC as soon as you notice first signs of its activity.
To take action, you have to be aware of the typical signs of adware infiltration. The initial symptoms include the already mentioned influx of ads. To make sure you are not infected, pay attention to the information you see on the websites you visit. Keep watch of the random text which is turned into hyperlinks and stay away from different pop-ups, banners and suspicious software updates you may be offered while browsing the web. Especially be careful not to click on ads labeled as “Ads by Media Play Air”, “MediaPlay Air Ads” or similar since these slogans are clear indicators that you are dealing with an adware infiltration. MediaPlayAir redirect issue is also worth mentioning as it is also a typical characteristic of the adware-type viruses. This problem relates to the fact that adware generates ads which are deceptive and do not disclose the full information about sites to which they actually lead. Some of these external sites can be highly dangerous, and considering that these redirects are caused to generate pay-per-click revenue, we believe that such behaviour is dishonest and should not be tolerated. To protect your PC from that, you should remove MediaPlayAir from your device without a delay.
Protecting your PC from adware and other PUPs
It does not take a lot for an adware to infect a computer. Nevertheless, it just as easy to protect yourself from such infiltration. First, you have to be aware that MediaPlayAir usually travels hidden in the software packages along with other programs. Therefore, you have to have a tool to indicate whether these software packages contain infected components or not. For that, you can use reliable anti-spyware or antivirus scanning tools and run a scan of the downloaded program before initiating its download. Unfortunately, sometimes the virus-fighting utilities may not detect any threats, so it is better to inspect the downloaded program yourself. Choose “Advanced” or “Custon” installation mode, which will give you an opportunity to cancel the installation of unwanted programs manually. Make sure you unmark the all the pre-marked checkboxes allowing suspicious installations.
Getting rid of MediaPlayAir
Luckily, MediaPlayAir removal is very simple. Even if you are less experienced in computing, you can easily get rid of the virus by obtaining a reputable antivirus software and scanning your computer with it. Of course, we have prepared a guide to manual virus removal as well, which is presented just below this article. But why waste your time, when an automatic tool can remove the virus in minutes? Besides, a reliable antivirus software will not ignore other possible threats which might be hiding on your computer and remove them as well. If you are struggling to remove MediaPlayAir from your computer, do not hesitate to contact us, and we will do our best to help you.
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 MediaPlayAir virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
You can try to uninstall the suspicious media player via Control Panel. Carefully follow these instructions to uninstall the adware, and then check these two folders for its remains:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\MediaPlayAir\
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\
- C:\Users\Public\Desktop\
After completing this part, scan the system with anti-malware software to see if all components of this adware were eliminated.
You might need to clean Windows Registry as well. We DO NOT recommend doing it if you are an inexperienced PC user. To access Windows Registry, press down Windows Key + R and in the window that opens type in: regedit. Click OK.
Then go to Edit > Find. Type in: MediaPlayAir and click Find Next. After finding an associated entry, delete it. Continue until you delete all associated Registry Entries.
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)
Delete unwanted add-ons from Firefox to stop annoying ads from appearing on your screen.
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
Check Chrome Extensions panel for extensions associated with this adware program. We suggest deleting all dubious ones that seem to be suspicious or those you cannot remember installing.
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 MediaPlayAir 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
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.
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- ^ Olivia Morelli. How to remove adware viruses. NoVirus. Information about Computer Viruses and other Cyber Threats.
- ^ How to recognize phishing email messages, links, or phone calls. Microsoft Safety & Security Center.