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Remove Playbar.biz virus (Free Instructions) - Jul 2018 update

removal by Julie Splinters - - | Type: Browser hijacker
3 comments
1 solved questions
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Playbar.biz is a potentially unwanted program that modifies web browsr settings without permission

Screenshot of Playbar.biz search enginePlaybar.biz is a questionable application that enters users'machines via software bundling and applies several changes to browsers without permission.

Questions about Playbar.biz virus

Playbar.biz is a dubious website that gives users the opportunity to pick from a variety of different games and play them directly from Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox web browsers. However, the suspicious app is considered to be a browser hijacker which is distributed with the help of a deceptive marketing technique called software bundling. It allows the potentially unwanted program to stay off-radar during freeware installation and users can then see the color-changing background as their front page every time they want to browse the web. Additionally, despite the efforts of developers, users soon notice that redirecting, advertisement, slowdowns, and other issues are forcing them to look for Playbar.biz removal methods. 

Name Playbar.biz
Type Browser hijacker
Symptoms Homepage, new tab, search engine settings changed
Distribution Software bundles
Dangers Can attract malware
Elimination Use Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego for the Playbar.biz removal

Playbar.biz PUP tends to sneak into the computer system unnoticed. It might get installed alongside a free game or another free app downloaded from the Internet. As a consequence, it places hxxp://Playbar.biz/ as default homepage and search engine provider to start annoying the victim right away.[1] The worst is that it clutters search findings with sponsored links. Some of these are considered dangerous as they can trigger redirects to shady external sites, and that is how Playbar.biz can cause malware infections.

You should remove Playbar.biz from the device as soon as you notice this activity. You can do it quickly with the help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. These are the main features why browser hijacker are not wanted on the computer or another device:

  • Hijacker might spy on your browsing preferences. It might attempt to collect data such as your IP address, search queries, clicks and similar.
  • The quality of search results might not be satisfying as more advertising domains are presented. Clicking on them might lead to insecure web domains.
  • All those browser changes result in useless online searches because results are filled with commercial content.
  • The later you eliminate the described hijacker, the more unwanted tools might get attached to the browser.

Playbar.biz PUP

Though there are multiple PUPs which try to allure users with a basic design, others attract attention with eye-attracting themes and designs. Quick access links to gaming websites that Playbar.biz provides are another tools to catch users' attention. The latter is a common feature of many browser hijackers. However, such promotion of third-parties has its negative flaws. You might get redirected to affiliate websites forcefully. This intrusive and unwanted activity makes people eager to call it Playbar.biz virus.

Playbar.biz browser hijacker might also implant its “helper elements.[2]” They are not only responsible for consolidating the hijacker’s position on the system but they might also accelerate the installation of additional plug-ins and browser extensions. They are rarely practical. They might also trouble the uninstallation process.

Finally, the Playbar.biz collects a variety of non-personal information, such as IP address, web search data, technical information, etc. Although many websites do it for marketing purposes, it is highly unlikely that users would be kept on such behavior. In other words, Playbar.biz knows everything about your hobbies, which cinemas you like to visit, etc.

According to Playbar.biz' Policy Policy, some personal information can be collected and stored when users provide it themselves. The worst part is that this data might be transferred in case of a merger:

In the event Via Advertising goes through a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, or selling a portion of its assets, users' personal information will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred.

All in all, if you want to play games online, pick a legitimate source which will not spam you with advertisements, redirect you to dubious sites and display not so genuine search results.

Playbar.biz attackPlaybar.biz redirect virus sneaks into computer system to take control over major web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.

Freeware providers and virus developers bundle their products together

This browser hijacker might have sneaked into the PC while you recklessly installed another application. Specifically, the browser hijack occurs when you quickly rush through the installation of software or updates. Spyware distributors are aware of such common tendency, thus, they place the unwanted tools to freeware.

Unfortunately, the method still proves to be effective as users dash through the stages without giving a second look. Furthermore, within seconds the hijacker finds its place in the system. If you are willing not to commit the same mistake again, keep in mind this advice. After installing any application, opt for “Custom” settings. Likewise, you will see optional applications. Unmark the unnecessary applications and proceed with installing the preferred program.

Playbar.biz removal requires professional help

To remove Playbar.biz, you need to use anti-malware tools. These applications are specifically designed for locating all elements of the hijacker and other PUPs. If you try to remove all additional parts of the hijacker yourself, it might take time.

Playbar.biz virusGoogle Chrome states that the site is not secure and none of the personal information should be entered while using this site.

If you would rather avoid additional software on your computer, follow the Playbar.biz removal instructions below. We have prepared a step-by-step guide with possible methods of virus termination and some helpful tips. Security experts[3] advise users do not forget to keep anti-spyware tools up-to-date and running. An occasional scan with anti-malware tools can help users to avoid infection repetition.

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.

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To remove Playbar.biz virus, follow these steps:

Get rid of Playbar.biz from Windows systems

Remove browser hijacker from your Windows OS:

  1. Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs). Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
  2. If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program. If you are 'Windows 10 / Windows 8' user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once 'Quick Access Menu' shows up, select 'Control Panel' and 'Uninstall a Program'.
  3. Uninstall Playbar.biz and related programs
    Here, look for Playbar.biz or any other recently installed suspicious programs.
  4. Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes. Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
  5. Remove Playbar.biz from Windows shortcuts
    Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
  6. Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus. Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL

Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.

Eliminate Playbar.biz from Mac OS X system

These are the steps if you got Playbar.biz virus on your Mac:

If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:

Remove Playbar.biz from Applications folder:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for Playbar.biz-related entries.
  3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)Uninstall from Mac 1

To fully remove Playbar.biz, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
  3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries related to Playbar.biz and then delete them.
  4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Playbar.biz-related entries.Uninstall from Mac 2

Uninstall Playbar.biz from Internet Explorer (IE)

If you choose manual elimination, precisely follow the guidelines. The hijacker must be fully eliminated with all its registry keys.

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Playbar.biz and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete…
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Playbar.biz removal.Reset Internet Explorer

Erase Playbar.biz virus from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the Playbar.biz-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click on Uninstall at the bottom.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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

Reset MS Edge if that above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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

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.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick DeleteAdvanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. 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” -VerboseAdvanced MS Edge reset 2

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove Playbar.biz from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

  1. Remove dangerous extensions
    Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
  2. Here, select Playbar.biz and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries. Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
  3. Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
    Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General.
  4. Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
  5. Click OK to save these changes. When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
  6. Reset Mozilla Firefox
    Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
  7. Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Playbar.biz removal. Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times

Delete Playbar.biz from Google Chrome

Find all entries associated with PlayBar.biz virus and delete them. If you do not know where to look for such entries in Chrome, enter chrome://extensions in the URL bar.

  1. Delete malicious plugins
    Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
  2. Here, select Playbar.biz and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries. Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
  3. Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
    Click on menu icon and choose Settings.
  4. Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages. After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
  5. Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  6. Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section. When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
  7. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  8. Reset Google Chrome
    Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings.
  9. Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings. When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
  10. Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Playbar.biz removal. Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal

Get rid of Playbar.biz from Safari

  1. Remove dangerous extensions
    Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
  2. Here, select Extensions and look for Playbar.biz or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them. Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
  3. Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
    Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General.
  4. Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Playbar.biz, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page. When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
  5. Reset Safari
    Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
  6. Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Playbar.biz removal process. Select all options and click on 'Reset' button

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.

About the author
Julie Splinters
Julie Splinters - Malware removal specialist

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.

Contact Julie Splinters
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References
Removal guides in other languages
lt Playbar.biz viruso pašalinimas
pl Poradnik usuwania wirusa Playbar.biz
de Löschen Sie den Playbar.biz-Virus
es Eliminar Playbar.biz
fi Poista Playbar.biz virus

This entry was posted on 2018-07-25 at 10:58 and is filed under Stealing programs, Viruses.

  1. tommyMcFly says:
    October 31st, 2016 at 8:12 am

    Are they not bored themselves with those playbar hijackers?

  2. cokecox says:
    October 31st, 2016 at 8:13 am

    And people still fall for such poor bait?

  3. vforV says:
    October 31st, 2016 at 8:14 am

    I noticed it a while ago, removed it but then another playbar hijacker showed on the PC!

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