Project Free TV. Is it safe or could lead my computer at risk?
Project Free TV is a legit movie streaming site that may lead to malware infections
Questions about Project Free TV
Project Free TV is a legitimate movie streaming site that offers thousands of movies and TV shows to watch. However, the domain is known to be associated with adware as it causes numerous pop-ups which constantly load and interrupt users' routine. Once the users are made to click on unsafe links, they are redirected to sponsored websites that might not be safe. Additionally, the provided video content might be copyrighted and be illegal to view. However, in this article, we will focus on security and will try to help you avoid the dangers related to Project Free TV.
| Summary | |
| Name | Project Free TV |
| Type | TV streaming site |
| Category | Adware |
| Main dangers | Installation of unsafe or malicious software |
| Infiltration | Accidental clicks on pop-ups, software bundling |
| Elimination | Check our manual guide below, or use anti-malware software |
| Optimization | Make sure you check your system with Reimage to repair virus damage |
Project Free TV virus has already changed its domain name several times now. Most probably, it was due to the copyright issues. However, it remains one of the most popular sites for people who want to watch movies online for free. At the moment, it seems that it is safe.
However, multiple users reported that they got tricked with fake Flash Player updates or other pop-ups. After that, they found Conduit virus installed on their PCs. Additionally, some users said that they have been asked to provide personal details while using Project Free TV:[1]
The site is asking me to validate my email address with a credit card. is this something I should have to do?
Thanks?
Please never provide any personal details on suspicious websites. Only trusted sources should have access to your credit card details; otherwise, they might end up sold on the black market, which consequently would result in stolen money or identity theft.
Also, you should always pay attention to the piracy-related[2] concerns and problems that are usually cannot be separated from such websites. Besides, this site is also known for displaying intrusive, aggressive and even dangerous ads. Project Free TV ads might show up as pop-ups, banners and even sound ads.
Project Free TV pop-ups and redirects might show up when browsing the database and looking for the desired movie or trying to create (or login) to a personal account. After clicking one of such messages, you might be redirected to some unknown website. These redirects are definitely annoying and can diminish your browsing quality.
No matter how harmless this Project Free TV redirect tendency seems, keep in mind that you can easily end up on a fake tech support site[3], a phishing domain or a simply infected website. Thus, if you use this entertainment site, we highly recommend protecting the computer with reputable antivirus or anti-malware program, such as Reimage to protect your device from threats. Project Free TV removal is recommended as well.
Project Free TV allows watching popular movies and TV shows for free. However, this website is full of suspicious online ads.
Streaming data will not harm your PC, but clicking on ads will
After the latest reports, Project Free TV has been found to be not harmful. However, as we have mentioned, you should use it carefully because of suspicious online ads that might redirect you to high-risk websites. These websites have a tendency to work on tricking users into revealing their personally non-identifiable or personally identifiable information[4] or, in the worst-case scenario, they may fool their victims into downloading potentially unwanted programs, such as adware and browser hijackers.
What is more, some of our users have reported that they noticed frequent redirects to Project Free TV site. This website has been promoted aggressively with the help of adware[5] programs.
This potentially unwanted program (PUP) can easily show up on your web browser right after downloading freeware or shareware[6] to your computer. As soon as Project Free TV application sneaks inside, it alters your browser’s settings (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.) and start its aggressive advertising campaigns.
In this case, you will need to remove Project Free TV ads using a reputable anti-spyware program. It’s the easiest way to get rid of all undesired apps that might have entered the system.
Increased amount of online ads might be the sign of an adware infection
According to Project Free TV, its ads are caused by third parties that seek to increase web traffic to their sites and collect sales. The company in its Disclaimer claims that it doesn't have to take any responsibility for them. However, it seems that it hasn't blocked these ads for another reason – they help their project stay alive.
Thus, if you continue using Project Free TV site, we recommend ignoring all intrusive ads. No matter that ProjectFreeTV hasn't been noticed to spread viruses, its files may be filled with optional components and may trick you into downloading Babylon Toolbar, Funmoods, Conduit and other potentially unwanted programs. After that, you may start suffering from such inconveniences as redirects, slow downs and unwanted pop-up ads that may interrupt you during your browsing.
While the site itself is not malicious, its hosted ads may be. Additionally, the videos shared on the site could be illegal
Ways to protect yourself from Project Free TV dangers
To protect your computer from this and other adware-type programs, you should be very attentive when downloading files from the Internet. You should double check files when downloading something from this site as well because some of them may be used to spread adware and browser hijackers.
In order to stay safe, you should select Custom or Advanced installation method when downloading freeware to your computer. In addition, you should try to find all suspicious statements and uncheck them.
We have briefly mentioned that some of adware programs might also initiate redirects to Project Free TV site as well and display ads promoting this service. This problem might have occurred during the incorrect installation of freeware or shareware as well.
As we have already explained, in order to avoid this situation, you have to choose Advanced/Custom installation settings instead of Quick/Recommended. Thus, if you’re dealing with this problem, the next section of the article will be useful to you.
Getting rid of Project Free TV virus
Regular Project Free TV users cannot escape these annoying ads. However, they should be careful and at least avoid clicking them. It helps preventing cyber infections and keep your personal data protected. Of course, the best decision is never to visit this site full of questionable ads again. However, it may not be suitable for everyone.
Meanwhile, if you suspect that your computer is infected with an adware program that is responsible for redirecting to this video streaming site, you have to take care of computer’s state. In order to remove Project Free TV virus, you have to find the adware program and uninstall it. It might show up in the Programs list in the Control Panel, or it may have expanded the list of browser extensions.
Our instructions provided below will help you investigate the system and find the core of the problem. However, you can always speed up Project Free TV removal by employing anti-malware program.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Project Free TV, follow these steps:
Delete Project Free TV from Windows systems
Follow the steps below to remove Project Free TV from Windows. Make sure you look up for potentially unwanted programs that might be initiating redirects to this website.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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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.
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Uninstall Project Free TV and related programs
Here, look for Project Free TV or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Eliminate Project Free TV from Mac OS X system
To remove the virus from Mac, follow these instructions. They will help you locate suspicious applications that may have sneaked into the device and started displaying intrusive ads.
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Project Free TV or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Erase Project Free TV from Internet Explorer (IE)
Follow the instructions to clean all suspicious elements from Internet Explorer that might be responsible for displaying annoying ads.
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Project Free TV and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Project Free TV removal.
Uninstall Project Free TV from Microsoft Edge
Make sure that any suspicious components haven't been installed to Microsoft Edge.
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Project Free TV should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Remove Project Free TV from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
From the list of Firefox's extensions remove all apps that might be related to Project Free TV.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select Project Free TV and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Project Free TV removal.
Get rid of Project Free TV from Google Chrome
We suggest looking for suspicious browser extensions and resetting Google Chrome. These two tasks are important if you are suffering from Project Free TV redirects.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select Project Free TV and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Project Free TV removal.
Delete Project Free TV from Safari
Follow the steps below to get rid of all unwanted activities in the browser.
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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.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Project Free TV or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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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 Project Free TV removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ Is Project Free TV safe?. PreciseSecurity. Question-answer site.
- ^ Wayne Beynon. The Piracy Problem - The Hunt for an Effective Solution. Huffington Post. The latest headlines, news stories, and opinion from Politics, Entertainment, Lifestyle, blogs, and more.
- ^ What is Tech Support Scam. Know it and Avoid it. Tech Support All. Free Technical Help Center.
- ^ Nate Lord. What Is Personally Identifiable Information?. Digital Guardian. The blog by developer of data loss prevention software.
- ^ What is Adware (Other Than Annoying)?. Spam Laws. The website about Internet security and scams.
- ^ Freeware vs. Shareware. Diffen. The website includes a collection of unbiased comparisons .
March 20th, 2014 at 7:26 pm
THIS IS SO FAKE. PROJECT FREE TV WEBSITE HAS NO ADWARE/SPYWARE/VIRUS AT ALL. JUST ADVERTISEMENTS YOU CAN CLOSE WILLINGLY. THEY SHOW YOU THIS SO YOU ARE SCARED AND DONT VISIT THE SITE SO YOU PAY TO WATCH THEIR TV SHOWS. DONT LISTEN. DONT PAY.
March 23rd, 2014 at 9:05 pm
None of the ads come from project free tv. They come from the places the videos were uploaded to like VODLocker and allmyvideos.net. All Project free tv does is list where the videos are at. PFTv really does have nothing to do with it and also no way to block the ads from their side besides just removing the streams as a whole and then what would even be the point of having the site.
i could show at least 5 other sites that are the same way cause they use the exact same videos some have more some have less listed.
just get an ad block extension for your browser and poof ads gone (well besides one stream storage site that occasionally is able to force a pop-under past the ad blocker)
April 18th, 2014 at 3:45 am
Since yesterday, April 17th, its impossible to watch any episode on Project FreeTV. I open the page and it immediatetly within a split second connects to:
https://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&p=download+abo+edo+auload+rek+flashplay&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownland.aboedo.us%2FFlashplay%2FRek%2FDE%2Fauload.html%3Finstaller%3DFlash_Player_11_for_Other_Browsers%26browser_type%3DKHTML%26dualoffer%3Dfalse&src=toolbar&nrd=1&fr=slv502-
or
http://update.flashs-players.info/Player1/C/update-de.php?installer=Flash_Player_11_for_Other_Browsers&browser_type=KHTML&dualoffer=false
Ive tried it with various browsers, its the same with each. Ive been using the site for years to watch TV shows. and it always worked, however now its impossible due to the change of page. My Firewall and Virus Scanner alerts me each time that it is a malicious thread.
April 29th, 2014 at 6:51 am
I went to this site. It asked me to download an .exe file. No thanks. Seriously cant be legit. Not subjecting my system to their garbage.
May 31st, 2014 at 1:26 am
Project Free TV is just an aggregator of links to streaming videos– They state pretty clearly that any pop-ups or suspect messages that show up whilst watching are from the videos original source and suggest you try a different link.
June 30th, 2014 at 5:04 am
Project TV is full of Malware. I open one show and it totally screwed up my computer. Wanted me to download new programs for no reason. Ive been cleaning it up ever since. Regardless of where it comes from when on this site you are going to get CRAP that will infect your computer. PIA….lots.
July 18th, 2014 at 3:22 am
yes project free tv really has annoying audio ads a and popups…in fact one is playing right now on my puter..the audio seems to be mostly crap to delibertly interfere with your movie viewing so they are probley hacked by big media companies trying to shut them down because they are free
July 18th, 2014 at 3:23 am
the best thing to do is pause the movie until the audio crap quits
March 6th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
So why arent you ppl using adblock?
March 21st, 2015 at 11:22 pm
i registered to project free tv how can i remove it
May 21st, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Bullshit that the ads only come from the video uploading sites. As soon as you get on the main page or click a single link the ads/popups start. Use the search box, popups. Click the name of a show, popups. Thats not tied to any videos. Plus some of the popups then have popup alerts stuck in an endless loop when you click “ok”, forcing you to have to quit the browser and reopen it.