SafeSoft Protector. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
How does SafeSoft Protector virus work?
Have you ever encountered SafeSoft Protector virus on your computer? Are you seeing different pop-up ads and other flashy advertisements on your screen right now? If so, you may find this article helpful. Keep reading and you will find out about how this virus works, how it is distributed, how to avoid it and, eventually, at the end of the article you will find tips on how you can easily remove SafeSoft Protector from your computer.
Questions about SafeSoft Protector
First of all, this virus is an adware-type program which is designed merely to generate profit to its creators. Yet, the regular user may come across it as a helpful tool, supposedly enhancing the online browsing experience. Ironically enough, the program, in reality, does quite the opposite. SafeSoft Protector hijack occurs stealthily and without the computer owner’s consent. Once the virus is in the system, it may start modifying your browser’s settings, installing additional browser add-ons and extensions which later help to inject multiple ads into your browsing results. For these reasons, the security experts deem this program as potentially unwanted to have on your computer. Think for yourself, would you be happy to see pop-up, pop-under, interstitial SafeSoft Protector ads and even the video advertisements covering the original content of your browser? What is more, these ads are not only intrusive and annoying. They are rarely reliable too. There have been multiple reports received that ads by SafeSoft Protector redirect the users to suspicious third-party websites. Therefore, it is recommended to keep away from such ads and not to be tempted with their often alluring proposals. If you see a commercial offer, that seems almost too good to be true, take a look at the slogan next to the ad. If the slogan says something like “Ads by SafeSoft Protector” or “Powered by SafeSoft Protector,” this most likely means that your computer is infected should take action immediately. Scan your system with a reputable virus-fighting utility, such as Reimage and leave the SafeSoft Protector removal for it to take care of.
How can you protect your computer from adware?
SafeSoft Protector can be very annoying when it infects the computer. However, all the inconveniences can be avoided if you know how to properly protect your system. The fundamental thing you should know about adware that it spreads hidden in software packages and installs along with other popular applications. Therefore, you should take precautions accordingly. First, you should be aware that the infected software packages usually are distributed on unreliable websites. It comes naturally, that in order to avoid such packages you should closely select only the trustworthy sources to download your software from. Secondly, to disclose all the optional contents hidden in the software bundle you should use advanced installation mode. Terminate the installation if you see any suspicious programs, like SafeSoft Protector included in the software package. Finally, obtain a reputable antivirus software to help you differentiate between the reliable and potentially dangerous programs.
Recommendations on the SafeSoft Protector virus removal:
As you may have understood from this article, SafeSoft Protector is a barely beneficial program. On the opposite, the longer you keep it installed on your computer, the more irritating and dangerous it gets. So why hesitate? Remove SafeSoft Protector from your system immediately. It can be easily done with automatic virus removal tools. Obtaining a professional antivirus software will ensure the threats are removed, and your device is protected in real-time as well. You can also remove SafeSoft Protector manually as well if you prefer such elimination method. The instructions on how you can do it are presented in just below this article. Also, our experts are ready to help you with any questions that might arise during the virus removal process.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes 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 SafeSoft Protector, follow these steps:
Get rid of SafeSoft Protector from Windows systems
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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 SafeSoft Protector and related programs
Here, look for SafeSoft Protector or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Eliminate SafeSoft Protector from Mac OS X system
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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 SafeSoft Protector or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Erase SafeSoft Protector from Internet Explorer (IE)
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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. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for SafeSoft Protector 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 SafeSoft Protector removal.
Delete SafeSoft Protector from 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.
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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, SafeSoft Protector should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariRemove SafeSoft Protector from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select SafeSoft Protector 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. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete SafeSoft Protector removal.
Uninstall SafeSoft Protector from Google Chrome
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select SafeSoft Protector 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 SafeSoft Protector removal.
Get rid of SafeSoft Protector from Safari
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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. -
Here, select Extensions and look for SafeSoft Protector 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.... -
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 SafeSoft Protector removal process.