Remove Thecouponstore.co virus (Removal Instructions) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Why am I being redirected to Thecouponstore.co search engine so frequently?
Thecouponstore.co virus can start bothering you daily if you accidentally agree to install a particular browser extension[1]. This browser extension is called The Coupon Store, and it asks for user’s permission to read and change all the data on the websites that the user visits. Once installed, the extension starts controlling “On Startup > Open the New Tab page” setting, and sets hxxp://www.thecouponstore.co/homepage/homepage.html?id= as a default homepage and new tab page. This domain provides a search engine, which looks completely safe to use. However, if it replaced your previous homepage without your knowledge, better get rid of it as soon as possible. The easiest way to do it is to run an anti-spyware software like ReimageIntego, but if you wish, you can try to delete it manually. We provided detailed instructions on how to do it below the article.
Thecouponstore.co virus changes browser's homepage address and suggests using the search engine that is shown in this picture. We do not recommend using it because it provides media.net search results that can be filled with sponsored ones.
Questions about Thecouponstore.co virus
We do not recommend using suspicious search engines that appear in your browser right after installing a certain program to your computer. It can sneak into the PC along with free programs such as download managers, games, or other applications that agree to bundle[2] it alongside them. Such applications as TheCouponStore collect certain information from the user, including operating system details, IP address and browsing-related information such as your search queries and list of websites you visit on a daily basis. You can never know how such information will be used. We know that this company uses it for market analysis and might try to provide you with targeted search results and ads, however, if you are not the only one who uses the computer, you might not want others to see ads based on your interests. Besides, all of these ads point to external websites that are not under The Coupon Store’s control. These can be dangerous, for example, provide suspicious surveys[3] that ask to enter sensitive information, suggest installing “necessary” software, or simply try to trick you into visiting another dangerous website[4] by providing deceptive ads or links. Therefore, we believe that it is better to remove Thecouponstore.co as quickly as possible, and start using a different search tool instead.
How do potentially unwanted programs get into a computer without user’s knowledge?
You can download this software from its official web page, although in the majority of cases users install it without realizing it. If you do not want to agree to install potentially unwanted programs without getting a clear notification about their existence, better act careful when you download new programs to your computer. Free programs tend to suggest installing third-party products alongside them, and if you do not want that to happen, you have to modify installation settings in a certain way. Usually, software installers offer “Default,” “Standard” or “Basic” settings by default. Do not trust these! Instead, switch the selection to “Custom” or “Advanced” one and decompose the software bundle according to your needs. We recommend you to opt out ALL suggested programs, because computer software that is promoted in such way usually appears to be untrustworthy.
How can I remove Thecouponstore.co safely?
If you no longer want to allow this hijacker control your browser’s settings, you should get rid of it – the sooner, the better. Unfamiliar and unwanted programs can pose a threat to your PC[5] and your privacy, and in this case, the intruder implements unacceptable activities such as arbitrary modification of your browser settings and attempts to coerce you to use a particular search engine. To remove Thecouponstore.co virus, we highly recommend using professional anti-malware tools, although you can also efficiently remove it manually (it simply takes more time and patience to do so). For manual removal, follow instructions provided by our support team and ask us any questions that come into your head when reading them.
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.
To remove Thecouponstore.co virus, follow these steps:
Remove Thecouponstore.co from Windows systems
Although usually this program only inserts its components into web browsers, we highly recommend checking for its components in the Control Panel. These instructions are made to ease this task for you.
To remove Thecouponstore.co virus 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.
- From the list, find entries related to Thecouponstore.co virus (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.
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.
Get rid of Thecouponstore.co from Mac OS X system
Remove Thecouponstore.co virus from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Thecouponstore.co virus-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove Thecouponstore.co virus, 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 related to Thecouponstore.co virus and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Thecouponstore.co virus-related entries.
Delete Thecouponstore.co 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 Thecouponstore.co virus and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
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.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete…
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
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 Thecouponstore.co virus removal.
Eliminate Thecouponstore.co virus 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 Thecouponstore.co virus-related 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.
Uninstall Thecouponstore.co 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 Thecouponstore.co virus 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
In case Thecouponstore.co virus 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.
- 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 Thecouponstore.co virus removal.
Erase Thecouponstore.co from Google Chrome
Google Chrome holds an extension that prevents you from changing your homepage address.You have to delete the extension if you want to make modifications to your browser’s homepage settings again.
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 Thecouponstore.co virus 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 like Thecouponstore.co virus 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 Thecouponstore.co virus-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 Thecouponstore.co virus removal.
Remove Thecouponstore.co from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Thecouponstore.co virus 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 Thecouponstore.co 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.
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.
- ^ Jeremy Kirk. Many Chrome browser extensions do sneaky things. InfoWorld. Technology Insight for the Enterprise.
- ^ Here’s What Happens When You Install the Top 10 Download.com Apps. How-To Geek. For Geeks, By Geeks.
- ^ Beware of scam surveys and fake free offers. Scamwatch. Information to Consumers and Small Businesses About How to Recognise, Avoid and Report Scams.
- ^ Dann Albright. Which Websites Are Most Likely to Infect You with Malware?. MakeUseOf. Your Guide in Modern Tech.
- ^ Jake Doe. What is malware and how to remove it. 2-Spyware. Information about Viruses and Cyber Security.
Your opinion regarding Thecouponstore.co virus
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April 14th, 2017 at 6:12 am
I accidentally installed this hijacker, but now it is gone, thanks to you! Really great instructions:)
April 14th, 2017 at 6:13 am
Thecouponstore.co does not go away! My antivirus doesnt detect it, does anyone know whats the problem here?
April 14th, 2017 at 6:14 am
I didnt want Coupon Store to change my homepage! I just wanted the coupons!
April 14th, 2017 at 6:14 am
Cant trust freeware these days. All sneaky and stuff!