VideoBox virus (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Removal Instructions
VideoBox virus Removal Guide
What is VideoBox virus?
What should I know about VideoBox player?
VideoBox virus is advertised as a free media player application that is able to open various video formats, download videos from Arabian version of Hao123.com movies, and more. As far as we know, Hao123.com is an infamous browser hijacker[1], and it automatically makes us think that VideoBox might be untrustworthy, too. It is known that VideoBox adware is developed by Baidu. Once installed, this software starts displaying annoying ads[2] in all possible forms – pop-ups, pop-unders, banners, full-screen ads and so on. VideoBox by Baidu might also change browser settings[3] and set a different homepage address as the new default one. We also want to add that the affected computer can run slower than before installation of VideoBox spyware[4]. Considering that this potentially unwanted program (PUP) can operate without user’s knowledge, we are afraid that it can pose a threat to your PC’s security and your privacy. Therefore, we suggest removing this program from the system ASAP. The best way to remove VideoBox is to install and run an anti-malware software such as FortectIntego, which can complete the VideoBox removal without any hassle. This is a picture that shows the official website of VideoBox and the program itself. If you install this program on your PC, it can start displaying annoying VideoBox ads for you.
The installer of Videobox is called VideoBoxSetup_officialsite.exe. It is 22,5 MB in size and once opened, it will guide the user through the installation process. During the installation, the software creates a folder in C:\users\user\appdata\Roaming\Baidu\VideoBox. This folder contains an Uninstaller, however, according to users’ complaints, it appears that it doesn’t help to delete all Videobox files at once. The adware aims to stay on computer system because this way it can deliver sponsored content for the user. Sadly, these ads are annoying and potentially dangerous, and clicking them might take you on websites you wish you never visited.
How could I install this software on my PC?
There are several ways to install VideoBox on your computer. You can download it directly from ar.hao123(.)com/movie/videobox site, but we believe that it is not the only website that helps to distribute this program. We have a suspicion that this program might be distributed via software bundles[5], too. It means that it can be bundled with popular free programs and suggested to users via the software installation wizards. In many cases, these suggestions are not revealed – they stay under Custom/Advanced settings, and computer users do not tend to choose these often. They tend to rely on Standard/Default settings, which silently install all bundled programs along with the main program. Therefore, you should remember to change software installation option to Custom/Advanced and deselect suggested items.
How can I remove VideoBox?
If you think that VideoBox virus is malicious, you are wrong – it is a legitimate program. However, it is not a trustworthy one, either. Therefore, we have prepared a comprehensive VideoBox removal tutorial for our visitors. Please read the instructions carefully. If you do not understand something, please ask our experts – we are online and can help you to remove VideoBox.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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 VideoBox virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To uninstall VideoBox, follow these instructions. Then follow individual guides we prepared for Chrome, IE, Edge, Firefox and Safari users. After that, scan the system with anti-malware program to find any of VideoBox remains there.
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, search 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)
Firefox browser can be affected by VideoBox and serve third-party advertisements, too. To prevent it from displaying these ads, carry out these instructions.
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 Settings.
- 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
VideoBox may have added some extensions to your browser. Find them and remove them with the help of these guidelines.
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 VideoBox 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: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
- ^ Robert Siciliano. What is Browser Hijacking?. McAfee Blogs. Securing Tomorrow. Today.
- ^ Catch Spyware Before It Snags You. Norton by Symantec. Articles about cybersecurity.
- ^ Information about browser hijacker and removal instructions. NoVirus. Cybersecurity news and virus removal guides..
- ^ What is Spyware and What does it do?. PC Tools by Symantec. Security news.
- ^ What is malware?. MIT IST. A library of online training videos on hundreds of topics, free.