Win Tonic (Removal Guide) - Improved Instructions

Win Tonic Removal Guide

What is Win Tonic?

Win Tonic is the particular optimization software that should improve the performance

Win Tonic official download website

Win Tonic is a rogue Windows OS optimization utility that has been classified as PUP due to its tendency to display misleading pop-ups and reveal fake scan results to PC users. Despite the fact that its developer PC Tonic represents it as a powerful utility capable of removing malware and other infections, as well as fixing registry entries, the virus does not have a virus database and can hardly boost PC's performance in any way. According to security experts, such characteristics are typical to a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and scareware.[1]

Win Tonic has been revealed as a PUP since 2018 when researchers came up with free tools hiding this rogue optimization utility hidden under the Quick installation option. It is preselected by default and, if a less experienced PC user does not select the Advanced installation technique, he or she agrees upon malware installation without knowing about that.

Upon successful infiltration, this misleading tool modified multiple processes within Windows and starts initiating a supposed virus analysis and system optimization. It's important to stress the fact that the virus is not capable of protecting the system, nor remove any threats. Although scan results may report Win-Trojan/Gandcrab02.Exp, Win32:Malware-gen, Win32/Filecoder.GandCrab.B[2], and similar infections, these are random names taken from the virus database to exaggerate the results and prompt PC users to purchase the full software licenses.

Summary
Name Win Tonic
Developers PC Tonics (pctonics.com)
Type Potentially unwanted program (PUP), fake system tool
Danger level Low. Can get installed unnoticed, deliver fake scan results to increase sales
Distribution method The official download site, software bundles, pop-up scanners on the web
Symptoms In case of the shady installs on the system via a software bundle, it starts scanning the system on a particular schedule and delivers rogue scan results. Besides, it may display alerts regularly stating that the system is outdated and needs optimization.
Removal Anti-malware tools are the best for the purpose of eliminating these intruders, so rely on the AV application to get rid fo the unwanted app
To fix system registries and other settings that this PUP might have modified, use FortectIntego repair tool.

Win Tonic is available on the official website to download for free. However, developers do not explicitly explain that a free download is just a trial that will do nothing else except launch the scanners on a regular schedule and display intrusive alerts warning about an infection. People are not forewarned that the app is charged and that its license cost €14,95 a month. The problem is that you might not need this program at all as it does not give any value.

This system optimization and malware removal tool can be called scareware due to the misleading scan results. As we have already pointed it, the tool is programmed to initiate scheduled system scanners and deliver results reporting virus infection. Observant Internet users should notice that Win Tonic malware displays suspicious system analysis and report about bogus viruses.

Besides, its free trial version does not have a function to eliminate the findings. The only way to do that is to pay the money for the licensed version of the tool. We strongly do not recommend giving away your money for a useless program. Keep in mind that it's just a trick used to earn the money for bogus services.

Win Tonic scannerThe particular scan results cannot be trusted as they may be fabricated

However, this PC maintenance and protection software have another negative feature. It might spread bundled with free programs and get into the system unnoticed. In other words, it may be appended as an additional application of free download managers or converters and enter the system if a potential victim fails to deselect it during the install. For this reason, users often refer to it as a Win Tonic virus. We want to stress out this program is NOT a virus.[3] It does not perform any malicious or harmful activities on the computer.

As we have mentioned before, WinTonic employs a shady marketing technique to increase its sales. We do not support such strategies, and we do not recommend trusting the scan results provided by the program. Therefore, even though Win Tonic can hardly damage the system, except cause some slowdowns, we cannot refer to it as a reliable tool to use.

We suggest you remove the unwanted application instead of buying the license. However, if you think that your computer might be infected with a virus or you want to fix corrupt registry entries after a malware attack, you can check the system with FortectIntego. We can ensure that this tool is reliable and help to fix the computer.

Talking about Win Tonic removal, you should be able to uninstall it via Control Panel like any other program. If you are not sure how to do it, follow the guidelines given at the end of this article. However, if you did not install the tool purposely and it showed up out of nowhere, that's a sign that you ended up installing a software bundle. Therefore, there may be a couple of other unwanted programs on your PC, which is why we recommend you to remove the PUP and its companions with the help of anti-malware tools like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

Win Tonic program screenshotWin Tonic is a PC optimization software that might deliver fake scan results in order to promote its paid version.

Bundling is commonly used to trick people into allowing PUPs

The program is available to download and purchase on the official developer’s website pctonics.com. However, security specialists from semvirus.pt[4] noted that such programs are often being spread with the help of bundling. This software marketing method allows adding programs in software packages and spreading together with them. In this way, programs can get into the system unnoticed if users do not pay attention to software installation. They can unintentionally install unwanted apps if they use Quick/Standard installation settings.

Differently from Advanced/Custom settings, Quick/Recommended does not openly disclose what additional components might be attached to the primary program. Therefore, to fully monitor the installation procedure and stop infiltration of unwanted apps, you have to use Advanced settings and opt-out third-party programs.

Win Tonic promotion campaignsThe PUP is distributed by bundling and misleading pop-ups

Moreover, this untrustworthy optimizer may be involved in marketing campaigns, which trick people into downloading this tool by clicking on ads, such as Your Windows Computer Is Infected With (4) Viruses! or Your WINDOWS 10 is infected with (3) Viruses!, and similar. Such and similar ads may open while browsing the web, especially when visiting unknown third-party websites.

Clicking on such ads may redirect the browser to the affiliate websites. Therefore, be careful when searching the web: do not click on suspicious hyperlinks, ads, pop-ups or banners unless you are sure what's behind them. Our strong recommendation would be to keep a reputable antivirus program with real-time protection installed and update it regularly. It will minimize the chances of getting PUPs and viruses installed.

Uninstall WinTonic and check the system for PUPs

You should be able to remove Win Tonic as an ordinary program from Windows. You have to access Control Panel, click Uninstall button, and follow the guide on the screen. However, if the program was installed in the software bundle, we recommend taking extra steps.

You should also look up other questionable programs or browser extensions installed. The same software package may have included a couple of applications, and some of them might be potentially dangerous or cause other unwanted activities on the browser.

If you want to find and terminate these entries quickly, you should opt for automatic Win Tonic removal which requires scanning the system with anti-malware software. However, you can follow the manual removal instructions below too.

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.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Win Tonic. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
  4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
  5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
  6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
  4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
  5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
  6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Delete from macOS

Remove items from Applications folder:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for all 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 an unwanted app, 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 and then delete them.
  4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files. Uninstall from Mac 2

Remove 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 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

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

Reset MS Edge if the 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 Delete Advanced 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” -Verbose Advanced 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, search 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 from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove. Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data…
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear. Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information. Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox. Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. 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. Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data. Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings. Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
  3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall. Remove extensions from Safari

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

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 Win Tonic 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 system tools

Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool

Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.

 

Lost your files? Use data recovery software

While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.

To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.

About the author
Julie Splinters
Julie Splinters - Anti-malware specialist

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