Other products

Remove unwanted pop-ups or site redirects

This problem can be caused due to a browser hijacker. A browser hijacker is a type of malware that is designed to change your browser's settings. You may experience any of the following behaviors:

  • Your search is getting redirected to different websites

  • Your homepage or search engine is changed without your permission

  • Webpages load slowly

  • You see multiple toolbars on your web browser which you did not install

  • You get multiple pop-up alerts for advertisements

If you see pop up that direct you to third-party support site or if you think you have been scammed, read Learn more about technical support scams and steps to avoid them.

Run the Norton Power Eraser - Unwanted Application Scan

  1. Download Norton Power Eraser.

  2. Click Save.

  3. Select the location as Desktop, and then click Save.

  4. To run Norton Power Eraser, double-click the NPE.exe file.

    If the User Account Control window prompts, click Yes or Continue.

  5. Read the license agreement, and click Accept.

  6. In the Norton Power Eraser window, click the Unwanted Application Scan icon.

    When Norton Power Eraser completes the scan, the results are displayed in the Unwanted Apps Scan Complete window.

  7. In the Unwanted Apps Scan Complete window, next to the unwanted application or toolbar, click Uninstall.

  8. Follow the on-screen instructions.

  9. When the uninstall completes, restart the computer.

If Norton Power Eraser does not remove the unwanted toolbars, then manually remove them by using the Add/Remove Programs or Uninstall a Program in the Control Panel. Adware generally installs a new toolbar in your browsers and changes your default search engine setting to a third-party search engine. Depending on your browser, reset the browser settings to completely remove the unwanted toolbars and search engines.

Reset Microsoft Internet Explorer settings
Reset Google Chrome settings
Reset Mozilla Firefox settings

Run the Norton Power Eraser scan

  1. Double-click the NPE.exe file, to run Norton Power Eraser.

    If the User Account Control window prompts, click Yes or Continue.

  2. Read the license agreement, and click Accept.

  3. In the Norton Power Eraser window, click the Scan for Risks icon.

  4. By default, Norton Power Eraser performs a Rootkit scan and requires a system restart. When you see a prompt to restart the computer, click Restart. If you do not want to include the Rootkit scan, go to Settings, and uncheck the option Include Rootkit scan (requires a computer restart).

  5. After the computer is restarted, the scan starts automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions.

    Wait for the scan to complete.

Did Norton Power Eraser detect any threat?

Many Norton users have shared their solution for this problem on our community forum. See solutions from users about unwanted popups or ads on Norton Community.

Video

Need more help?

STEP 1

Check for incorrect DNS settings

  1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

  2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.

    control

  3. Click the Network and Internet icon, and then click Network and Sharing Center. In the left pane, click Change adapter settings.

    On Windows XP: Double-click the Network Connections icon.

  4. Right-click the network adapter that is currently active, and then click Properties.

    If the User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes or Continue.

  5. In the Network Connection Properties window, under "This connection uses the following items", click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

  6. Click Properties.

  7. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties window, on the General tab, check the DNS server settings.

    • If Use the following DNS server addresses radio button is selected, check the server addresses. Make sure that the DNS server addresses displayed are the same that are provided to you by your Internet service provider or your network administrator.

    • If the DNS server address starts with 85.255.11x.x, then it is more likely that the DNS cache has been poisoned as the result of a Pharming attack.

STEP 2

Fix incorrect Windows host file settings

  1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

  2. Type in the following text, and then press Enter.

    C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc

    Replace the drive letter if C: drive is not the system drive.

  3. For each Hosts file that you find, right-click the file, and then click Open With or Open.

  4. Double-click Notepad from the list of programs.

  5. Remove any line that appears in your hosts file without an # at the beginning, apart from the "127.0.0.1 localhost" line.

  6. On the File menu, select Save.

  7. Check if you can access the Internet.

STEP 3

Fix incorrect proxy settings

    If you have not configured your computer to use proxy for the Internet connection, you can skip this Step.

  1. Start Internet Explorer.

  2. On the Tools menu, select Internet Options.

  3. On the Connections tab, click LAN Settings.

  4. Verify that your proxy settings are correct. Do one of the following:

    If the proxy settings are incorrect, make sure that you enter the correct proxy settings.

    If the proxy settings are correct, temporarily disable the proxy. Uncheck Use a proxy server for your LAN.

  5. Click OK.

  6. In the Internet Options window, click Apply > OK.

STEP 4

Uninstall or disable unknown toolbars

    If you want to completely remove a toolbar, you can use Add/Remove Programs or Uninstall a Program in the Control Panel.

  1. Start Internet Explorer.

  2. On the Tools menu, click Manage Add-ons.

  3. If you find any unknown toolbar that is listed, select the toolbar, and then click Disable.

  4. Click Close.

  5. If the issue persists, go to Step 5.

STEP 5

Run a scan using Norton Power Eraser

  1. Download NPE from: http://liveupdate.symantec.com/upgrade/NPE/1033/NPE.exe

  2. Save the file to Windows desktop.

  3. Open the windows run dialog (Windows key+R).

  4. Drag and drop NPE.exe into the run box, this will automatically populate it with the full path Add the following switch to the end of the line:

    /VSS 111

    The run line should look like:

    "C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Desktop\NPE.exe" /VSS 111

  5. Click OK.

  6. Run a scan.

  7. If the scan comes clean, go to Step 6.

STEP 6

Run a scan using Norton Bootable Recovery Tool

  1. Download NBRT.

  2. Create a bootable DVD or USB and run a scan.

The solution made it easy for me to handle my issue.

Yes No

Help us improve this solution.

Thank you for helping to improve this experience.

What would you like to do now?

Browse for solutions, search the Norton Community, or Contact Us.

DOCID: kb20100811171926EN
Operating System: Windows
Last modified: 09/03/2019