Forum Discussion

cbrodie184's avatar
cbrodie184
New Contributor
11 years ago

adware virus

About two weeks ago, an ad appeared on my Cox Homepage just below where I sign in. I dragged my cursor over the ad - did not click on it - and the thing loaded before I could stop it. It is labeled "Open Software Updater" by Installer Technologies Co. - and the thing shows up as a green box on the lower right part of my screen every time I fire up my computer. I can't uninstall it as it doesn't show up in my programs list. I have a three month old Toshiba with W.7 and Office Student. Several, including Cox Techs say this is a virus. McAfee scans show everything to be alright. Windows updates and scans haven't helped. Any Ideas?? cbrodie184
  • Health_Edge's avatar
    Health_Edge
    Valued Contributor III
    11 years ago

    The reason Mcafee isn't picking anything up is because, strictly speaking, the program is not adware. It is considered a Possible Unwanted Program (PUP) which works differently. If adware was like your computer getting a cold, a PUP would be like it getting a splinter. So just like a splinter, the first step is removing it. Add/remove programs will work, but I suggest a more complete solution by using Revo Uninstaller.  After that, you might still need to go into your browser settings and delete any add-ons the PUP left, incase revo didn't remove them. I can give more details once I know what browser you have.Finally, I suggest Malwarebytes to do a scan just in case. 

    Also, is Cox taking any responsibility for having this grayware ad on their homepage? And not just once, but several times, even after being told about it.