Browse for the Cause virus. How to delete? (Removal tutorial)
What is known about BrowseForTheCause virus?
BrowseForTheCause is a suspicious add-on that is promoted as a unique possibility to donate money for charity for free. Indeed, it sounds really altruistic and generous; however, we have some doubt about this services. This application can secretly sneak inside the computer and bombards web browsers with an excessive amount of commercial content. Even though people can download this app from the official website, most of the time so-called BrowseForTheCause virus gets inside the computers with the assistance of other free programs that users download from the Internet. We have to mention that it’s more a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] than a virus. It cannot harm your computer and steal your personal information. It might be only blamed for crashing or freezing the browser. BrowseForTheCause adware[2] is extremely annoying because, after hijack, it bombards affected browsers with pop-ups, banners, in-text ads and other forms of online advertisements. The only possible ways to run away from these problems is to throw away your computer or initiate BrowseForTheCause removal. We believe that the latter method seems more suitable. So, install Reimage, run a full system scan and get rid of this computer infection.
BrowseForTheCause ads will follow you everywhere. Keep in mind that they might show up on the legitimate websites as well. They might overlay the original advertisements and look like real ones. Recognising the fraudulent ads from the real ones might be hard[3]. Some ads might cover the article you want to read or other necessary information; besides, they might not have a close button, or after clicking on it, you might be still redirected to the promotional website. BrowseForTheCause redirect tendencies are annoying and concerning. After a click on the eye-catchy or interesting ad, you might end up on completely different and irrelevant website that has nothing in common with advertised content. Adware can deliver personalised ads based on your latest search queries and browsing history. Keep in mind that the purpose of them is to encourage you to click because developers generate pay-per-click[4] revenue. Where you end up after the click or what might happen on the third-party website, don’t bother the developers. Unfortunately, you might end up on a malicious or infected site that has been created for spreading malware. For this reason, you should remove BrowseForTheCause add-on as soon as it shows the first signs of the appearance.
Where can you meet this strange adware program?
Users can download Browse for the cause add-on straight from the developer’s website; however, it rarely happens. The developers distribute it using a sneaky method called software bundling[5]. This strategy allows adding PUP as an optional component and hiding it under Standard or Basic installation wizard. So, BrowsefortheCause hijack might occur when you install new programs using these settings. Fortunately, it’s possible to stop these PUPs from stepping inside. Just opt for Advanced or Custom installation mode and attentively follow each step. When you encounter the checkbox with additional applications, deselect them all and continue the installation.
Getting rid of Browse for the cause virus
We do not recommend keeping this suspicious add-on on your PC. There are other ways to donate money to charity, and those ways are more effective and clearer. The easiest way to remove BrowseForTheCause is to use anti-malware, anti-spyware or antivirus programs. However, keep in mind that you should invest in professional and reliable security tool. Free or cheap programs might not be able to clean adware and all its components; besides, free tools will not protect your computer in the future as professional ones. However, if you do not want to use additional software for BrowseForTheCause removal, you can check manual removal guidelines below. Please, be very attentive and remove all programs and extensions that might be related to this program.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Browse for the Cause, follow these steps:
Uninstall Browse for the Cause in Windows systems
If your computer has been infected with Browse For The Cause virus, you should check if other PUPs haven’t managed to get inside the computer. If you see Snap.do, Search.Snap.do, DefaultTab and similar programs installed on your PC, delete them immediately.
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Go to Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, open Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, click on Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen to open Quick Access Menu. Then click Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
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Remove Browse for the Cause and programs related to it
Now, take a look at the list of programs and find Browse for the Cause or other programs that you do not remember installing. -
Right-click on these programs and select "Uninstall." Then click OK to save changes.
Uninstall Browse for the Cause in Mac OS X system
Find all adware-related components and uninstall them from the system. Also, look for these applications and remove them as well: Snap.do, Search.Snap.do and DefaultTab and similar.
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Users who use OS X should click on Go button, which can be found at the top left corner of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Browse for the Cause or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete Browse for the Cause from Internet Explorer (IE)
This annoying adware program is capable of installing various add-ons on the Internet Explorer without your knowledge. Follow the steps below and clean your browser.
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Delete suspicious browser add-ons
Launch Internet Explorer, and then open IE by clicking on the Gear icon, which is located at the top right corner of the Internet browser. Then, click Manage Add-ons.
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Manage Add-ons window will appear on your screen. Now, search for Browse for the Cause and other questionable browser add-ons. Right-click them on each of them and select Disable.
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If virus altered your homepage, change it:
Click the Gear icon at the top right corner of the Internet browser and then click Internet Options. Stay in General section. -
Now, delete malicious URL and enter
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Reset all Internet Explorer settings
Click on Gear icon and then opt for Internet options. Then go to Advanced section. - Click Reset.
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A new window appears, and then you have to tick Delete personal settings and click Reset to finalise Browse for the Cause removal.
Delete Browse for the Cause from Microsoft Edge
If you got infected with adware, make sure that it haven’t installed any suspicious extensions. If you find something questionable, uninstall it as shown below.
Reset settings in Microsoft Edge (Technique No.1):
- Open Microsoft Edge browser, then click on More button, which is situated at the top right edge of the screen
- Select Settings from the drop down menu.
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When the Settings panel appears, find Clear browsing data section and hit Choose what to clear button.
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Then mark all components that you wish to delete and after that hit Clear.
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Right-click the Start button (that has Windows logo on it) and choose Task Manager.
- Go to Processes tab and look for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and select Go to details. If there is no Go to details option, select More details and carry out previous instructions.
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Once Details tab appears, look for entries that contain Microsoft Edge name. Right-click on such individual entries and choose End Task option to terminate them.
Reset Microsoft Edge (Technique No.2):
In case the Technique No.1 did not help you to fix the problem, use advanced Edge reset option.
- Important: you must backup your files before you use these tips
- Locate this folder on your PC:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select all items in this folder and right-click with your mouse. Select Delete.
- Click on the Start button (that has Windows Logo on it) and in Search my stuff field, type in window power.
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With the right button of your mouse, click on every entry and select Run as administrator.
- Once you get Admin's rights, Windows PowerShell window should show up shortly. Paste this line:
after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and hit Enter.Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
After completing these steps, Microsoft Edge should be Browse for the Cause-free.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariDelete Browse for the Cause from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Browse For The Cause might not be the only add-on that has been accidentally installed to Mozilla Firefox. Therefore, check the list of extensions and remove all suspicious entries.
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Delete suspicious browser extensions
Launch Mozilla Firefox, and then open menu (click a button at the top right corner). Then, go to Add-ons → Extensions.
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Now, locate Browse for the Cause and other suspicious extensions. Click Remove to eliminate them.
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Reset all Mozilla Firefox settings
Click on the Firefox at the top left corner and then click the question mark. Then, select Troubleshooting Information.
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Reset Firefox to its default state message should appear then. You will see Reset Firefox button. Click this button a few times and finalise Browse for the Cause removal.
Delete Browse for the Cause from Google Chrome
Look through the list of extensions and remove all extensions, add-ons or toolbars that might be related to BrowseForTheCause.
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Remove malicious extensions
Launch Google Chrome, and then open menu (click a button at the top right corner). Then, go to Tools → Extensions.
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Now, look for Browse for the Cause and other suspicious extensions and then click the trash icon to remove them.
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Open Chrome menu and go to Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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In Search Engines..., configure default search engine settings. Remove untrustworthy ones. We advise you to leave only Google or another reputable website of your choice.
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Reset all Google Chrome settings
Open menu by clicking the button at the top right corner of Google Chrome, and go to Settings. -
Scroll down to find Reset browser settings button. Click on it.
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Click Reset to approve this action and finish Browse for the Cause removal.
Delete Browse for the Cause from Safari
To finish BrowseForTheCause removal, you have to remove all questionable extensions from the Safari that might have been installed without your knowledge.
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Delete suspicious browser extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Browse for the Cause or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset all Safari settings
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Browse for the Cause removal process.
About the author
References
- ^ Brandy. What Are Potentially Unwanted Programs. The High Tech Society. Tech News, Revviews .
- ^ Olivia Morelli. What is adware and how to remove it. 2-spyware. The website about spyware, malware and adware removal.
- ^ Sean Ford, Marco Cova, Christopher Kruegel, and Giovanni Vigna. Analyzing and Detecting Malicious Flash Advertisements. Department of Computer Science. University of California, Santa Barbara. United States {odo,marco,chris,vigna}@cs.ucsb.edu.
- ^ What Is PPC? Learn the Basics of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing. Word Stream. Online Advertising Made Easy.
- ^ Bundled software. Cimputer Hope. Free computer help and information.