FileShareFanatic Removal Guide

Can’t Remove FileShareFanatic hijacker virus? This page includes detailed FileShareFanatic Removal instructions!

FileShareFanatic Toolbar is supposed to be a useful application. It can be officially downloaded from your browser’s app store. Yet, it can also appear out of the blue. Its appearance is always bad news. This toolbar is classified as a browser hijacker and potentially unwanted program (PUP). The toolbar brings only troubles. It hijacks all popular web browsers. Its most common victims are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Yet, there are no immune browsers. Before we continue, there is one more thing you must know. If you have more than one browser installed, be absolutely sure, all of them are affected by the malicious tool. Or, to be more accurate, they are infected. The infection spreads like poison. This program is ad-supported. It is designed to generate revenue via pay-per-click marketing. Basically, for every ad you click on, the owners of this furtive utility will get paid. Don’t become their sponsor. These people care about their profit. Your security is no concern of theirs. They have never intended their app to be secure. Anyone willing to spend some money can use the FileShareFanatic toolbar to promote. Hackers included. The malicious program displays to various advertisements. Ad banners, pop-up windows, in-text adverts and pop-up messages. Every time you go online, you will get bombarded with numerous adverts. Some of them may be dangerous. One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. Do yourself a favor. Remove this parasite immediately. To delete the FileShareFanatic infection completely, you must clean all installed browsers. This task is rigorous. The furtive utility will reappear no matter how many times you try. Of course, you can remove it manually. Follow our guide strictly. Don’t skip any steps. If you are not confident in your computer skills, use a trustworthy anti-virus program for automated removal. The sooner it is gone, the better!

How did I get infected with?

The FileShareFanatic toolbar did not appear by magic. This tool is an actual program. It is installed on your computer. Chances are, you were the one who installed it. As we already mentioned, the furtive app has an official download. If you installed it on purpose, you remember how it happened. Yet, you may not remember installing it. This is to be expected. This app is commonly distributed via stealthy methods. The most common one is the bundling technique. It is quite simple. Developers would attach extra programs to the installation files of many free apps. When you start the installation of such a bundle, you will face two setup methods: a standard installation and an advanced one. We recommend the advanced one. This method is not complicated. Neither is it time-consuming. Yet, only under the advanced setup can you see all apps that are about to be installed. You can deselect them and still install the program you originally planned to set up. This time you were lucky. The FileShareFanatic utility can be removed. However, other, much more dangerous threats, also use this method. Only your vigilance can spare you troubles. When installing a program, always opt for advanced installation option. Also, don’t skip the terms and conditions. We know how annoying these steps are. Yet, a little extra caution can spare you many problems. Other malware distribution methods are spam emails, torrents, and fake software updates. This is your computer. You are the one who is responsible for its security. Always do your due diligence.

Why is this dangerous?

The FileShareFanatic utility can never be beneficial to you. This tool uses your browser against you. Everything you do online is now monitored. The furtive app is collecting information about you and your online habits. It knows which sites you visit, your browsing history and even what search inquiries you make. It uses this information to select adverts that will grab your attention. Thus, if you enter “sneakers” into some search engine, the malicious utility will start to display adverts for similar shoes. In theory, you will see adverts for items and services you need. In practice, however, you will see ads for everything. Oftentimes, for uncertificated goods. The FileShareFanatic toolbar has no verifying mechanism. It cannot distinguish between a legitimate website and a fake one. Scammers use such programs to generate traffic to fake web-stores. With the malicious app running on your PC, you cannot trust anything displayed on your screen. Don’t follow adverts. Hackers, too, spread malicious content via browser hijackers. If you click on a corrupted ad, a virus will be downloaded directly on your machine. Keeping the FileShareFanatic Toolbar on board is not worth the risk. Remove this application before it is too late!

How to Remove FileShareFanatic virus

The FileShareFanatic infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the FileShareFanatic infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

WARNING! Stopping the wrong file or deleting the wrong registry key may damage your system irreversibly.
If you are feeling not technical enough just use Spyhunter Professional Malware Removal Tool to deal with the problem!
>>Download SpyHunter – a Professional Remover.

Please, keep in mind that SpyHunter’s scanner tool is free. To remove the FileShareFanatic infection, you need to purchase its full version.

STEP 1: Track down FileShareFanatic related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate FileShareFanatic startup location

STEP 3: Delete FileShareFanatic traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down FileShareFanatic related processes in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate FileShareFanatic startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean FileShareFanatic virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

STEP 3 : Clean FileShareFanatic traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the FileShareFanatic by clicking on the little recycle bin
• Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

• Open Mozilla Firefox

• Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
• Disable the unwanted Extension
• Go to Help
• Then Troubleshoot information
• Click on Reset Firefox

• Open Internet Explorer

• On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
• Click on Internet options
• go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
• Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

• Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by FileShareFanatic

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for FileShareFanatic, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

You must clean all your browser shortcuts as well. To do that you need to

• Right click on the shortcut of your favorite browser and then select properties.

• in the target field remove FileShareFanatic argument and then apply the changes.
• Repeat that with the shortcuts of your other browsers.
• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove FileShareFanatic Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.