Remove Chrome Settings Button Extension

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The Chrome Settings Button extension is not a tool you should keep. This application is classified as adware and Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). The reason for this double classification is the diversity in the distribution methods this tool uses as well as its behavior. No matter the classification, Chrome Settings Button extension remains malicious and must be removed ASAP. This utility is never idle. It uses every second it has on your machine. Its goals are simple – to generate ad revenue. Basically, for every ad you click on, the owners of the furtive utility will be paid. And you will see a lot of advertisements. Soon, every website you open will be covered in ad banners and in-text ads. Your online videos will get paused for commercial breaks. On top of that, your web browser will get constantly redirected to unknown pages. The advertising campaign will become more and more aggressive. Your browser will struggle to display any page correctly. It may start to freeze and crash frequently. Some older computers may also experience system crashes. As we all know this leads to data loss and a lot of frustration. Unfortunately, the benefits of this extension are not worth it. Your best course of action is the removal of the application. You can either do it manually or automatically. It’s all up to you.

How did I get infected with?

The Chrome Settings Button extension has an official download. Yet, you may not remember installing it. This is not a surprise. The PUP is distributed via various methods. Not all of which are legitimate. Spam email attachments, torrents, malvertising and freeware bundles are just the most commonly used ones. All these techniques, however, share one same requirement to succeed. They need your permission. Let’s take the bundling method as an example. The developers have attached the malicious program to the installation files of other, usually free, apps. This is all they do. Everything else is up to you. If you don’t approve this app, it will not be installed. The thing is, you may not get the chance to abort its installation. To prevent such an unfortunate outcome, opt for advanced setup option in the installation wizard. Don’t hesitate to select the advanced option. It may be misrepresented as a suitable choice for IT experts only. This, however, is a deception. The Advanced/Custom installation wizard is suitable for everyone. Under it, you will be presented with a list of all extra programs that are about to be installed. Examine the list carefully. More often than not, these third party tools are malicious. Deselect all suspicious programs. Also, keep in mind that you can deselect all extras and still install the program you originally planned to set up. Don’t rush. Take your time to read the terms and conditions/EULA. This is your computer, after all. You are the one who is responsible for its security. Always do your due diligence!

Why is this dangerous?

The Chrome Settings Button extension should be removed upon discovery. This app is annoying and irritating. Yet it can also be destructive. Every ad it displays may further infect your computer. Unfortunately, the PUP has no verifying mechanism. It doesn’t check what is being promoted via its services. Hence, hackers and people with questionable interests often use such ad-supported apps to spread corrupted content. A malicious advert may download more malware or virus directly on your computer. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell which adverts are corrupted and which are not. Keep in mind that all adverts you are exposed to are displayed by the Chrome Settings Button PUP. This application blocks its competitors’ content. So, you are seeing only the ads the PUP allows you to see. Thus, it turns you into an easy target. Do not put up with this program. It is not worth your time. Download an anti-virus program you like and delete this parasite for good. Of course, if you prefer to do it by yourself, you can always remove the Chrome Settings Button extension manually. Please, follow our detailed removal guide!

How to Remove Chrome Settings Button virus

The Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button 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.

STEP 1: Track down Chrome Settings Button in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Chrome Settings Button startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button

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 Chrome Settings Button, 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 Chrome Settings Button 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 Chrome Settings Button Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your system 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.