Remove MapsTrek Adware (Chrome/FF/IE)

Can’t Remove MapsTrek ads? This page includes detailed ads by MapsTrek Removal instructions!

Despite MapsTrek claiming otherwise, it’s an infection. The program does its best to convince you it’s legitimate, and reliable. But it’s neither. In fact, it’s far from it. The program belongs to the adware category. It’s a malicious, meddling cyber threat. It claims to help you with finding the best routes. Supposedly, it provides accurate directions. It even accounts to traffic updates. And, that seems an awesome feature. MapsTrek seems a great and useful tool. It’s not. Its marketing is nothing more than a way to pull you in. Don’t fall for the scam! MapsTrek does NOT help you! It does nothing positive for you. All, it does, is throw you into a whirl of grievances and headaches. Understand that the program feeds you lies. Make sure not to fall for the web, it’s spinning. It may say otherwise, but it’s nothing more than a hazardous adware application. Do your best to locate its exact lurking place. And, delete it as soon as you do. It has NO place on your PC. Remove it ASAP.

How did I get infected with?

MapsTrek turns to the old but gold means of invasion. It slithers into your PC by preying on your carelessness. Yes, your carelessness is crucial for the tool’s covert infiltration. Let’s explain. No adware can access a system without user’s approval. The application has to ask if you, the user, agree to its admission. Only if you do, can it proceed. No permission, no entry. That’s why, the program does its best to gain your consent. It inquires for it in the sneakiest way possible. Think about it. If it were outright, you’d deny it, and move on. Wouldn’t you? To avoid the risk of rejection, it resorts to trickery. Yes, it does ask for your approval. But it does it in the most covert way it can. That includes, hiding behind corrupted links or sites. Or, spam emails. Or, freeware. It can even pose as a fake update. Like, Java or Adobe Flash Player. Remember! No matter the method, it chooses, you can stop it from accessing your PC. If you’re thorough enough, you can catch it in the act. And, foil its attempts. So, be thorough! Next time, you install tools, updates, anything off the web, be extra vigilant. Do your due diligence. Don’t rush, or give into naivety. Infections count on you to choose carelessness over caution. So, don’t! Even a little extra attention can go a long way. And, help to keep an infection-free PC.

Why is this dangerous?

After MapsTrek gains access to your PC, be wary. You’re in for a horrendous experience. |Not long after it slithers its way in, issues begin to manifest. You first encounter trouble with your browsing. All of a sudden, you can’t go online without encountering interference. The adware makes sure to force a variety of intrusions on you. It floods your screen with suspicious sites as it redirects you, non-stop. Not to mention, the ads it throws at you. You get bombarded with in-text, banner, and pop-up ads, at every turn. Going online brings a barrage of advertisements, and malicious pages. The redirects, and the myriad of ads, don’t go unnoticed for long. They have consequences. Your system starts to crash, frequently. Your computer’s performance slows down to a crawl, as well. Browsing the web becomes a nightmarish experience. But, do you know what? That’s not the worst part of having adware. In fact, these are the minor inconveniences, you face. There are much worse ones that come your way. The absolute worst one, concerns your security. That’s right. The adware takes aim at your sensitive information. It tries to steal your personal and financial details. So, it can then expose it to the people, who published it. Cyber criminals with questionable intentions. The question is, will you let it succeed? Or, would you rather, protect yourself? Not to mention, your system? Do what’s best, and get rid of the nasty infection ASAP!

How to Remove MapsTrek virus

The MapsTrek 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 MapsTrek 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 MapsTrek in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate MapsTrek startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

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

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the MapsTrek 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 MapsTrek

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 MapsTrek, 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 MapsTrek 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 MapsTrek 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.