Remove TopSites Tab

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TopSites Tab is classified as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and an adware. The app is supposed to enhance your browsing experience. Yet, what it does is exactly the opposite. This application is ad-supported. Its owners will be paid for every ad you click on. Hence, the malicious tool will bombard you with commercials. It will force advertisements on every opened website. Ad banners will blink in all imaginable colors. Pop-up windows will force you to watch videos. You will hate every second of it. Your PC, too, will become sluggish. The TopSites Tab is a real program. Yet, it has never been meant as a light one. This app uses an enormous amount of computer resources. It is running on your CPU and uses a lot of RAM. The more ads you see, the slower your device will become. Do yourself a favor. Remove this intruder. TopSites Tab can never be beneficial to you. Its removal, on the other hand, will be beneficial to your device.

How did I get infected with?

The TopSites Tab uses not one, but many distribution techniques. The bundling method is probably the most commonly used one. It is an easy way to reach countless unaware users without much hustle. Developers would add malicious apps to the installation files of many free programs. If you are not vigilant, you will install these tools without even realizing it. When installing a program, opt for advanced installation option. Only under it can you see all extra programs that have come along. Deselect these apps. If you truly needed so many programs, you would have downloaded them by yourself. These third party apps seem to always “fail” disclosing what they are programmed to do. More often than not, they are malicious. You can never be too cautious. Install only the programs you trust. Also, don’t forget to read the terms and conditions. Yes, this step is annoying and time-consuming. Yet, it is the only way you can spot breaches. One more thing. Keep your anti-virus software up to date. It is, after all, your last defense wall.

Why is this dangerous?

The TopSites Tab is anything but safe. This malicious program will turn your browsing experience into a nightmare. Every website you visit will be covered in ad banners. Pop-up windows will interrupt you constantly. On top of that, your computer will become slow. Yet, these issues are minor compared to what is going on behind your back. The TopSites Tab app was designed to monitor your online activities. Everything you do online is recorded. The data is analyzed and used for better advertisement targeting. Yet, it is also sold to third parties. As strange as it may sound, there are many potential buyers. They range from desperate marketing agents to dangerous hackers. You will not be so surprised once we tell you that TopSites Tab can record details such as your usernames, passwords and email addresses. Check your inbox. It is probably full of junk mail. Can you imagine what may happen if a hacker buys this information? The consequences will be devastating. You may lose a lot of money or become a victim of identity theft. Nothing good comes from applications like TopSites Tab. You will be much better without it. You can remove it manually. Simply, follow our guide. If you prefer automated solutions, you can always download a trustworthy anti-virus program. You have options. Clean your computer now.

How to Remove TopSites virus

The TopSites 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 TopSites 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 TopSites infection, you need to purchase its full version.

STEP 1: Track down TopSites in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate TopSites startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

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

• Open Google Chrome

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

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 TopSites, 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 TopSites 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 TopSites 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.