Bloatware Remover – Protect Your Device
When you buy a device from a store that hasn’t been used by anyone yet, you expect a quality product that works flawlessly. However, not all devices are ready to work correctly, even though they are new. Sometimes there is malware on the devices. It reduces the performance of the device and may distribute your data to third parties. To protect your privacy and keep the device running smoothly, you need a bloatware remover. But first, a little theory.
Bloatware – What Is It?
Since the birth of computing, humans have fought the threat of malware. But what is bloatware? This term refers to any software that infiltrates a device without your knowledge. There are many types of them, and each works differently, pursuing its own goals. However, all types of malware have two defining characteristics: they are hidden and actively work against your interests.
Malicious programs can be divided into three groups:
- Computer viruses spread quickly by self-copying, often unnoticed by the user. Such software infects and can even delete files, takes up space in the system, and causes computer malfunctions.
- Network worms are malicious programs that spread themselves over the Internet and local area networks. They multiply rapidly and act in secret from the owner of the infected computer. For example, they send infected messages throughout the mail program’s address book or organize a botnet to send spam or mine cryptocurrencies. They can overload the network and even disable it due to the intensive distribution process.
- Trojans are malicious programs that disguise themselves as harmless or even useful programs so that you can run them on your device yourself. Unlike viruses and worms, they cannot spread on their own. The purpose of such a Trojan horse is to give an attacker access to your computer, after which he can get hold of your passwords and other valuable information.
How does bloatware work?
Regardless of what type of virus will be on your device, they act according to the usual scheme: the user himself downloads them to the computer, without even knowing about it. On many sites, there are similar hidden programs that you click on and download occurs. For example, you click on an infected link that you received by mail or a website posted a link, ostensibly for additional information – by clicking on it, you automatically become a victim of a hacker.
Many hackers follow another principle. They distribute malware in free software downloads. For example, you want to download the Chrome browser and download it from an unknown site – the virus enters the computer. Therefore, it is essential to install the browser through the official sites. If you want to download a movie, game via torrent, you can unwittingly install a virus.
The hackers did not stop there and found another way to infect the device with viruses. They load harmful programs into the firmware of a flash drive or other USB drive. This is very tricky because the file is uploaded to the device’s internal equipment, and it does not see viruses. Therefore, if you have been provided with an unknown USB drive, do not insert it into your computer. Ask the person who gave you the USB drive to check it for viruses.
How to understand if a device is infected with bloatware?
When malware enters your device, you may notice several symptoms that your computer is at risk:
- The device is running very slowly. If your computer was running fast and suddenly started to slow down, this could indicate malware on the device. This is because malware takes over your device’s computing resources, and the computer is unable to respond to user requests quickly – it does not have enough energy.
- Less storage space. Many malicious programs are capable of installing various additional files on the computer. If yesterday you had a lot of memory, but today the storage has decreased significantly, this is a symptom that there is malware on the computer.
- Pop-ups and strange programs appeared. Once you find these two symptoms, know that there is malware in the computer. For example, when you visit a website, pop-up advertisements are displayed for you. If strange programs appeared on the desktop that you did not download, this is also a malware sign.
How To Get Rid Of Bloatware On Windows 10?
A large number of novice users are not very computer savvy. In particular, in the Windows 10 system. One of the main mistakes of such people is ignoring the antivirus, which can protect the PC from malware and other unnecessary software. If the virus has entered the system, then you need to get rid of it urgently. There are a vast number of programs and ways to combat malware.
Install Antivirus
Of course, the first step is to install an antivirus that will prevent the most potentially harmful programs from entering Windows. When installing it, you do not have to worry about your PC being infected. Together with it, we advise you to use other cleaning programs. We can recommend such antivirus programs as Kaspersky, Avast, ESET.
Install Additional Cleaning Programs
There are many types of malicious programs, but some appear on users much more often than others. For example, when you enter any of the browsers, you are sent to another search engine or advertising site. If you can deal with the search engine by merely going into your browser’s settings and put in the “default search engine” column, you need to act differently with advertising. One of the most effective and simplest ways is to install additional cleaning programs, for example, RogueKiller. You need to go to the official website of these programs and click on the download button. After you have downloaded the programs, they will automatically find malware and ask you to confirm their removal.
Use a VPN
One way to bypass potential viruses is to use VPN, which creates a secure channel between the device and the Internet. With a VPN, your traffic will be encrypted and protected, which will significantly reduce the risk of infecting your computer and installing unwanted and dangerous software. Many sites can track your location, sensitive information, and other personal information. If you want to avoid information leakage, then you should use this utility.
Use mrt.exe
If you are the proud owner of Windows 10, you can use a unique utility built into your computer. You need to go to the “C” drive, then look for the “Windows” folder, then “System32”. Being in the last folder, in the search window, you need to enter the combination of letters “MRT.” When you search, the system will present you with several programs with the same names. You need to open the file “mrt.exe.” After that, you need to open it by simply double-clicking the left mouse button. In the window that opens, you will see the program itself, which will look like a regular explorer. The advantage of this program is that it is entirely free. You can also highlight the fact that the developer is Microsoft. That is, this software will not be able to harm Windows and will remove all viruses.
How To Get Rid Of Bloatware On MacOs?
Most users may not even notice that the Mac virus is the most dangerous threat, crafted so that users cannot immediately detect them. However, suppose your Mac is behaving strangely, for example. In that case, you see applications like Advanced Mac Cleaner installed without your consent, or Google Chrome, Safari, or another browser that keeps showing you ads. Chances are you are infected with a Mac virus.
To determine if your Mac device is infected, you have to scan it with reliable security software like SpyHunter or Malwarebytes and remove the Mac virus for good. In other cases, you can manually remove potentially unwanted programs:
- If you are in Safari or any other browser and have received a warning about malicious software, virus, then exit the browser immediately. If the browser refuses to close, then force-close the application.
- Then go to the Downloads folder and delete any installation files that will alarm you.
- If you prefer to drag the file to the Trash to replace the deletion of a file, be sure to clean the Trash.
How To Get Rid Of Bloatware On Android?
Today the number of viruses and Trojans for Android is growing exponentially. Why? Hackers know that people are increasingly using smartphones and tablets as electronic wallets, and they are doing everything to move funds from the accounts of the owners to their own pockets. How can you protect your device from viruses and remove them?
Install Antivirus Program
Install one of the antivirus programs on your device and run a scan. There are free and paid antiviruses. Use products from well-known manufacturers. Follow the instructions of the antivirus and delete those files that it indicates as suspicious.
Manually Analyze Applications
If viruses are already on the phone, they can prevent the antivirus from working correctly. Try to minimize the harm that the virus causes to your android device. Turn on Airplane mode to prevent programs from accessing the Internet. Then check the list of apps. If there are those that you do not know or have recently been installed, remove them. You can also see in the “Application manager” of the phone that they work more actively than others and consume the most traffic. You can delete them directly from the root folder on the main drive – when connected to a computer.
Limit Application Rights
You can quickly remove a virus from an Android phone if you find a malicious program in the list of “administrators” and take away its rights. To do this, go to the “Settings” menu, select the “Security” tab and find the sub-item with application rights. Also, this menu can be located in the Applications folder. Check what rights your installed applications have and restrict them if necessary. In any case, there is no need to trust third-party programs with all your secrets.
How To Get Rid Of Bloatware On iOS?
Viruses on iPhones are rare. However, if your device is infected with viruses, follow these steps:
- See if an update is available for iPhone. Sometimes the device crashes due to an un-updated operating system.
- Clear history and website data. Open: Preferences – Safari – Clear History and Website Data. Then click “Clear history and data” to confirm.
- Turn off your device and reboot. Hold the power button until the screen changes and a slide appears to turn off. To restart your phone, press and hold the power button again. When the Apple logo appears, you can release the power button, wait until the password entry screen appears. You need to enter your password and not use Touch ID the first time you unlock your phone after turning on the power.
- Restore your iPhone from backup. If you back up your iPhone regularly, it will be easy to restore the iPhone from the latest backup and see if the problem goes away.
- Reset iPhone to factory settings. Delete data from your iPhone: Go to Settings – General – Reset – Erase All Content and Settings, then enter your password and confirm the process. Wait for the erasing to complete and then set up the iPhone as a new device.
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