Electronics

[geegerbee]

I used yahoo maps. It prompted me to download mapsgalaxy. So I did. It changed my home page, tool bar etc.  I went to programs so I could uninstall it, but it is not there. I searched and found an anti malware program to uninstall it, but now I am afraid this is malware too. help.

[MezzieStarr]

I use malewarebytes and AVG.  Maybe install one of those to remove it.

[Toppers3]

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@geegerbee wrote:

I used yahoo maps. It prompted me to download mapsgalaxy. So I did. It changed my home page, tool bar etc.  I went to programs so I could uninstall it, but it is not there. I searched and found an anti malware program to uninstall it, but now I am afraid this is malware too. help.

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Hi @geegerbee,

It's a browser redirect malware/adware program, so it will "hijack" your browser pages and take you somewhere else/other website when you click on a window/open a browser window.

There are a couple of different things that you can try and do, to try and remove this. Bear with me as I explain them to you, as this will be a rather lengthy post as I explain them to you. 

Once you get something like this, it can be a bit tricky to remove.

You can see if a program like Malwarebytes will remove it. If you don't have that, you can install that and then run it. 

You can also try looking in your Programs list again, and try deleting it from there. 

When you look in your Programs list in the hard drive, it may not show up as the name of the program that you're looking for.

Try looking again, and look for it under the date of installation, and see if it shows up under the name of a different software program that looks different to you/unfamiliar.

It may not be listed under the Programs, either.

It may be listed as a browser plug-in or an extension, so it may be listed there in that section of the browser's settings.

I'll post a link for you to How-To Geek, on how to disable Add-ons and Plug-ins in each common browser, in case it's in the browser, rather than in the Program list.

The same thing applies, where it may not be listed as the Maps program that you're looking for, but under the software company under which it was created. 

If you find it added on as a plug-in/add-on in the browser settings there, you might be able to delete it, too, depending on the browser that you're using:

http://www.howtogeek.com/139916/how-to-view-and-disable-installed-browser-plug-ins-in-any-browser/

If you're still having problems after this, let me know. 

[Nuttmeg]

This is a little more info about this browser hack.

http://www.lavasoft.com/mylavasoft/company/blog/how-to-remove-mapsgalaxy-toolbar

I downloaded this browser hack along with a free program. I scanned with Malwarebytes and then cleaned FireFox, IE, and Google Chrome.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/

[glb613]

Download the free version of CCleaner, install and run the program.  Under options (found on the left side of the screen), there is a utility to uninstall programs.  I have found programs listed here when they weren't under programs and utilities with Windows. 

It's a very good program for getting rid of cookies and other browser "junk" left on your computer after using the internet.  I also used it when I had a Windows computer to remove items from the startup group.  Programs often put themselves in the startup group during the installation process.  Unneeded programs in the startup group run in the background, bog down a computer, uses RAM and other resources. 

I use the Mac free version and find it clears my browser's cache better than the one included with the browser.  As always, make sure you're selecting the free version not a 30 day free trial. 

[geegerbee]

Thanks everyone for your help. I was able to get my Chrome toolbar back and hopefully mapsgalaxy is gone for good!

[glb613]

Not to be critical but, it would be nice if you shared what you did to get rid of it.  It not only helps others to know what to do, it helps the "helpers" should another poster has the same problem.