Whether or not Hold Page is genuinely beneficial really depends on which side of the fence you are sitting. And for the most part that can be boiled down to: are you a software developer or a regular computer user? And it is for precisely this reason that there is such a gray area and no real definitive when it comes to deciding where PUPs are on the harmless but useless – useful – or useless and dangerous spectrum.
To sum it up: Hold Page is not malware, because it has not been specifically created to trick you, corrupt your data or con you out of money. However it is not exactly a paragon of virtue either, so don't be fooled into thinking this potentially unwanted program won't do you harm. Once installed, it will add a bogus web browser extension and start inserting Hold Page ads on web pages. Adverts are usually different for most users. Some users may be redirected to fake survey websites while others can be flooded with pop-up ads. One way or another, it's very annoying and I really doubt you are satisfied with an endless stream of adverts on your computer.
So what else can Hold Page do to you that is not exactly lethal yet could be dangerous, or annoying enough, that we're telling you about them? Most people take umbrage with PUPs merely due to the way that they are sneakily downloaded onto your PC without making it obvious. After all, if PUPs were that innocent, surely we would be downloading them of our own volition? Not so. That's because when you take a closer look at potentially unwanted programs you will find that the new home page, browser or toolbar that they have helpfully installed without your permission isn't exactly as useful as the developers would have you believe. Hence the underhand tactics.
And a new look toolbar or web browser extension is the least of your worries because these have actually been designed, not with your user experience in mind, but with that of the bank account of the developer. You see your new browser, home page or toolbar has actually been designed to manipulate your Internet searches and instead of sending you to the website that you wanted to go to, will instead re-direct you to one that the developer wants you to visit. This can be to tempt you into spending money on a site they have a vested interest in, or it may be purely to drive web traffic to that site.
And that's not all that Hold Page can do. It will also install adware on your desktop or laptop, and as anyone who has been infected by adware can tell you, it is Annoying with a capital 'A'! And yes, I am one of those people. Banner and pop-up or pop-under adverts brought by Hold Page are irritating, distracting and are rarely even highlighting a product or service we are actually interested in.
To conclude, Hold Page may sound innocent but like any program that's been snuck onto your computer without your permission, how much can you really trust it?
If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below. Good luck and be safe online!
Written by Michael Kaur, http://delmalware.blogspot.com
Hold Page Ads Removal Guide:
1. First of all, download anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this malware. Hopefully you won't have to do that.
2. Remove Hold Page related programs from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).
Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.
If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".
Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.
3. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following:
- Hold Page
- and any other recently installed application
Simply select each application and click Remove. If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.
Remove Hold Page related extensions from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Hold Page, MediaPlayerV1, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
If the removal option is grayed out then read how to remove extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Remove Hold Page related extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Click Remove button to remove Hold Page, MediaPlayerV1, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
Remove Hold Page related add-ons from Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools → Manage Add-ons. If you have the latest version, simply click on the Settings button.
2. Select Toolbars and Extensions. Click Remove/Disable button to remove the browser add-ons listed above.