While the levels of severity do differ between different types of malware and viruses, one thing that they do all have in common is they are all undesirable, all a nuisance, and because we can never be 100% sure what even the most supposedly tame of them can do to us, they can cause a lot of stress too.
One of the supposedly lesser harmful pieces of software out there is something called a Potentially Unwanted Program – or PUP for short. And while it is fair to say that PUPs are nowhere near as lethal as, say, Trojan Horses or rogue antivirus software programs, don't be fooled by the innocent sounding 'potentially' part of their name. For we're willing to put money on it that when you find out just what Selection Tools can do, there will be less of the 'potentially' and more of the 'definitely'!
So what does Selection Tools malware do? Its main calling card is to swap your existing toolbar, homepage, or browser with one of their own and displays Selection Tools ads. They usually pop-up in the lower right corner of the screen and display either coupons or other deals that suppose to help you safe your money. Pretty annoying when you consider that most of us spend so many hours on our computers that we virtually know our way around them with our eyes shut, so to log on and find that the things we depend on most to search the Internet have changed is nothing short of head spinning!
But why do potentially unwanted programs like Selection Tools change these staples of our browsing experience? Such programs have been designed to drive traffic to either the website of the software developer or that of a third party that they are working for. They achieve this by manipulating your searches and instead of directing you to the website that you have specified they will divert you and send you to their favored one or simply display ads by Selection Tools. It's annoying enough the first time this happens but after your third or fourth attempt to reach the site you want to visit, you'll be turning purple with rage.
In addition to this some potentially unwanted programs will also install adware on your PC which will further compound the issue by harassing you with endless pop up adverts. All round frustration ensues.
But how did this potentially (definitely) unwanted program Selection Tools infiltrate your computer anyway? It is normally bundled with another program so when you're downloading something – it could be the latest episode of The Walking Dead or a software upgrade - you could also be downloading the Selection Tools alongside it.
To avoid this in the first place, there is only one real course of action and that is to read software licensing agreements properly. These usually mention the Selection Tools somewhere in the small print so take a moment or two to double check for added extras – such as that completely unnecessary new toolbar and browser extensions!
To remove this Selection Tools and stop annoying pop-up ads, please follow the steps in the removal guide below. 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
Selection Tools 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 Selection Tools 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:
- Selection Tools
- joynshop
- 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 Selection Tools related extensions from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Selection Tools, joynshop, 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 Selection Tools related extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Click Remove button to remove Selection Tools, joynshop, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
Remove Selection Tools 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.