What Is DownloadProtect
Security researchers has determined that DownloadProtect is an adware. Adware is form of software, which displays unwanted advertisements on a PC, redirects search requests to advertising web-pages and collects sensitive info for marketing purposes. Adware can display banner advertisements, full-screen ads, pop-ups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. Adware can attack your computer’s web-browsers such as the Firefox, Edge, IE and Chrome. Maybe you approve the idea that the advertisements or pop ups is just a small problem. But these intrusive advertisements eat computer resources and slow down your personal computer performance
Does adware software steal your data? Adware can gather your browsing history and privacy information, including passwords and credit card numbers. In the future, your confidential data can be transferred third party companies.
Summary information |
|
|---|---|
| Name | DownloadProtect |
| Type | adware, PUP (potentially unwanted program), pop-ups, pop up ads, pop-up virus |
| Symptoms | web-browser pop-ups appear and recommend fake security software, every time you perform an Internet search, your internet browser is re-directed to another web page, new entries appear in your Programs folder, an unexpected extension appears in your internet browser, your web-browser homepage has modified and you are unable to change it back, you cannot update your security apps, your browser slows to a crawl, CPU usage seems unusually high |
| Removal | Below we are discussing the solutions which are very useful in uninstalling adware. The tutorial will also assist you to remove DownloadProtect adware from your web-browser for free. |
How to remove DownloadProtect adware
Even if you’ve the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you’ve checked your system for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the guidance below. The DownloadProtect adware software removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus programs are not developed to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash Windows. Instead we suggest complete the manual steps below after that run Zemana AntiMalware, MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) or Hitman Pro, which are free programs dedicated to find and delete DownloadProtect that developed to redirect your web browser to various ad websites. Run these tools to ensure the adware is removed.
To remove DownloadProtect, follow the steps below:
- How to remove DownloadProtect adware without any software
- Run free malware removal tools to completely remove DownloadProtect adware
- How to stay safe online
- Method of adware intrusion into your system
- To sum up
How to remove DownloadProtect adware without any software
If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to delete the DownloadProtect from the Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer web browsers.
Uninstall unwanted or recently added software
Check out the Microsoft Windows Control Panel (Programs and Features section) to see all installed apps. We suggest to click on the “Date Installed” in order to sort the list of apps by the date you installed them. If you see any unknown and questionable programs, they are the ones you need to remove.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button
, then click Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as displayed in the figure below.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed in the figure below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as displayed in the following example.
Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your system. Most probably, one of them is the DownloadProtect that causes web-browsers to display annoying pop-up ads. If you’ve many apps installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious programs by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a questionable, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, press ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown in the following example.
Once the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown below.
You will see a list of apps installed on your computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the software that were installed last. Most likely, it’s the DownloadProtect adware that causes a huge number of annoying pop ups. If you’re in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. Once the program which you need to delete is found, simply press on its name, and then press ‘Uninstall’ as shown below.
Remove DownloadProtect adware from Internet Explorer
If you find that IE browser settings such as homepage, new tab page and search provider had been changed by DownloadProtect that causes undesired ads, then you may revert back your settings, via the reset web-browser procedure.
First, run the Microsoft Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (
). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as shown in the following example.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown in the figure below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then press “Reset” button.
You will now need to reboot your PC for the changes to take effect.
Remove DownloadProtect adware from Mozilla Firefox
If Firefox settings are hijacked by the adware, your web browser shows annoying pop-up advertisements, then ‘Reset Firefox’ could solve these problems. Your saved bookmarks, form auto-fill information and passwords won’t be cleared or changed.
First, start the Mozilla Firefox and click 
button. It will display the drop-down menu on the right-part of the browser. Further, click the Help button (
) as shown in the figure below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown in the following example. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will show the confirmation prompt. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the DownloadProtect adware software. After, it is finished, click the “Finish” button.
Remove DownloadProtect from Chrome
If you have adware software problem or the Chrome is running slow, then reset Google Chrome settings can help you. In the steps below we will show you a method to reset your Chrome settings to original state without reinstall. This will also allow to delete DownloadProtect from your web-browser.
- First, start the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
- It will open the Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You will see the list of installed extensions. If the list has the plugin labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- Next, click “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
- On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
- The Google Chrome will open the reset settings dialog box as shown on the screen above.
- Confirm the internet browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Run free malware removal tools to completely remove DownloadProtect adware
Many antivirus companies have developed apps that help detect adware and thereby delete DownloadProtect from the MS Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox internet browsers. Below is a a few of the free applications you may want to use. Your PC can have lots of PUPs, adware software and browser hijackers installed at the same time, so we recommend, if any unwanted or harmful program returns after rebooting the PC, then launch your PC into Safe Mode and use the antimalware utility again.
How to automatically get rid of DownloadProtect adware with Zemana Free
We suggest you use the Zemana that are completely clean your machine of DownloadProtect adware software that reroutes your internet browser to intrusive ad web sites. Moreover, the tool will help you remove PUPs, malware, toolbars and hijackers that your computer may be infected too.
Now you can set up and run Zemana Free to delete DownloadProtect from your web-browser by following the steps below:
Visit the page linked below to download Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) installer named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your computer. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
164030 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Start the installer after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this utility on your computer.
During setup you can change certain settings, but we recommend you do not make any changes to default settings.
When setup is finished, this malware removal tool will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as shown below.
Now click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the DownloadProtect adware. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your system. During the scan Zemana Free will detect threats present on your system.
After the scan get finished, Zemana will show a scan report. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will delete DownloadProtect adware software. After that process is finished, you can be prompted to restart your PC to make the change take effect.
Scan your computer and remove DownloadProtect adware with HitmanPro
HitmanPro is a free program which designed to remove malicious software, PUPs, hijacker infections and adware from your machine running Windows 10, 8, 7, XP (32-bit and 64-bit). It’ll help to scan for and remove DownloadProtect adware software including its files, folders and registry keys.
- HitmanPro can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Desktop.
- When downloading is finished, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this tool is started, click “Next” button to locate DownloadProtect adware software, which causes intrusive pop-ups. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your system. While the HitmanPro tool is checking, you may see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
- After the scan get completed, you can check all threats detected on your system. Review the results once the tool has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to delete all malware found.
Automatically remove DownloadProtect with MalwareBytes
Get rid of DownloadProtect adware software manually is difficult and often the adware is not completely removed. Therefore, we recommend you to use the MalwareBytes which are fully clean your computer. Moreover, this free program will help you to get rid of malicious software, PUPs, toolbars and hijackers that your PC can be infected too.
Visit the following page to download MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM). Save it on your Desktop.
326382 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the downloading process is finished, close all windows on your personal computer. Further, run the file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed on the screen below, click the “Yes” button.
It will display the “Setup wizard” that will allow you set up MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) on the machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is finished successfully, click Finish button. Then MalwareBytes Free will automatically run and you can see its main window as on the image below.
Next, press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the DownloadProtect adware and other unwanted software. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes AntiMalware program is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as threat.
When that process is done, the results are displayed in the scan report. Once you have selected what you wish to remove from your PC press “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes will delete DownloadProtect adware and move threats to the program’s quarantine. After that process is finished, you can be prompted to restart your system. We advise you look at the following video, which completely explains the procedure of using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware to remove hijackers, adware software and other malicious software.
How to stay safe online
By installing an ad-blocker application such as AdGuard, you are able to block unwanted web-sites, autoplaying video ads and get rid of lots of distracting and intrusive ads on webpages.
Click the following link to download the latest version of AdGuard for Microsoft Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, double-click the downloaded file to launch it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown below.
Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick tutorial as shown in the following example.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick guide that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you run your PC, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block harmful or misleading web pages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
Method of adware intrusion into your system
The adware usually gets onto system by being attached to another application in the same setup package. The risk of this is especially high for the various free programs downloaded from the Internet. The makers of the software are hoping that users will use the quick setup option, that is simply to click the Next button, without paying attention to the information on the screen and don’t carefully considering every step of the installation procedure. Thus, the adware can infiltrate your machine without your knowledge. Therefore, it’s very important to read all the information that tells the program during install, including the ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Software license’. Use only the Manual, Custom or Advanced setup option. This method will help you to disable all optional and unwanted programs and components.
To sum up
Now your personal computer should be free of the DownloadProtect adware that causes annoying pop up ads. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop up ads and undesired harmful web pages) and Zemana (to periodically scan your computer for new malware, browser hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, malicious software and adware are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to delete DownloadProtect adware from your web browser, then ask for help here.
