Q. I have been frequently getting Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-ups all day, its driving me crazy! I do not know how to remove them and they pop up at random. If someone has any hints, please let me know.
A. If you see various popup windows and/or intrusive advertisements on your web-browser that just won’t go away, you might have inadvertently downloaded and installed adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software) or potentially unwanted application (PUA). Some third-party download websites might add applications that you don’t want with the software that you install.
Dangerous Adware – What Is It? Adware software is not a malicious program such as computer virus or other malware, but its presence can bring constant pop-ups and/or annoying advertising. Actually developers of adware is associated with some merchants and by displaying adverts to users they generate money for yourself. These advertisements not only bother your browsing experience but also redirect you to shady web pages.
Does adware steal your confidential information? Adware can analyze the location and which Web web-sites you visit, and then show advertisements to the types of content, goods or services featured there. Adware authors can collect and sell your browsing information and behavior to third parties.
Adware software come bundled with certain free applications. So always read carefully the installation screens, disclaimers, ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Software license’ appearing during the install process. Additionally pay attention for third-party apps which are being installed along with the main application. Ensure that you unchecked all of them! Also, use an ad-blocking program that will allow to block misleading and untrustworthy webpages.
Threat Summary
Name | Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live |
Type | adware, potentially unwanted application (PUA), pop ups, popup advertisements, pop-up virus |
Symptoms |
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Removal | Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live removal guide |
We strongly recommend that you perform the steps below which will help you to get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-ups using the standard features of Windows and some proven free applications.
How to remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop ups
In the step-by-step guide below, we will try to cover the Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Chrome and provide general help to get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop ups. You may find some minor differences in your Windows install. No matter, you should be okay if you follow the steps outlined below: remove all suspicious and unknown applications, reset web-browsers settings, fix browsers shortcuts, get rid of malicious scheduled tasks, use free malicious software removal tools. Certain of the steps below will require you to shut down this web-page. So, please read the steps carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
To remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live, execute the following steps:
- Delete Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-up advertisements without any utilities
- How to automatically remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements
- Block Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live and other intrusive web-sites
- Finish words
Delete Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-up advertisements without any utilities
To remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop ups, adware and other unwanted software you can try to do so manually. Unfortunately some of the adware software won’t show up in your program list, but some adware software may. In this case, you may be able to remove it through the uninstall function of your machine. You can do this by following the steps below.
Remove recently installed PUPs
We recommend that you begin the computer cleaning process by checking the list of installed software and delete all unknown or suspicious programs. This is a very important step, as mentioned above, very often the harmful applications such as adware software and hijacker infections may be bundled with free software. Remove the unwanted apps can remove the annoying ads or web-browser redirect.
Press Windows button , then click Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will open the Windows Control Panel like the one below.
Further, click “Uninstall a program”
It will open a list of all programs installed on your personal computer. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any dubious and unknown software.
Get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live ads from Microsoft Internet Explorer
If you find that Internet Explorer web browser settings such as search provider by default, new tab and homepage had been changed by adware software that causes Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements, then you may return your settings, via the reset internet browser procedure.
First, launch the Internet Explorer. Next, press the button in the form of gear (). It will display the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as displayed in the following example.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as displayed in the figure below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.
You will now need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.
Remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements from Firefox
If the Firefox browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Mozilla Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Firefox settings such as home page, search provider and new tab page to their original state. When using the reset feature, your personal information such as passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
First, start the Mozilla Firefox and press button. It will display the drop-down menu on the right-part of the internet browser. Further, press the Help button () as on the image below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will display 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 open the confirmation prompt. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live adware software. After, it is done, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements from Google Chrome
Reset Chrome will help you to get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-up ads from your internet browser as well as to recover web browser settings affected by adware software. All undesired, malicious and adware extensions will also be removed from the internet browser. However, your themes, bookmarks, history, passwords, and web form auto-fill information will not be deleted.
First open the Chrome. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal dots ().
It will display the Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option called “Settings”.
The web browser will open the settings screen. Another solution to open the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, like below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Chrome will display the confirmation prompt as shown in the figure below.
You need to confirm your action, press the “Reset” button. The internet browser will start the procedure of cleaning. Once it is complete, the web browser’s settings including default search provider, startpage and newtab back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your PC system.
How to automatically remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements
Manual removal instructions does not always allow to fully remove the adware software, as it is not easy to identify and delete components of adware software and all malicious files from hard disk. Therefore, it’s recommended that you use malicious software removal tool to fully delete Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live off your web browser. Several free malicious software removal utilities are currently available that can be used against the adware. The optimum solution would be to use Zemana, MalwareBytes and Hitman Pro.
Use Zemana to remove Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop up ads
We recommend using the Zemana Anti-Malware that are completely clean your computer of the adware. The tool is an advanced malware removal program developed by (c) Zemana lab. It’s able to help you remove potentially unwanted software, browser hijacker infections, malicious software, toolbars, ransomware and adware software that causes multiple undesired pop-ups.
Installing the Zemana Anti-Malware is simple. First you will need to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) from the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
164030 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the download is finished, close all applications and windows on your computer. Double-click the set up file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the following example, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you install Zemana on your machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, Zemana Anti Malware will automatically start and you can see its main screen such as the one below.
Now press the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti Malware tool will start scanning the whole system to find out adware responsible for Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live ads. Depending on your PC, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a malicious software, adware or PUPs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
Once Zemana Free completes the scan, Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will show a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been detected. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and press “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware will remove adware responsible for Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements. Once the process is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the personal computer.
Run HitmanPro to get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop up ads from internet browser
HitmanPro is a free removal utility that can scan your computer for a wide range of security threats such as malware, adwares, potentially unwanted software as well as adware which cause popups. It will perform a deep scan of your PC system including hard drives and Microsoft Windows registry. When a malware is detected, it will help you to remove all detected threats from your system by a simple click.
First, visit the following page, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of HitmanPro.
When downloading is done, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.
Double click the Hitman Pro desktop icon. Once the tool is opened, you will see a screen similar to the one below.
Further, press “Next” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the adware software responsible for Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop up advertisements. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your PC system and the speed of your personal computer. When finished, you will be displayed the list of all detected threats on your machine like the one below.
Make sure to check mark the threats that are unsafe and then click “Next” button. It will open a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button.
Automatically get rid of Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop up ads with MalwareBytes Free
We recommend using the MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) which are fully clean your PC system of the adware. The free utility is an advanced malware removal application developed by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This application uses the world’s most popular anti malware technology. It is able to help you remove unwanted Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop-ups from your web browsers, PUPs, malicious software, hijackers, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your PC system for free.
- Download MalwareBytes by clicking on the link below.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326382 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- Once the download is finished, close all apps and windows on your machine. Open a folder in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
- Further, click Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once installation is finished, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the adware software which cause pop ups. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
- When the scanning is done, MalwareBytes will display you the results. Next, you need to press “Quarantine Selected”. When the clean-up is complete, you can be prompted to restart your computer.
The following video offers a steps on how to get rid of hijackers, adware and other malware with MalwareBytes.
Block Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live and other intrusive web-sites
Use adblocker application like AdGuard in order to stop ads, malvertisements, pop-ups and online trackers, avoid having to install malicious and adware browser plug-ins and add-ons that affect your personal computer performance and impact your machine security. Surf the Web anonymously and stay safe online!
Download AdGuard on your PC from the link below.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown below.
Follow the prompts. After the setup is complete, you will see a window as displayed in the figure below.
You can click “Skip” to close the installation application and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you run your PC, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop undesired advertisements, block Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live, as well as other malicious or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
Finish words
Now your personal computer should be free of the adware which cause intrusive Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live advertisements. We suggest that you keep Zemana Anti-Malware (to periodically scan your personal computer for new adware softwares and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block undesired popup advertisements and harmful web-pages). Moreover, to prevent any adware, please stay clear of unknown and third party programs, make sure that your antivirus program, turn on the option to locate PUPs.
If you need more help with Microsoft.com-windows-booster.live pop ups related issues, go to here.