BikaQRSS “Virus” Removal

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Welcome to our BikaQRSS “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.

If you have had BikaQRSS “Virus” installed onto your machine, you have probably already noticed the infuriating amount of internet ads, pop-ups, box messages and banners that start to appear on your screen every time you try to use your browser regardless of whether you are using Chrome, IE, Firefox or any other browsing program. This set of symptoms is typical for a program of the Adware category. There are multiple reports from our readers, that this unwanted software comes along with other adware-like programs like WinSnare and Amulesw, from the aMuleC family. We know just how irritating and frustrating this could be, which is why, we will help you remove the unpleasant piece of software from your machine. However, before we give you our instructions on how to uninstall and fully get rid of BikaQRSS, we must first make sure that you have a good understanding of what Adware programs are, what they do and how to avoid them in future.

Profit through ads

You probably already know that nowadays big amounts of money are earned through online advertising. Adware programs just take that method of gaining income to the next level by flooding the user’s browser with all sorts of advertising materials that when clicked upon generate a tiny amount of money. This probably does not seem like a big deal but when put into perspective, this actually turns out to be quite an effective way of gaining income. Bear in mind that each day a huge number of computers is getting invaded by programs like BikaQRSS and even if only a portion of the users fall for the obnoxious ads and click on them, the revenue gathered would still be substantial.

Comparison between viruses and Adware

Due to their rather unpleasant behavior and lack of any actual use, a lot of people tend to think of Adware programs as some sort of malware or viruses. While there might be some similarities between the two types of software, in reality they are quite different from one another. A typical malware program the likes of Ransomware, Trojans, Spyware, etc. is bond to execute some malicious and illegal task on the computer that it has invaded. Whether the malicious piece of software would try to damage your system (Trojans), spy on you (Spyware) or encrypt your files and blackmail you for a ransom payment (Ransomware), there is no doubt that task it is used for would be both harmful to you and/or your PC and also forbidden by the law. On the other hand, an Adware program like BikaQRSS, despite being very irritating and despite possessing certain security risks, is still usually not harmful on its own.

Things to be aware of

In the previous paragraph, we explained to you why Adware programs are different from malware and virus, yet we also mentioned that there are still certain potential hazards that a program like BikaQRSS might posses. A typical Adware program, on its own, normally does not have the ability to cause any damage to your system. However, sometimes the banners, box messages and pop-ups that it generates could make your machine vulnerable and exposed to different online threats. This is why we you are advised to avoid interacting with the adverts displayed by the unpleasant program. Should you click on any of them, you risk getting redirected to illegal and potentially harmful websites. Alternatively, interacting with the advertising materials might directly result in some shady and unwanted piece of software getting downloaded on your computer.

Another important thing to keep in mind regarding Adware applications is that they are oftentimes capable of gathering information from your browser history and later using it for marketing purposes. In some cases, the data might get sold to third parties without you even knowing about it.

Computer safety

The easiest and most effective way for handling Adware programs is by keeping them at bay and not allowing them to get inside your PC. Here, we have prepared for you a couple of useful tips on how to do that:

• Keep away from websites that generate a lot of big and obscure banners and ads or that frequently cause you browser to get redirected to other sites.
• Do not click on random links or open random file attachments that have been sent to you in the form of an e-mail or as some other type of online message unless you are perfectly sure that they are not spam.
• Always install the latest updates to both your Windows OS and your antivirus program. If you don’t have an antivirus/anti-malware tool, be sure to get one.
• If you want to install anything new, take a moment and see if the program installer has any other software added to it. If you find that there are any bundled installs, try to figure out whether or not they are safe by looking them up. If the research results show that some of the bundled applications are shady and potentially unwanted or if you think that you still cannot be sure, simply uncheck the added install before you launch the installation and the added software will be left out.
  

  BikaQRSS “Virus” Removal

  I – Uninstallation

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  1. Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
     
  2. Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
     
  3. Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall
     1. If you are unable to spot BikaQRSS, search for any unrecognized programs that you do not remember installing on your PC – the unwanted software might disguise itself by going under a different name.

  II – Safe mode and revealing hidden files

  1. Boot your PC into Safe Mode /link/
  2. Reveal hidden files and folders /link/

  III – Cleaning all your browsers

  1. Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
     
  2. Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
     
  3. Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.
  • Chrome users:
  1. Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
     
  2. Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
     
  3. Now, in the left pane, go to Extensions and look through all extensions that are integrated within your browser. If you notice any suspicious add-on, disable it and then remove it.
     
  • Firefox users:
  1. Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
  2. Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name BikaQRSS on them.
  • IE users:
  1. Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
     
  2. Click on all add-on types from the left pane and check if there is anything suspicious in the right panel. In case you find anything shade, make sure to remove it.

  IV – Removing Shady processes

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  1. Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
     
  2. Thoroughly look through all processes. The name BikaQRSS might not be there, but if you notice any shady looking process that consumes high amounts of memory it might be ran by the unwanted program.
  3. If you spot the process ran by BikaQRSS, right-click on it, open its file location and delete everything in there. Then go back to the Task Manager and end the process.
     

  V – DNS check

  1. In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
     
  2. Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
     
  3. Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
     
  4. If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
     
  5. Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
     
  6. Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.