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Welcome to our GoGameGo “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.
Having your screen covered with obstructive and irritating online ads can be a real pain in the neck. Unfortunately, there is a myriad of programs capable of doing exactly that to your Chrome, Firefox or IE browser, flooding it with all sorts of banners, pop-ups and box messages. One such piece of software that has been newly released is called GoGameGo “Virus”. Due to a lot of recent reports and complaints from this particular application, we have decided to write this article in which our readers will be able to learn more about this sort of programs, including what they do, what dangers they might hold and how to prevent them from getting onto your PC in the future. Apart from that, there is a detailed instruction manual that will guide you through the different steps you need to undertake in order to remove the unwanted software.
Adware programs
The general term used to refer to applications such as GoGameGo is Adware. There is a myriad of those programs out there on the internet and more are being created on a daily basis. The general purpose of these programs is usually solely aimed towards benefiting their developer by exploiting the so-called Pay-Per-Click method. Via this infamous scheme Adware creators are able to gain small amounts of income for each click received by any of the generated ads. This might not seem like a big deal, but know that each day Adware programs are getting installed on tens of thousands of computers and even if a small portion of users get tricked into clicking on those ads, the overall profit earned by the intrusive program would be quite significant. This is also the reason why this sort of software is so widely spread.
Is GoGameGo potentially harmful?
An important topic that we need to address here, in our article, is if and how dangerous an Adware program actually is. Well, first of all, we need to make it clear that this type of software does not fall under the virus/malware category. Instead, Adware applications are considered PUP’s (potentially unwanted programs). This means that even though GoGameGo can be very frustrating, it is nothing like some actual malicious programs such as the infamous Ransomware or Trojan Horse types of viruses. Simple Adware is normally not able to harm your system like a Trojan would or lock your files with an encryption – a typical trait of Ransomware viruses. However, it is highly advisable that users remain cautious when around Adware programs. They might not be harmful on their own, but sometimes, if the user is not careful, they might expose the computer to certain actual security risks.
Most of the time, this has to do with the ads displayed by the Adware. On some rare occasions, clicking on one of those pop-ups or banners you see might result in a page redirect to some shady and potentially illegal website that could present a threat to your system. Even though this happens quite seldom, it is something you need to bear in mind. Our best advice would be to simply stay away from any of the adverts displayed by GoGameGo – just in case. Apart from potentially hazardous adverts, there are also several other questionable traits that some Adware applications might possess. For example, a number of these programs can monitor your online activity. Later the gathered info can be used to modify the ads you are presented with, making them more appealing to you. The acquired data might even be sold to third party companies for some additional profit. On top of all that, Adware might cause your PC to become sluggish and even freeze at times due to high CPU and RAM consumption required for the constant generation of more and more adverts. This is one more reason why it is best if you remove the PUP from your computer as soon as you can without giving it a second thought.
Advice for future use
Bear in mind the following tips – these will help you keep your machine clean and safe from any unwanted software such as GoGameGo and other Adware programs.
- Stay away from sites that seem shady or that are illegal. Use only sources you know you can trust when downloading new programs, applications or any other kind of software.
- Make sure that you don’t open any suspicious-looking hyperlinks or e-mail messages, even if you personally know the person who’s sent them to you, because their PC might have been hacked and made into a spam-bot.
- Be careful when installing new programs, especially if their installer is a file-bundle that contains additional software. Always use the Custom installation settings instead of the Quick ones in order to see everything that has been added. If there is any add-on that seems suspicious and you think you should leave out, uncheck it before you continue with the installation of the program you want.
GoGameGo “Virus” Removal
I – Uninstallation
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- Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
- Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
- Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall
- If you are unable to spot GoGameGo, 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
III – Cleaning all your browsers
- Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
- Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
- Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.
- Chrome users:
- Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
- Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
- 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:
- Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
- Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name GoGameGo on them.
- IE users:
- Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
- 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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- Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
- Thoroughly look through all processes. The name GoGameGo 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.
- If you spot the process ran by GoGameGo, 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
- In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
- Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
- Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
- If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
- Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
- Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.
