Portalne.ws “Virus” Removal (Firefox/Chrome)

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In this article we are going to try and help you remove Portalne.ws “Virus”. Our instructions cover all Windows versions as well as most browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.

Getting your browser invaded by Portalne.ws can really mess your day up. Programs such as this one get on your Chrome, Firefox or IE browsing program as soon as they are installed and change its homepage or default search engine, while also occasionally redirecting you to unwanted webpages. This level of intrusiveness can be a real pain in the neck, especially if you need your browser to work or study.

Browser Hijackers

Unfortunately, Portalne.ws is only one of many similar applications that work in a similar way. These programs are normally known under the name of Browser Hijackers and if you are currently reading this, you have probably had one such Hijacker installed onto your machine. Luckily, this article is the perfect place for you to learn all you need to know regarding this kind of intrusive software. Also, below you can find a manual guide that will provide you with detailed instructions on how to remove Browser Hijackers from your machine so that they can bother you no more. However, we advise you to read everything that the article has to offer because the best way to deal with such unwanted programs is to have a good understanding of how they work and what gets them inside your system.

What do Browser Hijackers do?

You might be wondering what the actual purpose of these programs really is since they seem to do nothing but annoy the user. Well, most of the time, Hijackers are not really made to provide the user with any real valuable function. Sure, some of them might be promoted as helpful, offering better online protection and a more pleasant browsing experience, but you already know that this is not quite true. Then why are such programs being created? Well, it is all for the sake of their creators’ profit. The online marketing business is huge and a both big companies and small developers seek to win money out of it. A Browser Hijacker is basically just another clever tool to exploit this industry. Portalne.ws might be used to promote other products that are paid or acquire valuable data for promoting purposes and it is often done at the expanse of the user’s patience and frustration. Therefore, we believe that your best option is to get rid of the nagging piece of software since it probably does nothing apart from annoy you.

Can those programs be dangerous to your PC?

Browser Hijackers are generally legal software that supposedly does nothing to harm your system. Some of them might even be promoted as making your machine run faster. The truth is that applications such as Portalne.ws are pretty much harmless. They are not some kind of malicious virus likes Ransomware or Trojan horse viruses. A lot of users panic once they realize that something’s wrong with their system. However, as we already said, a Browser Hijacker is generally not something you should be concerned with and as long as you are careful, your system should not be in any danger.

Is Portalne.ws “Virus”?

No, it is not. Portalne.ws is not a virus. Yet although, Portalne.ws is not some kind of noxious Ransomware, but it’s still an unwanted program with quite a few questionable traits. We already mentioned the changes to your browser settings and the sudden page redirects that you did not administer. There are also several other things that you need to know about Browser Hijackers in order to fully understand why they are something you’d be better off without.

• Portalne.ws could look through your online history and record the information for marketing purposes. This is a privacy invasion and even a good reason why this program should not be allowed to remain on your system.
• Browser Hijackers might spam your browser with false/exaggerated error warnings and intrusive advertising materials, all for the sake of you purchasing some sort of paid software or generating money for the Hijacker developer via the Pay-Per-Click method.
• Applications like Portalne.ws might lead to a system slow-down and freezes due to high RAM and CPU usage.

How not to get Hijackers in the future?

Once you remove the irritating application, you need to know how to keep your machine safe and clean from any future encounters with such programs. In order to do that, make sure to remember the following tips and use them from now on.

• Be careful when opening new e-mails and hyperlinks that have been sent to you as a message. This is one of the most common ways for Hijacker distribution.
• Do not go to any obscure and potentially illegal websites and do not download anything from them. Stick to the ones you trust and know are reliable and safe.
• Always use the advanced installation option when installing new programs. Often the installer file is actually a software-bundle that has added applications to the main program. Using the advanced option allows you to see everything that has been added and leave out whatever seems unwanted and suspicious.

Portalne.ws “Virus” Removal (Firefox/Chrome)

Many types of malware will restrict your access to their core files. It is highly recommended that you reboot your PC in safe mode before attempting to use this guide.

• To enable Safe Mode reboot you PC, then hit F8 repeatedly. When the corresponding menu opens please select Safe Mode with Networking.

WARNING! If you are using Windows 8,0 or later and/or your operating system is installed on a fast SSD drive this may fail to work. In this case click here to see how to start your PC in Safe Mode.

#1: Uninstall the malicious program from your control panel

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Enter control panel to look for any suspicious programs, which may have installed on your PC. To do that:

1. Navigate to your Desktop
2. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
3. In the Run window that just opened type appwiz.cpl

4. Go through the list of programs and find Portalne.ws or anything else that may seem suspicious. Right-click on it and choose the uninstallation option

WARNING! Carefully read any confirmation messages that may be created in the process. Sometimes you may get offers to download more Adware applications and this can be linked to either the Yes or the No answer depending on the wording!

• Optional:

Go through the list of programs again and check online for any potentially unwanted programs. We have an article that covers this awesome free software that makes sure that your computer is free from bloatware and programs that you don’t need.

#2: Remove Portalne.ws From Chrome

Now we’ll remove the extensions that the malware has attached to your browser.

1. Open your Google Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://extensions/  in the URL address bar and press Enter.
3. Click on “Developer Mode” on the top right and look for the extension installed by Portalne.ws and anything that might be related to it. Copy their IDs (the string of letters), then remove them by clicking on the trash bin icon.

1. Type Regedit in the Windows Start Menu and press Enter. Go in : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\Extensions and delete the entries corresponding to the suspicious IDs you recorded.

#3: Remove Portalne.ws From Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type “about:support” in the URL address bar and press Enter.
3. Click on the “Refresh Firefox” button on the right and confirm.

#4 Remove Portalne.ws From Internet Explorer

1. Open your Internet Explorer internet browser.
2. Click on the Gear icon on the up right, then on manage add-ons.
3. Go through the list disable any suspicious extensions.

#5 Remove any leftover parasitic processes

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From the task manager:

1. Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open the Task manager, then click on the Processes
2. Go through the list of processes and look for unknown or otherwise suspicious entries.
3. If you see anything suspicious right click on the process and shoes Open File Location, then terminate the process and delete any files you find in the directory.

WARNING! If the directory you open from this menu has no files inside of it it’s probably because the malware has hidden them. You need to reveal hidden files and folders in order to be able to see them. Click here if you don’t know how to do that.

From the start menu:

1. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
2. In the Run window that just opened type msconfig
3. Click on the Startup tab.

This menu controls which programs are loaded when windows starts after a reboot. Disable anything that seems suspicious. Optionally you can also disable any program that you don’t need and also has a high impact on your startup time.

Feel free to write to us in the comment section with any questions that you may have. Also if we have been helpful to you please share this article to help us reach more people like you.