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In this article we are going to try and help you remove Tabcontent. Our instructions cover all Windows versions as well as most browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.
Protecting your browser from Tabcontent
Everybody likes having a fast and effective browser that makes your online experience that much more enjoyable. That is why, if there’s something wrong with your browsing program, it can be really frustrating and annoying for you. Unfortunately, there’s a wide variety of different programs that do exactly that – they take control over your browser and prevent you from effectively using it. Tabcontent is one such program. This one in particular is of the browser hijacker type – these are programs/browser add-ons that have the sole purpose of generating intrusive ads for your browser. If you have Tabcontent on your PC, as soon as you attempt to use your browser, obstructive adverts would begin to pop-up, covering your screen and making you want to throw your PC out of the window. Now, do not do that. In this article we can help you handle the situation without much difficulty. There’s a detailed guide down below, that will show you how you can quickly remove the intrusive browser hijacker by uninstalling it and deleting any traces that it may have left behind. However, before you move on to the removal guide, take a few moments to get yourself acquainted with some important facts about Tabcontent and other similar programs.
Is Tabcontent a virus or malware?
Contrary to what a lot of people would make you believe Tabcontent is neither a virus nor malware. First of all, we need to make it clear that browser hijacker programs are not considered malicious. Many people jump to the false conclusion that the browser hijacker they’ve got on their PC is some kind of malicious software that will lay waste to their machine. Unlike nasty viruses, such as ransomware, browser hijacker programs are usually safe and do not aim to damage your computer. As annoying as they might be, their sole purpose is to gain revenue for their developers via the pay-per-click method. This means that the more clicks the intrusive ads receive, the greater the revenue. Some more aggressive browser hijacker applications might attempt to monitor your browsing history and record the data for later use, but even this should not get you overly worried – those programs don’t usually have access to any important data.
Why you still need to be careful
As we mentioned, browser hijacker is, for the most part, a pretty harmless type of software. However, we should let you know that some of the ads those programs generate might actually contain some security hazards. That is also why we strongly advise you to avoid interacting with any of those pop-ups, banners and box messages that you see getting displayed on your screen. Sometimes clicking on an browser hijacker ad might result in you getting redirected to a page that could be illegal or even malicious. There’re even some ads that serve as direct download links to other unwanted software. Most ads you see are not like that. Still, there is no need to expose your machine to any unnecessary risks.
Preventing browser hijackers from getting inside your system
The last segment of our article, before we get to the removal part, will be focused on the different methods, via which Tabcontent gets distributed throughout the Internet. There are quite a few of them, but in most cases it all comes down to several different models of distribution, which we will list here.
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Deceptive/hidden links – those are usually encountered throughout shady sites with questionable content. In fact, you should not visit such sites in the first place, if you’re concerned about your PC’s safety. Still, in case you visit any suspicious sites, know that there might be hidden or deceptive links everywhere. Therefore, be very careful with what you click on.
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Spam e-mails – there’s hardly a type of an unwanted or a malicious program that does not get distributed via spam e-mail letters. Tabcontent and browser hijacker are no exceptions. The general rule here is to always check the details of new letters. If the sender is unknown and/or the letter seems suspicious, you might outright delete it without reading it.
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Software-bundling – when this method is being used, the browser hijacker is bundled with another program. If you install that program using the regular installation settings (which most users do), the browser hijacker will get on your computer. That is why, when installing new software, you should always opt for the custom settings. That way you should be able to see if there’s any content added to the main install. If that’s the case, uncheck everything that seems potentially unwanted. After this, you should be good to go and carry on with the installation of the main program.
Tabcontent “Malware” Removal from Chrome/Firefox
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:
- Navigate to your Desktop
- Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
- In the Run window that just opened type appwiz.cpl
- Go through the list of programs and find Tabcontent 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 browser hijacker 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 Tabcontent From Chrome
Now we’ll remove the extensions that the malware has attached to your browser.
- Open your Google Chrome browser.
- Type chrome://extensions/ in the URL address bar and press Enter.
- Click on “Developer Mode” on the top right and look for the extension installed by Tabcontent 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.
- 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 Tabcontent From Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Type “about:support” in the URL address bar and press Enter.
- Click on the “Refresh Firefox” button on the right and confirm.
#4 Remove Tabcontent From Internet Explorer
- Open your Internet Explorer internet browser.
- Click on the Gear icon on the up right, then on manage add-ons.
- Go through the list disable any suspicious extensions.
#5 Remove any leftover parasitic processes
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From the task manager:
- Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open the Task manager, then click on the Processes
- Go through the list of processes and look for unknown or otherwise suspicious entries.
- 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:
- Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
- In the Run window that just opened type msconfig
- 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.