What is Movie Finder
Movie Finder is supposed to be a browser extension that will help users search for information about films on the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) and Rotten Tomatoes websites, but according to security researchers, it is an adware. Adware is type of software which displays unwanted advertising on a device, redirects search results to advertising web-sites and gathers sensitive info for marketing purposes. Adware can display banner ads, full-screen ads, popups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. These unwanted advertisements eat computer resources and slow down the system performance.
The worst is, adware software can have spyware and keyloggers built into the program, leading to greater damage to your device and possible invasion of your personal data. Below we are discussing the solutions which are very effective in removing adware. The instructions will also allow you to get rid of Movie Finder from your PC for free.
How does Movie Finder get on your computer
Adware usually come bundled with some free applications that you download off of the Net. So, think back, have you ever download and run any free software. In order to avoid infection, in the Setup wizard, you should be be proactive and carefully read the ‘Terms of use’, the ‘license agreement’ and other installation screens, as well as to always choose the ‘Manual’ or ‘Advanced’ install mode, when installing anything downloaded from the Internet.
Threat Summary
Name | Movie Finder |
Type | adware software, potentially unwanted application (PUA), pop ups, pop up virus, pop-up advertisements |
Symptoms |
|
Removal | Movie Finder removal guide |
How to remove Movie Finder adware (removal steps)
Even if you’ve the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you’ve checked your personal computer for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the guide below. The Movie Finder adware removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus software are not created to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash MS Windows. Instead we suggest complete the manual steps below after that use Zemana Free, MalwareBytes or HitmanPro, which are removal tools dedicated to scan for and delete adware such as Movie Finder. Use these utilities to ensure the adware is removed.
To remove Movie Finder, execute the steps below:
- How to remove Movie Finder adware software without any software
- Automatic Removal of Movie Finder adware
- How to stay safe online
- To sum up
How to remove Movie Finder adware software without any software
First try to remove Movie Finder manually; to do this, follow the steps below. Of course, manual removal of adware software requires more time and may not be suitable for those who are poorly versed in system settings. In this case, we advise that you scroll down to the section that describes how to remove adware using free tools.
Remove dubious applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
First method for manual adware removal is to go into the Microsoft Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of apps on your device and see if there are any questionable and unknown programs. If you see any, you need to uninstall them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Internet search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted application, adware or malicious software, you will likely find information that says so.
Press Windows button , then press Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will display the Windows Control Panel like below.
Further, click “Uninstall a program”
It will show a list of all apps installed on your computer. Scroll through the all list, and delete any dubious and unknown programs.
Remove Movie Finder adware software from Microsoft Internet Explorer
In order to restore all web-browser default search engine, startpage and new tab page you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, that was when the Windows was installed on your PC.
First, open the Internet Explorer, click ) button. Next, press “Internet Options” like below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Internet Explorer will display the Reset Internet Explorer settings prompt. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. It will remove Movie Finder adware, disable malicious and ad-supported web browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings such as startpage, default search provider and new tab page to default state.
Delete Movie Finder from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
If your Mozilla Firefox internet browser is hijacked by Movie Finder without your permission or an unknown search engine displays results for your search, then it may be time to perform the web-browser reset. When using the reset feature, your personal information like passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
First, launch the Firefox. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button ().
In the Help menu press the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page click on “Refresh Firefox” button as displayed in the figure below.
Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.
Remove Movie Finder adware from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings will remove Movie Finder from browser and disable malicious extensions. It will also clear cached and temporary data (cookies, site data and content). However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be lost. This will not affect your history, passwords, bookmarks, and other saved data.
- First run the Google Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
- It will display the Google Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You will see the list of installed extensions. If the list has the plugin labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guidance: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- You will see the Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and click “Advanced” link.
- Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
- The Google Chrome will display the reset profile settings page as on the image above.
- Next click the “Reset” button.
- Once this task is complete, your web-browser’s new tab page, search engine and homepage will be restored to their original defaults.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Automatic Removal of Movie Finder adware
Cyber threat analysts have built efficient adware software removal tools to aid users in removing unexpected popups and undesired advertisements. Below we will share with you the best malicious software removal tools that have the ability to search for and uninstall Movie Finder adware.
How to remove Movie Finder adware with Zemana Free
Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is a complete package of anti-malware tools. Despite so many features, it does not reduce the performance of your device. Zemana can be used to remove almost all the forms of security threats including adware software, hijackers, PUPs and harmful web browser extensions. Zemana Free has real-time protection that can defeat most malicious software. You can use Zemana Free with any other antivirus software without any conflicts.
Download Zemana on your computer by clicking on the following link.
164113 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
After the download is done, close all windows on your PC. Further, launch the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown on the image below, click the “Yes” button.
It will display the “Setup wizard” which will allow you install Zemana Free on the computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is complete successfully, Zemana Free will automatically launch and you may see its main window like below.
Next, click the “Scan” button . Zemana Free program will scan through the whole PC for the Movie Finder adware. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the Zemana AntiMalware tool is scanning, you may see number of objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
When finished, Zemana Free will show a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been found. Review the report and then click “Next” button.
The Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will delete Movie Finder and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. When the process is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your PC system.
Get rid of Movie Finder adware from browsers with HitmanPro
If the Movie Finder issue persists, run the Hitman Pro and check if your computer is infected by adware. The HitmanPro is a downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and allows remove adware, PUPs, and other malicious software. It works with your existing anti-virus.
- HitmanPro can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop.
- After the downloading process is complete, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this tool is started, click “Next” button to begin scanning your computer for the Movie Finder adware software. Depending on your PC, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan Hitman Pro will search for threats present on your device.
- After that process is done, HitmanPro will show a screen which contains a list of malware that has been detected. Review the results once the tool has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply press “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malicious software found.
Use MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) to remove Movie Finder
If you’re still having issues with the Movie Finder adware — or just wish to check your PC system occasionally for adware software and other malicious software — download MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM). It’s free for home use, and searches for and removes various unwanted apps that attacks your PC or degrades PC performance. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware can remove adware, PUPs as well as malicious software, including ransomware and trojans.
First, visit the page linked below, then press the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
326464 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the download is done, close all windows on your computer. Further, run the file called MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the following example, press the “Yes” button.
It will open the Setup wizard which will help you setup MalwareBytes Free on the PC system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is done successfully, press “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will automatically start and you can see its main window as shown in the following example.
Next, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the Movie Finder adware software. This process may take some time, so please be patient. During the scan MalwareBytes will find threats exist on your computer.
Once the checking is done, a list of all items detected is produced. Make sure to check mark the items that are unsafe and then press “Quarantine” button.
The MalwareBytes Free will remove Movie Finder adware. After that process is finished, you may be prompted to restart your computer. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Free to remove browser hijackers, adware software and other malware.
How to stay safe online
By installing an ad blocking application such as AdGuard, you’re able to block malicious web-pages, stop autoplaying video ads and get rid of a huge number of distracting and undesired ads on web sites.
- Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard on your Microsoft Windows Desktop from the following link.
Adguard download
26659 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After downloading it, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- After the installation is complete, click “Skip” to close the installation application and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will help you get to know AdGuard better.
- In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your device, AdGuard will run automatically and stop undesired advertisements, block Movie Finder, as well as other malicious or misleading websites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon called AdGuard, which can be found on your desktop.
To sum up
Now your computer should be clean of the Movie Finder adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted pop-ups and unwanted harmful websites) and Zemana (to periodically scan your personal computer for new malicious software, hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, malicious software and adware software are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of Movie Finder from your web browser, then ask for help here.