How to Delete Fasst Ads (Adware/PUP)

What is Fasst Ads? And how does it work?

Fasst is an ad-supported program designed to deliver numerous ads, hence the name, Fasst Ads. This adware will take over your browser once installed by changing the default settings such as the default homepage, new tab URL and search provider. Aside from being an adware, this program is also considered to be a PUP or potentially unwanted program as it can cause potential harm to computers.
Upon infiltration, not only it changes the default settings but it may also inject browser add-ons or toolbars and alter bookmarks in order to redirect you to its affiliated third-party sites. As a result of these changes, ads will start popping up every time you browse the internet. You will typically see its ads with labels such as:

“Ads by Fasst”
“Brought to you by Fasst”
“Powered by Fasst”

It may seem like a harmless program on first look. However, you must not disregard this adware program as it could bring potential issues to your computer. For one, it tends to deliver you with a bunch of ads, some of which can cover the content of the website you’re visiting. Not only that, some of the ads could also redirect you to highly suspicious websites like the ones that convinces you to participate in a survey and ask your personal information as well as tech support scams that scares you into thinking that your computer is infected with some virus and then urges you to install some suspicious program or call a fake tech support number.
How do Fasst Ads circulate the web?
Fasst Ads circulate the web in software bundles that are distributed on free sharing sites. It is added as one of the optional programs along with other adware or PUPs. And unless you select the recommended setup which is Advanced or Custom, you could end up installing all these unwanted programs in your computer. The next time you install this kind of software package, make sure you opt for the recommended setup instead of the quick one in order to prevent unwanted installation of adware and PUPs.
To delete Fasst Ads from your computer, make sure to follow each one of the removal steps below.
Step 1: Start by opening the Task Manager by simply pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
Step 2: Next, go to Processes and look for the dubious processes then right click on each one of them and select End Process or End Task to kill their processes.

Step 3: Then open the Control Panel. To do so, tap the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step 4: Look for Fasst Ads and any suspicious program and then Uninstall them.

Step 5: Close all the browsers affected by Fasst Ads. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 6: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step 7: Edit your Hosts File

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the host’s file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries containing Fasst Ads.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 8: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for Fasst Ads or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Step 9: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 10: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated with Fasst Ads and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 11: Close the File Explorer.
Step 12: Empty the Recycle Bin.
Follow the advanced instructions below to ensure the removal of Fasst Ads using [product-name] as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.