How to Uninstall WebDiscover (PUP)

What is WebDiscover? And how does it function?

WebDiscover is a web browser created by a company based in Canada known as Webdiscover Media. This web browser is supposed to allow users to take advantage of a clutter-free and convenient web browsing. It is kind of similar to Google Chrome as it was developed using the open-source Google Chrome custom builder but that’s how far their similarities are. In fact, security experts deemed this program as an unwanted one (PUP) as it is distributed stealthily. Its developers have been introducing this program as an alternative browser that could improve the browsing experience of users by providing useful features that include quick links to social media sites and news sites as well as allowing users to edit a new image every day.
Although this questionable browser is not considered to be malicious and some users might even find it useful. However, keep in mind that no matter how useful this browser may seem, it can’t be trusted as it could be used for shady marketing campaigns. This means that your browsing experience will be filled with tons of sponsored content from its affiliated sites. According to some reports submitted by users, once this program is installed, they start to see lots of intrusive advertisements whenever they browse the internet. These ads usually contain texts that say, “Ads by WebDiscover”, “Powered by WebDiscover” or “WebDiscover ads”. You might also be redirected to safestsearches.com which is a suspicious website. So if you think that this browser is useful, you have to think again as this browser can become annoying right after it starts staying on top of every application and could prevent you from using them properly.
How is WebDiscover distributed over the web?
WebDiscover is distributed via software bundles you can find on third-party sources or free file sharing sites. In a free software package, this program is added as one of the optional components and unless you install the package using Custom or Advanced setup, you could end up installing this unwanted program unknowingly. Thus, using the aforementioned installation setup instead of the usual quick one is a must.
Make sure to follow each one of the steps given below to uninstall WebDiscover from your computer.
Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Control Panel to uninstall WebDiscover and other suspicious programs you can find.
Step 2: Look for WebDiscover under the list of installed programs. Once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

Step 3: Close the WebDiscover browser and if you’re having a hard time closing it, you can do so by using the Task Manager – just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 4: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the process of WebDiscover, right click on it and select the End Task option.
Step 5: 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 of the browser hijacker.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 6: 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 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 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to the WebDiscover browser such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.

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

Step 9: Close the File Explorer.
The next step below is not recommended for you if you don’t know how to navigate the Registry Editor. Making registry changes can highly impact your computer. So it is highly advised to use [product-name] instead to get rid of the entries that the PUP created. Unlike WebDiscover, [product-name] trusted the program that helps in improving your computer’s overall performance by repairing any registry issues as well as optimizes your system. If you are not familiar with the Windows Registry skip to Step 14 onwards. However, if you are well-versed in making registry adjustments, then you can proceed to step 10.
Step 10: Open the Registry Editor, to do so, tap Win + R and type in regedit and then press enter.

Step 11: Navigate to the following paths:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\

Step 12: Look for the registry keys and sub-keys created by the unwanted program and then delete them.
Step 13: Close the Registry Editor.
Step 14: Empty your Recycle Bin.
Follow the advanced instructions below to ensure the removal of WebDiscover 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 screenwill 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.