Remove Processdownload Pop-up Ads — How to Fix Gude

Processdownload pop-up alerts can show up unexpectedly, covering the subject of the website you checked or opening your web browser when you don’t want it to be opened.

Clicking the Processdownload ad can cause the injection of other malware or unwanted programs. In this guide, you will see the guideline of Processdownload popups removal in a couple of manners, and also examining your PC for other malware presence.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

Removing Processdownload manually may take hours and may damage your PC in the process. I recommend you to download GridinSoft Anti-Malware for threats removal. Allows to complete scan and cure your PC during the trial period.

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What are Processdownload pop-ups?

Processdownload popups are a consequence of adware presence. Adware is a sort of malware that presents you the pay-per-view of pay-per-click promotions, which produces a massive volume of income for adware suppliers. These advertisements might have explicit composition, or have a web link to harmful content/website, considering that adware maintainers have no purpose to inspect the goodness of the content they are going to reveal – their solitary target is cash.

Processdownload push notification.

Pop-up advertising itself is a good, low-cost and very successful marketing tool¹. It permits the vendor to attach the customers’ attention to their website, and the customers to get the dynamic updates on the goods they want to buy. When the consumer will get a pop-up notification that the TV set he wishes to buy is available at the online shop he/she checked out previously with a 15% discount, one will certainly use this chance and get it. Taking into consideration the exceptionally low price for the popups and their targeting, such an advertising method is a favourite thing amidst the marketing departments of big internet stores.

Nevertheless, such a rewarding system could not be missed by malware creators. Option to demonstrate the popup ads by force to the victims of malware invasion is a perfect basis for malevolent adjustments with the popup advertisements. And Processdownload.com promotions is just one of hundreds that are “employed” in this scheme.

Here is a summary for the Processdownload

How have I got the Processdownload virus?

There are a number of methods of getting contaminated by the adware that result in the Processdownload popups tornado. A lion’s part of this malware incidents is after the free software or cracked programs, that are distributed on the peering networks. Free software can additionally be downloaded from the official website, and the adware is supplied as a legit bundled program.

There is no need to blame yourself. A lot of users oftentimes utilize the unreliable programs from untrusted sources: abandonware, a wide range of tools that are free, or even hacked programs. All of these types of applications are dangerous, because it is quite simple to include a Processdownload malware under the cover of part of the license hacking script, or as a component of the self-made algoritm within the Windows optimization tool.

Processdownload popup malware may also be concealed in the ad somewhere on the odd site. Such websites are typically packed with colorful and blinking advertisements, and their owners often accept any kind of promos to be placed on their page. Therefore, clicking on such banners is a risky thing: only the advertisement provider realizes what will occur when you click this advertisement. Besides some “light” viruses, like adware or undesirable programs, you may also get something much more unsafe, like ransomware or coin miner; the big share of coin miners distribution is exactly after the malicious promotions.

The statistic shows that people dislike popup advertising more than other types of promotions

Potentially undesirable programs, like Processdownload pop-up virus can initiate a wide range of different problems on your personal computer. Distracting is not the only problem – pop-ups may show you the ads, where you are offered to download another strange application, or “a effective security tool”. Scareware is usually distributed with the last motto. Potentially unwanted programs, in turn, can have spyware functionality. And it is pretty hard to distinguish the unwanted app from a good one, if you don’t know the exact names. Besides the potentially unwanted programs and dubious antiviruses, popup-related advertisements are also chosen as a spreading method by different trojan viruses, for instance – coin miners. The consequences of actions of such malware is 100% unwanted, and can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And even if you are not tapping these promotions, they may be clicked by whoever who also uses your computer – parents, children, spouse, etc. So the situation may become much more serious, and it will be much harder to deal with it without data and money loss. It is recommended to get rid of the viruses with antivirus programs as soon as possible.

How can I get rid of Processdownload pop-up advertisements?

The tutorial of Processdownload adware elimination includes 2 sections. First, we need to eliminate the malware, and then correct the effects of its action. The elimination task is quite easy, because it may be performed even with the use of Microsoft Defender – security program that is available on all personal computers with Windows 8/10. However, as a result of its large resources consumption, along with some problems that can be pivotal for some categories of users, Defender is frequently turned off by the users, so its use is most likely impossible. In addition, various trojan viruses are able to switch off the embedded antivirus. It is better to make use of the separated program that will not have such exposures.

I would certainly recommend you to utilize Gridinsoft Anti-Malware² – a well-proven security device that will surely exterminate the viruses from your system and also make an invulnerable shield with a Proactive protection function. But let’s deal with Processdownload adware first.

Removing Processdownload popup virus with GridinSoft Anti-Malware

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware. After the installation, you will be offered to perform the Standard Scan. Approve this action.

• Standard scan checks the logical disk where the system files are stored, together with the files of programs you have already installed. The scan lasts up to 6 minutes.

• When the scan is over, you may choose the action for each detected virus. For all files of Processdownload malware the default option is “Delete”. Press “Apply” to finish the malware removal.

Now, when the computer is clean of viruses, we can proceed to the browser reset. You can do this step manually, as well as with the use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

Reset browser settings to default

Manual method of browser reset

To reset Edge, do the following steps :

1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :

2. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :

For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :

1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :

2. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :

After choosing this option, you will see the next message :

If you use Google Chrome

1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :

2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :

3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :

Opera can be reset in the next way

1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :


2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

When the web browsers are reset, you need to make sure that your web browser will connect the appropriate DNS while connecting to the site you need. Make a text file titled “hosts” on your desktop, after that open it and fill it with the following content³:

Find the hosts.txt file in C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc directory. Rename this file to “hosts.old.txt” (to distinguish it from the new one), and then move the file you created on the desktop to this folder. Remove the hosts.old from this folder. Now you have your hosts file as good as new.

Nevertheless, there is one issue that makes things much more difficult to fix, specifically without the anti-malware program. Most of adware variants that are used to show you the Processdownload pop-up advertisements are adjusting the deep browser configurations, disabling an access to the settings tab. So, if you attempt to change your browser settings after your computer was penetrated by pop-up-related malware, your browser will collapse quickly. In certain cases, you will see no crash, but large lag spike after pressing the “settings” key. Browser will stop responding for ~ 30 secs, and then it will be back to the normal, up until you try to open settings one more time.

Reset your browser settings with GridinSoft Anti-Malware

To reset your browser with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, open the Tools tab, and click the “Reset browser settings” button.

You can see the list of the options for each browser. By default, they are set up in the manner which fits the majority of users. Press the “Reset” button (lower right corner). In a minute your browser will be as good as new.

The browser reset is recommended to perform through the antivirus tool by GridinSoft, because last is also able to reset the HOSTS file without any additional commands.

1. More about pop-up ads on Wikipedia.
2. GridinSoft Anti-Malware overview and also the reasons why I suggest it for malware elimination.
3. Official Microsoft guide for hosts file reset.