Variant: Adware.Magoo
Operating Systems Affected: Windows 2000, Windows 9x, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7
[Image shown above is not the actual Adware.Magoo pop ups but is just an example of the annoying pop up windows that we constantly encounter on the web]
Adware.Magoo is not a virus, trojan or a worm – it is an adware program that displays annoying pop up ads while surfing the web.
What is an Adware?
Adware, or advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. [Source: Wikipedia]
Step by step manual removal guide:
• Disable system restore (Windows ME, XP users only)
• Reboot and login under safe mode with networking (Press the F8 key on Windows boots up)
• Delete temporary internet files
(IE 8 → Safety menu → delete browsing history → tick temporary internet files, cookies, and history → delete)
(Firefox→ tools menu → select clear recent internet history/ cookies → drop-down menu → select the desired range → click clear now)
• Show hidden files and folders (Open my computer, click folder options and choose view tab. Tick show hidden files and folders, untick hide protected operating system files.)
• Delete the following infected files:
• Delete the infected registry key: (Start → run → type regdit → navigate to the listed entry and delete)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\”Mightymagoo” = “%ProgramFiles%\Mighty Magoo\mightymagoo32.exe a”
• Delete the following infected registry values:
{Disclaimer: Registry modification is done at your own risk. Backup the registry before making any changes!}
• Update Anti-Malware definition files
• Run Anti-Malware full system scan
• Re-enable system restore (Windows ME, XP users only)
• Reboot and login under normal mode