Banner ads and pop-ups are the most popular and effective tools to popularize your offerings on the internet and a great source of revenue for the site owners. While some of these ads do carry interesting information, a majority of them can pose potential threat for your browser. So, next time you think that the blinking ad can help you earn thousands sitting at home or you get lure to lose kilos in few days with a simple click, just be aware… you might end-up stocking unwanted adware.

While responsible companies take great care in screening their advertisers, many of them are not concerned about viruses, malware and scams. The case is worse with sites like Wikipedia, which allow posting of free ads. The chance of infecting your browser increases manifolds. The security of your browser begins with you as even one instance of wrong adware can not only change your homepage but can also redirect the URLs or searches made by you. They can even add bad ads to erstwhile decent website.

So, how can you keep your browser clean and free from such unwarranted ads? Well, all you need to do is to follow some quick steps and you can get sorted.

Virus and malware scans are must

The moment you discover that your PC is infected, run an antivirus scan. However, the basic antivirus is not enough to get rid of millions of viruses. You need to rely on a secondary antivirus check with scanners like Ad-Aware, Malwarebytes, Spybot Search & Destroy, or SuperAntiSpyware. These tools can help you to do away with malware ads and browser toolbars in one go.

Browser toolbars must be disabled

Next, you must remove all unused tool bars, especially the downloadable ones. Google Chrome comes with the inherent feature of an address bar, which also doubles up as a search engine. Other professional sites like Yahoo! also have similar features.

Problem begins with the undesirable adware network, which is comprised of many undesirable and unethical services. Their search optimization is such that even the slightest of the hint about the related content immediately transports you to their adware network. Removing toolbars is a good way of managing speed and enhancing the browser speed. Just right click on the toolbar menu and uncheck all those that are likely to create hurdles. While most browsers support this functionality, some may simply not.

Cross-check all extensions and add-ons

At times adware networks also prompt browsers to get their add-ons and extensions, thereby, injecting ads and redirecting your searches, thus forcing you to adopt it as your default homepage. Keep a track of all your browser extensions and keep deleting the ones that are not required.

The ‘Tools’ menu in Internet Explorer, easily allow you to disable them with ‘Manage Add-ons’ option.

In case of Firefox, search for the Add-ons section through the menu button and disable the unwanted ones. You also need to conduct regular review of the Extensions section and in the Plug-ins section

type chrome://extensions/ into the address bar to review extensions and 'chrome://plugins/' in the address bar to check Plug-ins, to get rid of add-ons in case of Chrome. Further, ensure smooth functioning of Chrome with Native Client and Google Update plug-ins.

Try to reset

If the problem of adware persists, reset your browser to the factory settings. This will remove all your saved data and customization but at the same time, it can help you do away with the harmful effects of malware and adware.

Try out the factory default settings before you entirely give up on your browser and decide to re-install.

In case of Internet Explorer go to Advanced tab under the Internet Options housed in the Tools menu and press ‘Reset’. The Troubleshooting information tab in the Help section allows you to Reset in Firefox.

In Chrome there is no direct shortcut to reinstall, so you can uninstall through the ‘Programs and Features’ list of Windows and download Chrome again.

Say no to malware and viruses with these easy-to-follow steps and enhance your browsing experience.