Each of us spends 3 hours at the computer every day. Some may sit at a PC for half a day. One way or another, most people use a browser. Sometimes even harmless surfing the Internet can harm the system. Today we will learn how to remove 12kotov.ru.
general information
First, let's figure out what 12kotov.ru is. This is a kind of virus that belongs to the type of adware. Adware doesn't hit on your personal details, but it annoys you on unnecessary ones.
It is not difficult to guess that the main task of such viruses is to display ads with which they make a profit and cover the costs of software development. Very often, this "garbage" can be picked up by downloading a regular player or utility utility. Due to inattention, we do not uncheck it, or vice versa put it where it is not necessary, after which we suffer from intrusive advertising.
Defend oneself
Before you figure out how to remove 12kotov.ru from the browser, it’s worth saying a few words on how to prevent such viruses from getting onto your PC. To do this, often set filters that block ads. So, Adblock Plus is now easy to install on any web browser.
These programs silently protect people from advertising. Moreover, it will disappear even from commercials, from banners and other things. It is also easy to get rid of such software by cleaning the task schedule in the system. And finally, installing an antivirus is a panacea for all problems.
About the "cats"
So, if you are reading this article, most likely you already know what 12kotov.ru is. How to remove this virus from the computer, we will understand further. But first, a little about the dangers of “cats.” The program is installed on a computer, not just a browser. And this is the main difficulty. It will change your start page in the browser. If you have several, then in all.
Banners on different sites will be more. Moreover, they often appear even on social networks, shifting and “breaking” the interface. "Cats" are registered in the registry, and therefore it is very difficult to remove the virus.
Usually appears on a PC through torrents, patches for computer games, especially unofficial ones, free software, etc. As mentioned earlier, most of these software come to us through the bootloader. In order for the developer to recapture the money, he thus spoils his users.
Help Programs
As already mentioned, the difficulty in how to remove 12kotov.ru is that the software settles in the registry. You can take down all references to the program from the browser. But after the first reboot, everything will return, since the data will be loaded from your own system. You can go to the "Programs and Features", where you can try to clean everything, but again after the reboot the virus will reborn.
The only way out is to clean the registry. Of course, not everyone can handle this. Especially inexperienced users can do such a thing that the system will stop starting and will have to "cure" everything by reinstalling Windows.
To avoid such problems, you can search the Internet for a special program. In general, there are many similar “purgatory” for virus software. Here you can install both Spyhunter 4, and AdwCleaner, and many similar options.
Software advantage
Of course, not always such utilities are a panacea for all problems. Sometimes it may happen that the system is so clogged with such software that the only way out is to reinstall the OS. But if not all is lost, then such utilities will save you. They know how to:
- remove 12kotov.ru and other similar viruses;
- clean keys from the registry without harming the system;
- Remove all ad extensions
- protect you from further such situations.
Recovery point
But if you still have certain skills and knowledge, you can clean the system from the pest without program intervention. To protect yourself from what you can do yourself, create a recovery point. Then you can roll back the system and return all the changes if you suddenly made a mistake in the registry. To do this, go to “my computer”, right-click on an empty spot in the window and click “Properties”. A window with "System Protection" will appear, and the line "Create" will be below.
A computer
Now you need to figure out how to remove 12kotov.ru from the computer. Depending on how your operating system is, you need to find the “Control Panel”. In Windows 7, go to the "Start" and there we see this line. We select, then in the list we find “Programs and components”. Among them we are looking for our virus. If you have Windows 8 or 10, you need to click the search in the "Start" and drive in the "Control Panel". To do the same further.
Browser
How to remove 12kotov.ru from the browser? It will all depend on which browser you use. If you have Internet Explorer, then you need to click on "Service", then go to add-ons. In extensions you will notice "cats". They need to be disabled. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, then go to the “Menu”, look for “Add-ons”, then in the extensions we find the virus again and turn it off.
If you do not know how to remove 12kotov.ru from Chrome, it does not matter. The procedure is no different from the previous ones. We find additional tools in the menu and remove the “cats” from the extensions. To do this, in front of the virus name, click the trash can icon and confirm the deletion. There is an option for Chrome to reset the settings. This can be done in any web browser. The browser will delete all your extensions, including malware.
To do this, open the menu, go to settings, and find "Reset" there. At the same time, all extensions useful to you will be deleted. After all this, in each of the browsers you will need to change the home page. This is also done in the menu and settings.
Registry
And the last step is to clean the registry. Remember that in this case you need to at least understand something, or find out. In general, all the main files, folders, and keys are the same. But there is an option that there is a program on the PC in which the key to the "cats" is hidden. But the system can use this program. After removing it, problems may arise.
To open the registry and understand how to remove http://12kotov.ru, hold down the Win + R combination and enter regedit. Next, press Ctrl + F. This will help us find all the lines with the key 12kotov.ru. We enter it in the line that appears. After the registry finds this key, and we delete it. Next, continue the search using the F3 button. So we must get rid of everything until the system says that nothing more was found for this request.
Now you need to restart the PC. If you make a mistake and delete something important, the system will not start. Then turn off and turn on the PC again. Now we need to call safe mode. To do this, at the time of switching on, quickly press F8 or F9. A window will appear, select “Safe Mode” there.
The computer will boot in a limited format. You need to go to the "Start" and in the search enter "System Restore". In the list you will find the point that you created, and come back. In this case, you can still try to use the program to remove the virus.