PUP.Optional.Ask Removal Guide

Can’t Remove PUP.Optional.Ask? This page includes detailed PUP.Optional.Ask Removal instructions!

Not all programs, including those you download from your browser’s app store, are safe. Some apps contain a malicious code. These programs are classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program). The latest member of their malicious family is a parasite detected as PUP.Optional.Ask. So, what does this pest actually do? Well, it is a toolbar, but it is also an ad-generating app. Upon installation, PUP.Optional.Ask takes control of your browser. It blocks its competitors’ content and replaces it with its own. Additionally, the PUP injects dozens and dozens of banners, sliding panels, pop-ups, hyperlinks on every website you open. It is extremely annoying. The PUP can pause your online videos just to display video commercials. What is worse, it can redirect your browser automatically. You will hate the experience. Luckily, you are stuck with one relatively easy to remove type of parasite. We have provided a manual removal guide, but you can also use a trustworthy anti-virus app. If you decide to neglect the infection, however, there will be unwanted consequences. The PUP.Optional.Ask parasite does not verify the commercials it displays so freely. Neither does it check the advertisers. All sorts of crooks take advantage. They use the PUP to spread misleading and corrupted adverts. One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. PUPs are often used as backdoors. A dangerous virus may use it to enter your system.

remove PUP.Optional.Ask

How did I get infected with PUP.Optional.Ask?

The PUP.Optional.Ask utility did not appear by itself. This parasite is not an ingenious virus, but a simple PC program. As any program, it needs your permission to be installed. Do you remember installing a program recently? And which installation method did you use: the Standard or the Advanced? If your answer is the Standard, you should change your habits at once. The standard installation is a completely automatic process. Once started, you lose control over it. Developers nowadays, tend to attach “bonus” programs to the installation files of many popular apps. To prevent these extras from installing, opt for the advanced option in the Setup Wizard. Under it, you will be presented with a list of all additional apps that are about to be installed. Don’t rush. Make sure you know what you are approving on your computer. Deselect all suspicious programs. Keep in mind that you can deselect all extras and still install the program you originally planned to set up. This is your computer, after all. You decide what to be installed on it.

Why is PUP.Optional.Ask dangerous?

There is nothing positive about PUP.Optional.Ask. This parasite sneaks into your machine and wreaks havoc on it. It bombards you with commercials, opens pop-ups, redirects your browser, and pauses your online videos. It, however, is more than a nuisance. All sorts of crooks use PUPs to spread corrupted content. One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. If you are extremely unlucky, the PUP.Optional.Ask utility may redirect you to an infected website. These are just the virus-related issues. There are more you are not aware of. As we’ve already mentioned the PUP.Optional.Ask utility displays commercials. These advertisements, however, are not randomly selected. The PUP monitors your browser related data. It knows which pages you visit, favorite websites, what search inquires you make. It knows your online habits and it can use them against you. You are seeing appealing commercials only because, as you’ve probably guessed, these were chosen for you. Can you imagine what a capable trickster can do with this information? The crooks can target you with a custom marketing campaign. They are after your money. Misleading commercials and scam website will be presented to you. Question everything! With the PUP.Optional.Ask utility on board, you are far more likely to be exposed to fake deals than to legit ones. Your best course of action is the immediate removal of the parasite.

How Can I Remove PUP.Optional.Ask?

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the PUP.Optional.Ask infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

  • Open your task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
  • Locate the process of PUP.Optional.Ask.exe and kill it

kill-hpnotify-exe

  • Open your windows registry editor by typing”regedit” in the windows search box

Navigate to (Depending on your OS version)

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

and delete the display Name: PUP.Optional.Ask

Simultaneously press the Windows Logo Button and then “R” to open the Run Command

Type “Appwiz.cpl

Locate the PUP.Optional.Ask program and click on uninstall/change. To facilitate the search you can sort the programs by date. Review the most recent installed programs first. In general you should remove all unknown programs.

Navigate to C:/Program Files and delete PUP.Optional.Ask folder. Double check with any antimalware program for any leftovers. Keep your software up-to date!

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