FileRepMetagen “Malware” Removal (September 2018 Update)

This page aims to help you remove FileRepMetagen “Malware”. Our removal instructions work for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, as well as every version of Windows.

Does the appearance of plenty of ads in the form of popups, banners and others while you are browsing the web sound familiar to you? Does that happen no matter what browser app you load, for example, Chrome,Firefox or Explorer? Maybe you have no idea what has been going on with your computer. Luckily, we have the correct answers to your questions. The piece of software that may have been currently annoying you is FileRepMetagen and falls into the Adware category. More info about this kind of programs in general and FileRepMetagen in particular has been shared in the paragraphs below.

Which programs can be classified as Adware?

Almost all programs able to show a really big number of different ads can be identified as representatives of this software family. In fact, Adware’s real purpose is simply to display pop-ups, banners and tabs and in this way – promote different products and services.

Is a program from the Adware family really able to harm your PC?

The really calming news is that this usually irritating type of software is unable to put your PC in any danger. To be precise, no version of Adware has virus-like traits. However, most Adware programs may be capable of affecting all your browsers – Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome also. They could be able to review your browsing activities and conduct the production of ads in correspondence with your supposed interests and searches. Some experts in this field and some of the affected users as well have seen such a trait as annoying enough to identify Adware as potentially unwanted software as a whole. Nevertheless, these programs are basically harmless and what’s more – legal.

What are the basic differences between FileRepMetagen and any form of a popular virus?

In this passage we will explain the main difference between the programs built on Adware and the ones that are regarded as really malicious:

• If you happen to experience an infection with FileRepMetagen, you may get annoyed by a considerable number of advertisements based on your interests, and your PC may even become slower since such the mass generation of online ads is normally resource-consuming. Still, such processes are not really dangerous.
• If you catch an infection with either a version of Ransomware or a Trojan, you will most likely experience the hacking of your system, the thorough scanning of your disks, some encryption of your data, probably some ransom alerts and warnings, as well as possibly even the theft of account details or even spying on all your activities while online or on your PC.

FileRepMetagen “Malware” Removal

If you are a Windows user, continue with the guide below.

If you are a Mac user, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.

If you are an Android user, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.

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Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.

Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab (the “Details” Tab on Win 8 and 10). Try to determine which processes are dangerous. 

Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:

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After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders. 

Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections. 

Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.

You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them.

Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:

Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.

Hold the Start Key and R –  copy + paste the following and click OK:

notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts

A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:

If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.

Open the start menu and search for Network Connections (On Windows 10 you just write it after clicking the Windows button), press enter.

1. Right-click on the Network Adapter you are using —> Properties —> Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP), click  Properties.
2. The DNS line should be set to Obtain DNS server automatically. If it is not, set it yourself.
3. Click on Advanced —> the DNS tab. Remove everything here (if there is something) —> OK.

• After you complete this step, the threat will be gone from your browsers. Finish the next step as well or it may reappear on a system reboot.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut —> Properties.

NOTE: We are showing Google Chrome, but you can do this for Firefox and IE (or Edge).

Properties —–> Shortcut. In Target, remove everything after .exe.

  Remove FileRepMetagen from Internet Explorer:

Open IE, click   —–> Manage Add-ons.

Find the threat —> Disable. Go to  —–> Internet Options —> change the URL to whatever you use (if hijacked) —> Apply.

 Remove FileRepMetagen from Firefox:

Open Firefox, click    ——-> Add-ons —-> Extensions.

Find the adware/malware —> Remove.
Remove FileRepMetagen from Chrome:

Close Chrome. Navigate to:

 C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data. There is a Folder called “Default” inside:

Rename it to Backup Default. Restart Chrome.

Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.

Inside, press CTRL and F together and type the threat’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!

So we can say FileRepMetagen is legal and not dangerous, right?

Yes, FileRepMetagen is a legitimate marketing tool, especially designed to promote certain goods and services online by showing the victim users as many ads as possible. Programmers and manufacturers work together towards ensuring the efficient advertising. Normally, the developers get sufficient payments directly related to the number of the opened or clicked-on ads. The manufacturers, on the other hand, could gain huge profits from all the people who purchase their products. This cooperation is beneficial for both sides, just not for the users exposed to any form of Adware, because of the possible annoyance that may come along with it.

But how can an infection with FileRepMetagen occur in the first place?

One more aspect of the behavior of Adware in general that may raise some concerns among the majority of users and contribute even more to this software’s noxious reputation is the ways in which there programs get around. Typically, distribution could take place in quite a shady way. Firstly, let us mention the probable sources of Adware: they are mainly the popular program bundles. Such sets of applications, programs and games could be downloaded from anywhere on the Internet – in most of the cases – for free. This may seem unclear as you might simply be interested in trying a specific program from this exact mix. However, you may be installing all of a bundle’s components if you are not aware of the way to safely incorporate it in your system. This is the most important part of the prevention of Adware – to install software properly. Such a wise installation process may only be achieved if you choose the Custom or Advanced wizard feature.

All of the other options – the Default or the Automatic ones are in fact bad for your PC’s safety and health. Thus, you need to avoid using them. Only the Custom way of installing any software can give you the opportunity to exclude all unwanted programs from the bundle from getting installed, and the potential Adware products inside it as well. For the safe removal of FileRepMetagen we have created a Removal Guide with detailed instructions – you can access it for free below. Hopefully, it will get the problem solved in your case.

SUMMARY:

Name	FileRepMetagen
Type	Adware
Danger Level	Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk)
Symptoms	Some annoying distribution of ads like pop-ups and banners might be disturbing your online experience.
Distribution Method	In the general case – inside bundles. Possibly found inside spam, contagious web pages and torrents as well.
Detection Tool	We generally recommend SpyHunter or a similar anti-malware program that is updated daily.

Keep in mind, SpyHunter’s malware detection tool is free. To remove the infection, you’ll need to purchase the full version. More information about SpyHunter and steps to uninstall.