Many users encounter a program or browser extension called Amazon assistant. Naturally, none of them installed this application, and it’s not sure how it got on the computer.
How to remove Amazon Assistant and why it may be necessary? Before answering this question, you should understand what kind of program it is.
Theoretically, this is a tool that should help users find the best prices for the products they are interested in. The set of utilities is free and is embedded in the browser as a plugin.
However, this tool looks more like a potentially unwanted program. After downloading the Amazon Assistant to the computer, the user will encounter a lot of unpleasant moments, such as:
- redirect all search results to Amazon Assistant aa.hta;
- the constant appearance of pop-up windows and error messages;
- reduced browser performance;
- replacing the home page with Amazon Smart Search and making other unauthorized changes to the browser;
- frequent interruption of online sessions;
- removal of system files;
- collection and transfer of confidential user information to third parties.
So what is an Amazon assistant?
We see that, in fact, this program is not a useful tool, but a virus that can access all browsers installed on a computer. Such a virus can not only reduce the overall functioning of the computer but also collect personal information, transferring it to the attacker’s server.
This program infects various operating systems: Windows XP and Vista, Windows 10, 8 and 7. The virus comes via the Google Play Store, Firefox add-on and bundling.
If you installed this program on a computer, any imprudent movement could result in hacking of your data or damage to the system. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the virus, and they are quite useful.
What does the Amazon assistant program do?
Immediately it should be noted that this application exists in two versions – as a separate program and as an extension for the browser.
The main purpose of the Amazon assistant (Assistant for Amazon) is to automatically search for alternative stores selling the products you are viewing on the
Internet. Moreover, the results are issued immediately with the price of the goods so that you can buy it at a better price elsewhere, if it is, of course.
It is also possible to add the selected product to your favorites to track the fall or rise in prices for it.
Among other features, it is worth noting that the program has a close link to the Amazon trading platform. Any product you are looking for will be offered to find on Amazon.
How does the Amazon assistant get on the computer?
The installation process of this application is carried out secretly from the user.
When you download something on the Internet or install any program, the Amazon assistant is installed automatically, as well as the browser manager, bing bar, zaxar games browser and many other not very useful applications.
How to remove Amazon assistant?
You can remove Amazon Assistant from your computer in two ways: automatic and manual. We advise you to perform an automatic removal, after which use the manual method to ensure that the procedure was successful.
To start the process of removing unwanted software, you do not need to have special technical skills. Just download one of the recommended applications for this purpose, for example, Reimage or Malwarebytes Anti Malware. Such applications will remove not only the virus but also all the files and registry entries belonging to it.
Step 1: Remove from Windows
First of all, you need to go to the control panel -> Programs and components and search for the Amazon assistant there. If it is in the list, then click on it with the right mouse button and select “delete” or “change.”
Next, open each browser installed on your computer, go to its extensions and also look in the Amazon assistant list. Upon detection – delete.
The final step is to clean the computer from the tracks of the Amazon assistant. For this, you need to use this free application.
Step 2: Remove by uninstalling the program
If you have already installed this software on your PC, you can remove it. This is done in several ways and depends on how this was mounted:
If through the Java download module, remove it from Windows using the “Uninstall and change a program.”
In case the plugin is loaded, go to chrome: // extensions / (for Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox Browser) and click on the trash to delete.
If the plugin is built into Mozilla Firefox, go to about: addons and click “Delete.”
Step 3: Deleting from the browsers
If you want to uninstall Amazon Assistant from the Chrome browser manually, you will need:
Open Chrome and click on the icon with three dots in the upper right corner;
Enter settings;
Go to extension settings and remove Assistant aa.hta;
Close and reopen the browser.
To manually remove the Amazon Assistant extension from the Mozilla browser, you must:
Click on the Firefox button in the upper left corner of the page;
Enter settings;
Go to the extension settings, remove the malware, and restart the browser.
Similarly, the Amazon Assistant program is removed in other browsers on computers with Windows 7, 8, 10, and other operating systems. If you have several browsers installed on your PC, you need to clean them all, in turn, to altogether remove the virus.
After completing this, restart the computer. Go to the list of running programs and make sure that there is no Amazon1ButtonService64.Exe file there. If such a file appears, check to see if autoload is enable for the software that has link with Amazon Assistant.