What is Cool New Tab Theme?
Cool New Tab Theme is designed to operate as a browser hijacker for Windows computers and their respective browsing programs. Hence, Cool New Tab Theme is compatible with most popular browsers including Chrome and Firefox. The Browser Redirect will force the page to switch to http://www.coolnewtabtheme.com/ and other variations of coolnewtabtheme.com
Once installed in your system, Cool New Tab Theme automatically embeds itself in the main browsing application. And as a result, it begins to meddle with its settings, hence the name of this software category. What this usually appears as for the end user is changes in the browser’s interface.
For example, Cool New Tab Theme may replace the default search engine with some rip-off version of Google or Bing that you’ve never heard of before. Similarly, it may also change the browser homepage to a different URL like Search Marquies
Other prominent signs of a browser hijacker infection include something known as page redirects. These occur automatically during browsing sessions when the browser spontaneously loads some new page without asking you. And aside from being highly irritating, there are certain security issues related to these practices that we will cover later on in this post.
Last but not least, hijackers are notorious for generating tons of on-screen ads during users’ browsing sessions, no matter what pages they visit. These can come in every shape and size too, ranging from popup notifications that you’ve won a prize to screen-wide banners announcing the hottest deal you can imagine.
All in all, hardly anyone out there is ready to welcome such changes to their web browsing experience with open arms. Quite on the contrary, most users prefer to do away with applications like Cool New Tab Theme as quickly as they possibly can. And we’re here to help you with that. Just below this article we have published a detailed removal guide that will walk you through the steps necessary in order to remove Cool New Tab Theme from your system once and for all.
How Some Chrome Themes Make Profit
Cool New Tab Theme for Windows is a software application that is designed to generate profit via Pay Per Click advertising. Hence, every click on an ad shown by Cool New Tab Theme for Chrome earns revenue for its creators. There are many “cool themes” out there but just be careful which ones to install on your Chrome browser.
This is why applications of this type are generally involved in browsing data collection activities. And yes, many websites, programs, etc. engage in these practices, that’s not new. But the problem is with obtaining the end user’s consent, which in the case of most browser hijackers is done covertly. Furthermore, there’s no telling what the gathered data can be used for aside from Cool New Tab Theme simply optimizing its ads.
Cool New Tab Theme on Chrome
Many frequently use the terms ‘browser hijacker’ and ‘virus’ interchangeably when it comes to apps like Cool New Tab Theme. However, Cool New Tab Theme is most certainly not a malicious program and this is a clear misunderstanding.
Nevertheless, hijackers like this do have the potential of putting your system at risk of virus infections thanks to the myriads of different websites they link to. A large share of those sites aren’t of the highest quality and some can even be distribution hubs for threats like ransomware, spyware and others.
If you don’t know how you landed the CoolNewTabTheme app, chances are it was attached to the installer of another program. This is known as software bundling and is a common distribution method for unwanted pieces like the Cool New Tab Theme app.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Cool New Tab Theme |
| Type | Adware for Chrome |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | You may notice changes in your browser’s homepage or search engine and aggressive ad-generation all over your screen. |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling is a common method of distribution along with spam, torrents, ads and free downloads. |
Remove Cool New Tab Theme Virus on Chrome
Please Note: To follow the instructions completely you will need to close your internet browser. We recommend downloading this Removal Guide as a PDF to your computer to have full access to it at all times.
The following guide is only for windows users, it will help our readers get rid of the unpleasant Chrome Security Update software. Follow the instructions and complete each step for best results. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them using our comment section down below.
Preparation: Entering Safe Mode and Revealing Hidden Files and Folders
Before you proceed with the actual removal instructions, you will need to take two extra steps in order to ensure that the guide has maximum effect.
For best results, we advise our readers to boot into Safe Mode prior to attempting to remove Chrome Security Update. If you do not know how to do that, here is a separate How to Enter Safe Mode guide.
Also, in order to be able to see any potentially undesirable files, you should reveal any hidden files and folders on your PC – here is how to do that.
Removing From Cool New Tab Theme Virus Windows
Step 1: Checking the Task Manager
Before we start deleting files related to Chrome Security Update we want to make sure that all services related to the viruses are killed before we proceed.
Open your Task Manager by using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys and go to the Processes tab. Look for any suspicious processes. For example, any unfamiliar process that uses high amounts of RAM and/or CPU. If you aren’t sure if a certain process comes from malware, tell us in the comments.
Right-click on any process that you consider shady and select Open File Location. Delete anything from the file location of the process.
Step 2: Disabling Startup programs
Use the Winkey + R keyboard combination to open the Run search bar and type msconfig. Hit Enter and in the newly opened window, go to the Startup tab. There, look for suspicious entries with unknown manufacturer or ones that have the name Chrome Security Update on them. Right-click on those, and select disable.
Step 3: Uninstalling Cool New Tab Theme
Go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Click on Installed On to sort the entries by date from most recent to oldest and look through the programs that come at the top of the list. Right-click on any entries that appear shady and unwanted and then select Uninstall to remove them from your PC. If you see the name Chrome Security Update in the list of programs, be sure to remove the software without hesitation.
Step 4: Checking for shady IP’s
Open your Start Menu and copy-paste notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts in the search bar. In the notepad file, look below Localhost and see if there are any IP addresses there. If there are some, send them to us in the comments and we will tell you if you should take any action. [add_forth_banner]
Step 5: Cleaning-up the browsers
You will also have to uninstall any undesirable browser extensions from your browser programs. Here’s how to do that for some of the more popular browsers:
Getting rid of Cool New Tab Theme Virus from Chrome
- Open Chrome and open its main menu. Go to More Tools > Extensions. Look through the list of extensions and uninstall any that you think could be suspicious. To remove them – click on the trash can icon next to each extension.
- You can also use a specialized Chrome CleanUp tool if you cannot manually remove a certain extension. Here is an article where you can learn more about the CleanUp tool.
Removing Chrome Security Update From Firefox
Open Firefox and go to its Menu. Select the Add-ons button.From the left panel, select Extensions and take a look at the different entries. Remove any of the that might be unwanted.
Removing Cool New Tab Theme Virus Explorer
Once you open your IE browser, click on the Tools button at the top-right corner of the program and from the drop-down menu select Manage Add-ons. Check each one of the four different groups of add-ons and search for anything that seems undesirable. If you find anything, click on it and them select Remove.
Removing Cool New Tab Theme Virus Edge
Open the main menu of Microsoft Edge and go to Extensions. Find the extensions that you believe could be unwanted and right-click on them. Then, select Uninstall.
Step 6: Checking the Registry Editor
Open the Run search bar again and type regedit in it. Hit Enter and once the Registry Editor opens press Ctrl + F. In the search field type Chrome Security Update and click on Find Next. Tell us in the comments if any results came up when you searched for Chrome Security Update in your PC’s Registry.
Step 7: Deleting recent entries
For this step, you will have to open your Start Menu and copy-paste the following lines, one by one:
- %AppData%
- %LocalAppData%
- %ProgramData%
- %WinDir%
- %Temp%
Hit Enter after each one to open a file directory. In the directories, delete the most recent entries that you find there. In the Temp folder, delete all files.
Step 8: System Restore
In order to be fully sure that the unwanted software has been removed from your machine, you can also try using a Restore Point to roll back your system its last stable configuration. However, in order to do that, you would have to previously had had a restore point created. On most systems, such points get created automatically but this isn’t always the case.
- If you want to learn how to configure System Restore and how to manually create Restore Points, follow this link.
- Open your Start Menu and type System Restore.
- Click on the first result – a setup wizard should open.
- Read the brief description of the process and select Next.
- Now, choose a restore from the presented list. You can also check the Show more restore points option in order to reveal any other restore points that might be saved on your PC.
- Click on Scan for affected programs to see what programs will get deleted or restored after you use the Restore Point. (optional)
- Click on next and take and then select Finish.
- A warning window will appear telling you that once the process starts, it shouldn’t be interrupted. Select Yes and be patient as this might take some time. Do not do anything on your PC throughout the duration of the process.
Step 9: Windows Refresh/Reset
Use this method only if nothing else has worked so far as it is a last resort option. If you do not know how to do it, this separate guide will give you the information that you need.