Converters Now developed by Mindspark Interactive is a Browser Extension for Google Chrome and is promoted at their website like a very useful tool for converting PDF and Doc files, alongside with dictionary, and other useful tools. While this might appeal to you the extension hijacks your New Tab page, changing it to Search.MyWay.com
While active, this extension monitors user’s online activity, recording visited websites, clicked links, bought products, and other browsing information. This information is later forwarded or sold to Mindsparks ad network to better deliver user Targeted Ads.
Browsing the internet with ConvertersNow will result in displaying additional ads, sponsored content, and sometimes even pop-up ads injected into various pages or websites throughout your browsing sessions.
CovertersNow has been marked as a Browser Hijacker by several anti-virus programs and it is marked for removal.
About Browser Hijackers
Browser hijacking is actually a type of unwanted software, commonly a browser add-on or extension, which then causes modifications in the web browser’s settings. There are plenty of reasons why you may experience a web browser hijack; however commercial, advertising, and marketing are the major purposes for their creation. Usually, the idea would be to force users to visit particular websites that are aiming to improve their site visitor traffic and generate higher ad income. Though it might appear harmless, these tools were created by vicious individuals who always try to take advantage of you, so that they can easily earn money from your naivety and distraction. Browser hijackers could also let other vicious programs without your knowledge further damage your PC.
How you can recognize a browser hijack
Signs that an internet browser is hijacked include: the home page of your respective web browser is changed all of a sudden; your web browser is constantly being redirected to pornography websites; default web engine is changed; you are finding new toolbars you haven’t witnessed before; unstoppable flurries of popup ads show up on your computer screen; your web browser starts running sluggishly or presents frequent glitches; Inability to navigate to certain sites, particularly anti-malware and also other security software websites.
So how does a computer get infected with a browser hijacker
Browser hijackers could use drive-by downloads or file-sharing networks or even an e-mail attachment in order to reach a targeted computer system. Many web browser hijackings come from add-on applications, i.e., browser helper objects (BHO), toolbars, or plug-ins added to browsers to provide the extra features. Also, certain freeware and shareware can put the hijacker inside your computer through the “bundling” technique. Some of the most well-known hijackers are ConvertersNow, Conduit Search, Babylon Toolbar, OneWebSearch, Sweet Page, and CoolWebSearch.
Browser hijackers might record user keystrokes to collect potentially important information leading to privacy issues, cause instability on systems, drastically disrupt user’s browsing experience, and eventually slow down the PC to a stage where it becomes unusable.
Removal
Some hijackers could be removed by deleting the freeware they were included with or by eliminating any extension you’ve recently added to your computer. Having said that, most hijackers are quite tenacious and need specialized applications to eradicate them. Furthermore, manual removals require deep system knowledge and therefore can be very difficult task for beginner computer users.
You might opt for automatic browser hijacker removal by just installing and running efficient anti-malware software. If you want to eliminate persistent hijackers quickly and effectively, install the top-rated, award-winning Anti-Malware tool Safebytes Anti-Malware.
What To Do If You Cannot Install Any Anti-virus?
Malware can cause several kinds of damage to computing devices, networks, and data. Certain malware goes to great lengths to prevent you from installing anything on your computer system, particularly anti-virus software. If you’re reading this article now, you might have perhaps recognized that a malware infection is the cause of your blocked web traffic. So what to do when you want to download and install an anti-malware program such as Safebytes? Although this kind of issue will be tougher to circumvent, there are some actions you can take.
Install in Safe Mode
If the malware is set to load immediately when Windows starts, entering safe mode could block the attempt. Since only the minimal applications and services start-up in Safe Mode, there are seldom any reasons for issues to occur. You will have to do the following to remove malware in Safe mode.
1) At power-on/startup, hit the F8 key in 1-second intervals. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu.
2) Make use of the arrow keys to choose Safe Mode with Networking and hit ENTER.
3) When this mode loads, you will have an internet connection. Now, use your web browser to download and install Safebytes.
4) After installation, do a complete scan and let the software program remove the threats it finds.
Download the security software using a different internet browser
Certain viruses may target vulnerabilities of a specific browser that obstruct the downloading process. If you’re not able to download the security software using Internet Explorer, this means malware may be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you must switch to another web browser like Chrome or Firefox to download the Safebytes application.
Create a portable USB antivirus for removing viruses
Another way is to download and transfer an anti-malware program from a clean PC to run a scan on the infected computer. Try these simple steps to clear up your affected computer using portable anti-malware.
1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Microsoft Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC.
2) Insert the pen drive on the same computer.
3) Double-click on the downloaded file to run the installation wizard.
4) Choose the drive letter of the USB drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you would like to install the anti-virus. Follow the instructions to complete the installation process.
5) Now, plug the pen drive into the infected system.
6) Double-click the EXE file to open the Safebytes tool from the pen drive.
7) Simply click “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the infected computer for malware.
Benefits and Features of SafeBytes Security Suite
In order to protect your personal computer from a variety of internet-based threats, it’s important to install an anti-malware program on your personal computer. But with countless numbers of antimalware companies out there, these days it’s hard to decide which one you should buy for your personal computer. A few of them do a good job in eradicating malware threats while many will ruin your PC by themselves. You need to pick out a tool that has got a good reputation and detects not only computer viruses but other kinds of malware also. When considering trustworthy software programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is undoubtedly the strongly recommended one.
Safebytes is one of the well-established PC solutions firms, which offer this all-inclusive anti-malware program. Using its outstanding protection system, this utility will automatically detect and eliminate most of the security threats, which include viruses, adware, browser hijackers, PUPs, trojans, worms, and ransomware.
There are lots of amazing features you will get with this particular security product. Listed below are some of the highlighted features included in the product.
Anti-Malware Protection: Using a critically acclaimed anti-malware engine, SafeBytes offers multilayered protection which is designed to catch and eliminate threats which are concealed deep in your PC.
Live Protection: SafeBytes provides real-time active supervision and protection from all known computer viruses and malware. It will constantly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also provides end-users with advanced firewall protection.
Safe Browsing: Through its unique safety score, SafeBytes notifies you whether a website is safe or not to visit it. This will make sure that you’re always certain of your safety when browsing the world wide web.
High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: SafeBytes’s very fast malware scanning engine cuts down scan times and extends battery life. At the same time, it’ll effectively detect and remove infected files or any internet threat.
Lightweight: SafeBytes is a lightweight application. It consumes a very small amount of processing power as it works in the background therefore you won’t observe any computer performance difficulties.
24/7 Online Tech Support: You can get high levels of support 24/7 if you are using their paid software.
To conclude, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is pretty great for securing your computer against all sorts of malware threats. There is no doubt that your computer system will be protected in real-time once you put this software program to use. For top protection and the best value for money, you can’t get better than SafeBytes Anti-Malware.
Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)
If you’d like to carry out the removal of ConvertersNow manually instead of employing an automated tool, you may follow these steps: Proceed to the Windows Control Panel, click on the “Add/Remove Programs” and there, choose the offending program to remove. In case of suspicious versions of web browser extensions, you can easily get rid of them via your browser’s extension manager. It’s also advised to factory reset your web browser to its default condition to fix corrupt settings.
If you decide to manually delete the system files and Windows registry entries, use the following checklist to make sure you know precisely what files to remove before executing any actions. But bear in mind, this is often a tough task and only computer professionals could accomplish it safely. Furthermore, certain malicious programs are capable to defend against its removal. Doing this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is recommended.
Files:
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\ConvertersNowTooltab
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Sync Extension Settings\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\ConvertersNow
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ConvertersNow
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google\Chrome\PreferenceMACs\Default\extensions.settings, value: jbfdncemokhjnhoiohfdjahheefaiaec
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\convertersnow.dl.tb.ask.com
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\convertersnow.dl.myway.com
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\[APPLICATION]\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall..Uninstaller
ConvertersNowTooltab Uninstall Internet Explorer
EVE Online is one of the earliest MMO games out there but since its release, it is still actively developed and is receiving updates. This science-fiction Sandbox will offer space lovers everything they need and more. Large scale PvP, mining, pirating, etc. It can be daunting and complex for beginners but take your time to get familiar with its systems and you will be rewarded greatly with an immersive and complex game worth the time. Open PvP in some zones might not be everyone’s cup of tea and seeing only your ship might be a turn-off for some players, but if you do not mind these things give it a go. It is free to play with an item shop.
FF14 had a tough start, so tough that it was scrapped and destroyed and has been remade again and that idea was great. The game now is better than ever and at this time it is experiencing large players from other games surging into it. This on the rails fantasy MMO will offer you a great story and great leveling experience. It has a free trial where you can play the whole original game for free but if you wish to continue playing you will have to buy the expansion and pay a monthly subscription but the content is well worth the money.
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Guild Wars 1 was one of my favorite games and I sank a lot of times in it and once Guild Wars 2 came I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with it and I would recommend it highly. The base game is completely free to play with only expansion to be purchased and it is buy to play model without monthly fees. It has specific mechanics different from other games and interesting classes to try. The living world is a great feature of the game and it is still very strong with its player base.
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I am going to admit something here, I was not fond of the idea to make the beloved Elder Scrolls series into MMO, but in time I gave it a go and I am really glad I did. This game is great and it is getting better and better as time progresses. It is buy to play without monthly fees and basic game free, same as FF14 but without fees. It has a decent community and offers a really good Elder Scrolls experience and now it is packing Morrowind expansions and other great areas. Highly recommended for any Elder Scrolls fan.
This one is troublesome to recommend, on one side you have free to play games deeply inside Tolkien Lord of the Rings lore, on the other side, you have outdated graphics and some stupid item shop decisions like buys specific classes. But if you look past stupid item shop decisions and can live with playing free class in the game you will be pleasantly surprised. The game itself is surprisingly good, the story is great as expected from the game infused with lore taken from one of the best books series ever written, and the feeling when visiting iconic landscape is epic. But if I need to be real as I should, I would recommend this one to people appreciate good story and lore and ones that are fans of Lord of the Rings itself.
Neverwinter is a premium and licensed D&D MMO game and it is well strange. The free-to-play model of the game will let you enjoy it until you hit the end game, then you will have to shell real money if you want to be competitive but the journey until then is great. I would recommend it to D&D lovers and people that love to try other people's maps, yup you read it correctly. Neverwinter has a map editor making it one of a kind MMO game where you can create your own dungeons and post them for other players to play, this user-generated content makes it a very specific beast in this list, and for that feature alone it has my recommendation.
Another one of the older titles, Tera will offer you nor depth nor anything new in terms of leveling, quests, or end game except… the COMBAT. This is maybe the greatest MMO Combat game ever created and it is quite fascinating that even after so many years no other game has managed to create a better combat system than one of Tera. If you enjoy action combat and like some specific aesthetics Tera is a game for you.
Albion is a sandbox game with open-world PvP and building mechanics where you can build your own forest, house, etc. You know, sandbox stuff, including a lot of crafting and well, other sandbox stuff. If you want great quests and some occasional play then skip Albion, this game is made for a more hardcore player base not being afraid to die and spend some time crafting and going through the economy. The best comparison might be with EVE but in fantasy settings.
Black Desert is also a sandbox game but different from Albion, here you can organize and hire a workforce and send them to different nodes on a map to harvest resources and build an economy while you are on some epic adventure. Housing is also included but you can buy already made houses instead of making your own in the world. Combat is a game that comes very close to Tera combat and it is very enjoyable. The end game is money sink and PvP based so be careful when choosing this one.
If you like occult and supernatural with new world order themes and conspiracy theories, Secret World Legends is the game for you. Somewhat little clunky its setting and story really set it apart in many many ways. It has semi-action combat and it is free to play with item shop but all the content can be experienced for free. Recommended for fans of deeper gameplay and horror lore.
When I said no MMO list can be without World of Warcraft, it also cannot be without Runescape, one of the oldest games it was revamped with newer mechanics and graphics, free to play all the way and you can also pick old school Runescape if you really want to go all the way on a nostalgia trip. I would recommend a newer one for newer players, the game offers a great story and unusual quests infused with puzzles and interesting storylines. If you like really good quest design without fetch and grind quests along with interesting story this is a game for you.
Last on my list would be AION, a very interesting game made also a long way back, but the fact that is completely free with the cosmetic shop will make it as one to recommend since you can experience the whole game for free. It has some limited flying mechanics in it and later game zone are open PvP zones, story is interesting and leveling process is enjoyable. Also game itself is not really easy and if not careful you can get yourself in danger quite quickly. Recommended for old-school feeling.
