Consumers Seeing Unwanted Text Enhance Ads? Seeing Unwanted Text Enhance Ads? October 5, 2011 The problem: Seeing certain words on web pages – maybe even on your own site – with unwanted green, double-underlined contextual ads. These links point to (or are at least powered by) such sites as text-enhance.com. The problem is you don’t want these text ads, nor did you give permission for them to appear on your computer. You’ll see some places that offer to remove it if you download their software, but typically downloading and running this software is an unnecessary step. Sponsored links Text Enhance What I found alarming at first was that I was seeing these links on multiple browsers, which at first led me to believe that the code was on my site, and not on my computer. But alas, it was just malware on my computer, installed as an add-on to multiple browsers, and quite easy to remove. There are at least 3 simple ways to remove it. Remove Add-Ons/Extensions In Chrome, click on the wrenchat the top right, then select Tools->Extensions and remove something called “Facetheme” or “Better Links” there. The add-on called “Facetheme” was the one on my comptuer that was directly linked to text-enhance.com. “Better Links” was a similar add-on I found on a different computer, but worked essentially the same as text enhance. Other users have reported one called “Vid Save” or “Vidsaver” as well. (In IE, go into Tools->Manage Add-Ons to remove it there. In Firefox, go into Tools->Add Ons.) While you’re in there, remove any unwanted add-ons. There’s a good chance you’ll see some you don’t recognize or want. Add/Remove Programs We found “Facetheme” in the add/remove programs section of Windows. (In XP, go into Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs.. in Windows 7 go into Control Panel->Programs & Features). The removal process seemed to work this way as well. Run Superantispyware or other existing spyware removal If the above techniques don’t work (though they should), and you alreadyuse Superantispyware (or a similar product), a “complete” scan of your system should locate such malware and prompt you to get rid of it. Sponsored Links So what is this text-enhance.com website all about? Visiting their site, we see the following message: Text-Enhance links are designed to create meaningful relationships between advertisers and consumers. If you are seeing these links, then a web publisher has decided to offer them to you. If you would like to opt-out of seeing these links, click here. You shouldn’t have to ask permission for someone to remove malware off of your computer that was put there without your permission in the first place. They didn’t play by the rules in putting the malware on your computer, so do we believe they will play by the rules in removing it? We suggest not using this bogus opt-out tool or trusting them at all. Reading further about their “removal tool” they state: Remember: Our opt-out service is cookie based. This means that if you clear yourcookies (or use software to “speed up your computer”, which clears cookies for you), then Text-Enhance links will show up again. To prevent this from happening, you will need to add the domain: textsrv.com to your softwares exclusion list for cookie removal.  They warn you that if you remove cookies, you’ll see their malware again, and suggest adding their domain to your exclusion list! DON’T DO THIS. This is essentially allowing them to hijack your computer and then tell you to play by their rules. Try the removal techniques above instead of playing by their rules. Update: Be sure to read the comments below, as several users have listed variants that worked for them.  The techniques above may also apply to unwanted links appearing from jxliu.com. Further Reading:   Sponsored links Related Items ←    → Chris You are a god, thank you so much! X534 I’m having a problem with this, i’ve gone and deleted all the cookies i’ve ever had, nothing changed, run multiple scans turning up nothing,i have no extension and have un-installed and re-installed chrome twice now and there is nothing i can see in control panel to cause it, could someone please help me? waffles Be sure you’ve checked ALL browsers, not just Chrome. And also take a look in your add/remove programs as there may be something there to remove as well. Pete I went to my Control Panel -> Programs and Features then scrolled down till I found an object named ‘Face Theme’. I uninstalled that and never had a problem with these ads since. Temette I had the same problem and I couldn’t find the addon: it was called Media Player and was locked on the addon list, so I was unable to delete it. I had to go to the Control Panel and uninstall it there, now it’s okay NJ Thanks I notied a couple of them those sneaky ads Removing one tybookumark ended it. wantfit I only had extensions: voice and norton id protection. I cannot find Options based on your message. Could you give more detail steps as how to get to Options? Thanks.Stallion8426 This is only if you have the Adblock extension in Chrome, which i recommend you get because it is like magic and this fix worked for me. Jenn For me it was the You Tube Ad block extension that was the issue. After a fruitless search for malware in my computer, I ended up fixing the issue by disabling all the extensions in google chrome & enabling them one by one until I found it. I was a bit surprised & I need YT ad block – have u ever tried watchin YT without it – grrr! Allan Fine Does anyone know if it could be in a wordpress plugin? waffles Have not heard of this. It has typically been found in a browser extension. Allan Fine Can’t get rid of it Someone help ! Shawn First suggestion helped! It was called less tabs. Thanks for the help! Izaak Thanks dude mine was B-lyrics piece of sh*t of a program is finally gone I think for now! Nick I found the programme called SelectLinks in my add/remove programmes and just deleted it. Now the In Text Advertising is gone –hallelujah. Ron B I was getting these ads and managed to remove them by deleting a few extensions. Not sure which one was the ad (didn’t refresh the page after each removal) but the one I wasn’t familiar with was called “Honey” bkaras No matter what I do, it keeps coming back. This is BS. It is no different than me going to a brick and motar store (say Footlocker) and putting up a billboard advertising my company. The store would want it removed and I could say “no problem.” and give the store owner (manager) a blindfold. Thats Text-Enhance’s cookie solution. Can someone say Lawsuit. web commander The extension I had was called something like “file/fast/first permission”. I still have no idea where I got it from. joeyjoank I had to remove an ad on called start now. Both from the control panel and extensions. I had blue highlighted words only in the cooking site Allrecipe. Could some one tell me what Yontoo Layers runtime ( drop down deals) 1.10..01 is. I was going to remove it but awarning came up that it was some how connected to a browser? So I didn’t remove it. m Yontoo should be one of the extension you have to remove, as far as I have found out. Estelindis For me, it was an extension in Chrome called Fast Save. I never installed it. Deleting it removed the ads. Butch Mine was inside an extension on chrome for “Free HD Sport TV”… I had first found the Yontoo extension and it had tons of little critters in there, so I deleted it. Then I found some of them in my programs. So I deleted them and they were gone for only a few minutes. Now they are… bye-bye Sanda I too had this mess. Mine was an addendum to Coupon Printer, called “COUPON Compatibility Add On”. I want thru all steps to remove and found out that REVO INSTALLER FREE did a superbe job, set on Advanced setting for after the uninstall cleanup. I Love Revo and need to buy it for my 64bit system. I did have a paid-for Pro Version, but when my computer acted up I had to do a complete re-install of my OSWin7, and lost the numbers. Now I have to buy it. I had gotten a promo free copy of pro from Raymond some years ago and it was great. Do any of you know of a freebie for pro Revo Uninstall? I would greatly appreciate this as I have not been physically able to work in 19 years due to car wreck from a drunk driver on drugs. S franco Mine was ONE CLIK DOWNLOAD extension of chrome that is doing it. christine I have tried all of the above and it seems to be no where. Text enhancer is present but not in any programs and file, in add on’s and extensions etc I have done everything and it does not work. I need help as my computer is becoming slow and the websites I am building are infected with it as well. Rosie I had the programs I Want This and Browse to Save. Deleted both of them and hopefully it’ll solve the problem. Scatman “Select Link” was the culprit for my Win7 laptop. Bart Browser Companion 1.0.5 was the malware on my comp. Both an addon and on the computer (don’t know what installedit, I didn’t) and the uninstaller contained a virus, so use the removal tool in your extension list. Muz Hi, Thanks for the tips, worked for me. I removed Vaudix from Chrome extensions. B Went to uninstall programs, uninstalled an unfamiliar program called Vaudix. Was also in my add-ons for firefox. All the links have disappeared thus far. Christina Disabled an add-on called Add Lyrics 1.0 …. this got rid of the text-enhanced nonsense! helle antonsen Extension: GoPhoto It and Torrent Handler Payed a fortune to Norton, they just slowed my mac….. thanks guys Julia On my computer this was a program called wxdownload and associated files called sprotector. All gone now, thank you. Was tearing my hair out as anti-virus and anti-malware weren’t picking it up… Maria Thank you! So much! “Into Now” was causing the problem for me. And it was driving me nuts!!!Thanks again! Jaan In my case it was Unity Player 4.0.1.62093, next line there was written unity player 4.0.1f1 that seemed to be fishi soi deleted that one and these nasty links seems to be gone brokenflower Omg thank you so much, tried the google extension trick, and there it was. Problem immediately solved. Thank you for taking the time to explain, I couldn’t believe it when I checked my website and there were horrible adlinks everywhere! Maximus Yea it works when I stop Shockware flash in google chrome, but then obviously youtube vids etc don’t work anymore, should I then download another kind of flash? David Removing the flash shockware worked for Firefox! Thank you. Didrick The addon that caused unwanted links and link boxes for me was Sociablepics, an addon that allegedly would let me share pictures found on the web by clicking on logos to various social network that appeared on the pictures but I never actually tried this. I felt that after a while, these buttons got a little too intrusive by appearing on almost every single picture I saw and as I got more annoyed by the unwanted links appearing on words thatshouldn’t be linked, I thought it was time to completely remove Sociablepics. And it worked! So DO NOT install Sociablepics as this will most likely happen to others as well! Seano The latest manifestation on 26/11/2012 was “StartNow Tool” published by StartNow.com. I removed through tools -> extension in Chrome and through Control Pannel in windows (sorting by date helped me find it) DA I disabled “one click download” in Firefox and Chrome. That solved the problem for me. – tools – add-ons – disable Frustration Mine was called Yontoo layers run time. The_Destroyer Argh! I cant find it anywhere! Dawnie I have hunted all over the computer, disabled the few extensions in Chrome I had running – no luck! I have been using FB photozoom for a while with no issues. It was the only extension I hadn’t tried to disable. The links disappeared the moment I disabled that!! Nasty! Nicole D Mine was a Firefox Add-on called Incredi-bar. k Yeah it was Yontoo for me aswell! ←     → Consumers October 5,2011 Related Items