wafflesatnoon.com » Consumers » Seeing Unwanted Text Enhance Ads?
Seeing Unwanted Text Enhance Ads?
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.
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.
• Removing Add-Ons/Extensions
In Chrome, click on the wrench at 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
I actually found “Facetheme” in my 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 already use Superantispyware (or a similar product), a “complete” scan of your system should locate such malware and prompt you to get rid of it.
So what about this text-enhance.com website anyway? 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.
This explanation is completely bogus. 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 you really think they’ll play by the rules in removing it? Don’t use this bogus opt-out tool and don’t trust them. Reading further about their bogus removal tool, they state:
Remember: Our opt-out service is cookie based. This means that if you clear your cookies (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 have the nerve to warn you like a child that if you remove cookies, you’ll see these malware links again, and suggest adding their domain to your exclusion list! DON’T DO THIS. This is essentially allowing a criminal 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.
Further Reading:
Filed under: Consumers
This particular malware is really annoying, so thank you for writing this article. What I want to know is what the source of this `text enhance` is? Especially since I found it in every one of my browsers, as well as on my uninstall as you stated.
Thanks!
Hey Corey… I can’t say I’m sure where it came from. If I hear anything, I’ll post an update. Thanks for the comment!
Many thanks, It was in programs in Vista. Uninstalled it. That worked perfectly.
Also in Crhome under face theme. It was on all my browsers.
Than you for you article.
Enjoy the Day
You’re welcome – glad we could help you get rid of it!
This malware really upsets me. Isn’t it illegal or something to change the (apparent) content of webpages without permission? I don’t want people coming to my site and being served ads which I did not approve or desire. They are stealing plain and simple. Is there some other kind of fix that I can code into my website to refuse to display these ads?
AdBlock may prevent those links from showing, but that doesn’t remove the malware, which resides on the user’s computer. I share your frustration, which is why I tell people not to abide by text-enhance.com’s suggested removal, which is bogus… and to just remove it yourselves. And just spread the word about them…
Hi, I am on a MAC, How do I remove it from my computer? I originally followed their website instructions and wondered why it came back until I read your post explaining it happens when you clear your cache, which I did. This is really annoying and I can not believe they do this. Thanks for your post and please explain how I can get rid of it for good on a MAC.
Just read up on something that works to remove it from firefox “remove toolbar that is installed by Vuzedownload software” and it goes away. Worked for me.
Thanks for the info Liz.
FINALLY!!!! Thank you so much!
Anytime! Glad we could help you.
I found the Text Enhance extension hiding as something called “VidSaver” in my extensions in Chrome. I know I’d never download such a stupid thing, so I deleted it straight away. Thanks for this.
I wanted to thank you so much for this Info. I was beginning to tear apart my wordpress site. First I checked the plugins, then I was getting ready to dig into PHP, but after a search before hand I found your post. This has saved me a ton of time and aggravation. Thanks again.
Glad we were able to help. Same thing happened to us when we first noticed it!
Thanks! I use Crome and was very annoyed whenever the browser was hijacked by the ad. I removed a few “search engines” and fine now. Google search engine was also hijacked too. Now I think I can use google engine without problem
Thanks for this, even if after the initial post the offending extension on Chrome for me was something called Vid-Saver which I was able to uninstall easily from add/remove programmes on WIN7. Cheers for the info!
PLEASE REMOVE YOUR TEXT ADS AND POP UP ADS FROM MY SITE………THEY ARE UNWANTED AND INTERFERE WITH MY SITE TO THE PROPER CUSTOMERS…….REMOVE ASAP OR MY LAWYER WILL CONTACT YOU……DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?
Very clear, but you’re preaching to the choir here!
Thank you so much for this! I couldn’t figure out what the heck was wrong with my pc, and I just deleted the cookies, and it worked! Thank you!
Hey Corey,
I cannot thank you enough for all your help. These ads in my blog have been annoying and intrusive, I didn’t know what to do but you saved me from all these.
Thanks so much! Cheers.
Maria
Great news, I found this site that can help me, but my problems seems to be getting worse as now these links are showing up in my word documents. What is the best virus software to go with as I use to use McAfee but my IT guy told me to use Microsoft Security Essentials, I now wonder if this help me or hinder me.
I hope I can get rid of this stupid link, where are the internet cops and why don’t they shut this site down?
I use Avira. Works pretty well.
In Mozilla Firefox I went to my extensions and disabled something called Bcool 1.0. This fixed everything. Thank you so much for the advice!
Thanks for the update. There are probably varying names for these extensions, so it’s good to know that’s another one to avoid!
Appears i got this with a FF Add on called I want this. Don’t know where it came from but surely didn’t want this,lol.
Thanks great advice, this time it was called “wxdFast” (Firefox addon)
I know where I got my malware. I wanted a text-message COUPON from JoAnn fabrics, but had to download some software to access. supposedly. I never received the coupon I wanted, but I got all kinds of yuck!
watch out!
well I downloaded the free trial version of ‘superantispyware’ with the intent to purchase the program because if it would remove text-enhance it would have been money well spent
it ran for fifteen hours before I put it out of it’s misery and it found nothing
I am using win7 and firefox
superantispyware? super it isn’t anything like
Thank you very much!!! I found the Rat hidden in an adobe file. I followed the steps you provided and there it was. Manage add ons/ Programs/ Manage add ons / checked for suspicious names.It was “shock wave flash object” in an adobe file.I disable the file
Thanks again
jhawk
Hey, didn’t have the extension you mentioned, when I checked it only showed one extension called vid-saver.exe, removing this actually fixed the problem so big thanks for showing the way to that extensions page x)
Thanks – those text ehance fake hyperlinks suckballs all they do is just make me wanna cut myself
it was the vidsaver thing for me too, thank you so much!
I found it in c:/program files/I want This and there was a button to uninstall it. As soon as i did that my browser automatically restarted and it seems to be gone.
I had the problem too in Chrome, and you did help me some of the way, though the extension is called something else in my ‘version’ of the issue.
http://www.sevenit.info/how-to-remove-powered-by-text-enhance-adds/
Hi there,
Thanks a lot to Waffles and all other users posted comments here.
In my case it came with “dislike it!” ad-on for Chrome.
THANK YOU!!!!!
Hi Waffle, This annoying spyware is not showing up in my ” extensions ” on chrome. I installed spybot and updated it but the rat is still eating into my brain argh.
I got this on my computer, not sure where it came from, but I found an extension in Firefox called Shopping Sidekick, which I removed and also a folder on my hard drive in c:\Program Files\Shopping Sidekick, which I deleted – sorted!
Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the explanation. These unwanted hyperlinks were driving me crazy. They finally disappeared after removing all unfamiliar add ons.
Thanks.
Hey cheers for that was really useful was going a bit mad with it. I found it under vid save and removed it form IE, Chrome and uninstall. Zone alarm alerted me to vidsave trying to launch and it trying to access the internet denied both.
Thanks for commenting… Glad you were able to get rid of it!
Thanks for this – really useful.
Just thought I’d Add to the list of MALWARE ADDS infecting our systems: Mine was in ie. on Win7 just went to Programs and Features like it said. Removed “Giant Savings” Text Enhanced disapeared at the same time.
I went to their web site too. Using a cookie to suppress ARE THEY KIDDING.
Thanks for the article
That’s a new one – thanks for the update!
I’ve got this text enhance mess but have been unable to locate any of the extensions/add-ons that have been mentioned. I use Chrome. Any suggestions or help?
You may also try looking around in the add/remove programs section of Windows for anything there. Good luck.
I can’t find any of those names in my files or in my add-ons and I still have the text-enhance crud going on! I want it gone!
Check your extensions/add-ons for anything you don’t recognize. If you can’t find anything, try your add/remove programs and look for anything odd in there. Good luck!
Thank you for this. Mine was under the wrench and was “Fast Save” for Google Chrome. I was removing things like crazy trying to figure this out, so without reading this I never would have known. (Don’t worry, everything I removed was miscellany).
Thank you so much for posting these instructions – my text-enhance ads were appearing at it turned out this was through an extension called ‘I Want This’, which also appeared in my program files.
x
So look out for that one too!
Thanks for giving us another one to watch for!
Thanks for the help.
I had to keep digging in my Add/Remove programs to find the offending parasite – it turned up as a program called “codecv” which when I uninstalled brought up a webpage for “just plug it”….
No more Text Enhance – I’ll keep my eyes peeled in future!
In Mozilla Firefox recently, I had to go to “Tools”, “Add-ons”, “Plugins”, then disable “Shockwave Flash 11.3.300.270″
Oops. actually it was something called “codec-c 1″ or something in the extensions I had to remove.
Wow. I unloaded what appeared to be “facebook timeline” and so far it appears to have gotten rid of it. Thanks!
i found that if i use incognito in Google. these ads don’t appear. also sometines there are lots of ads on a webpage but other times there are no ads on that same page. thanks, i tried all i could but i can’t remove these ads
Your advice to fix this via Chrome did not work for me. I followed your advice and went to tools/extensions. None of the extensions listed have any resemblance to any of the applications you suggest we remove. I have very few listed. Is there an alternative approach?
Thanks
THANK YOU!! Your suggestions worked perfect for me on all my browsers and it removed this pesty thing. What a relief!
I tried the tools-internet options-security-restircted sites approach. It didn’t work. Went to Firefox extentions and there’s nothing out of the ordinary. HELP.
A short video showing you how to remove text enhance on chrome that is quick and simple to follow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMjQTh9HkgY
Hope it helps
HELP! It’s driving me nuts! I have looked repeatedly at my extensions (Chrome), but find no suspicious names there (AdBlock (which didn’t find it), SiteAdvisor, Tapatalk Notifier, VideoFile Download (could this be the culprit??)and Website Logon). Nothing in Add/Remove that seems to have any suspicious programmes. Now what? Pleeease help…
Arrgghh – I think I found out that the videofiledownload is a trojan. Now I ‘just’ have to get rid of that, I suppose.
Oh crap I did the opt out tool. I am reinstalling windows anyway so I should be ok in getting it off my computer
Thank you for your help with this issue.
I didn’t find it in my ‘un-install’ programs but I did get rid of it via the ad-ons.
So far so good, so again, thank you heaps Marc
I found out that mine was actually disguised as something from Adobe called Adobe PDF link helper. These scumbags will go pretty low for a few ads.