What is ExploreParameter
Sep 05, 2016 I want to use this on my Mac and Windows 10 PC so does anyone know if this Firefox Extension is different if it's installed on a Mac or a Windows PC running Firefox? Thank you so much for any advice! Macrumors G4. Sep 15, 2011 10,710 10,833 Vilano Beach, FL. Wednesday at 7:36 AM #2.
ExploreParameter is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that belongs to the Adware family. Adware is short for ‘ad supported’ software. Additionally, some malicious software has adware built into the program. Adware software shows unwanted advertisements that appear in pop ups or advertising banners on computer. In order to show unwanted adverts as often as possible adware software can change your internet browser settings. You may even find that your Apple Mac settings are hijacked without your knowledge. The developers of adware do so in order to generate profit via third-party ad network. Thus every your click on the adverts earns profit for them.
- Aug 28, 2020 Not all Chrome, Firefox, and Edge extensions will work in Safari, and developers will be required to pay $99 per year for an Apple Developer Program membership in order to port their extensions.
- Jan 20, 2017 Version 2.0.31 Released Jan. 20, 2017 1.0 MiB Works with Firefox 51.0 - 56., SeaMonkey 2.1 - 2.50. backwards compatibility fix for latest Firefox Source code released under Mozilla Public License Version 1.1.
- Mar 14, 2017 UPDATE Dec 16 2017: The information in this article is still valid. However, Dragon has now been updated to version 6.0.8 which also brings High Sierra compatibility. Things are still pretty stable although some quirks still remain. Well, it took them long enough. After six updates to the current version of Dragon Professional Individual for Mac.
Even worse, adware software be able to gather and transmit sensitive info without your permission. Adware can track information about web pages visited, browser and system information, and your machine IP address. So, if you happen to encounter the adware, then be quick and take effort to delete it ASAP. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to remove ExploreParameter adware. Let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.
How does ExploreParameter get on your machine
Adware actively distributed with free applications. Therefore, it’s very important, when installing an unknown program even downloaded from well-known web-site, read the Terms of use and the Software license, as well as to choose the Manual, Advanced or Custom setup method. In this mode, you may disable the installation of optional modules and applications and protect your Apple Mac from adware software.
Threat Summary
Name | ExploreParameter, Explore Parameter 1.0 app |
Type | adware, potentially unwanted application (PUA), pop up advertisements, pop up virus, popups |
Symptoms |
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Removal | ExploreParameter removal guide |
How to remove ExploreParameter
If you have consistent pop-ups or unwanted ads, slow Apple Mac, crashing Apple Mac issues, you are in need of adware software removal assistance. The guide below will guide you forward to get ExploreParameter removed and will assist you get your machine operating at peak capacity again.
To remove ExploreParameter, perform the following steps:
- Manual ExploreParameter removal
- Automatic Removal of ExploreParameter adware
Manual ExploreParameter removal
Most adware can be deleted manually, without the use of anti-virus or other removal tools. The manual steps below will guide you through how to get rid of ExploreParameter step by step. Although each of the steps is very easy and does not require special knowledge, but you are not sure that you can finish them, then use the free utilities, a list of which is given below.
Uninstalling the ExploreParameter, check the list of installed programs first
First method for manual adware software removal is to go into the Finder, then Applications. Take a look at the list of apps on your MAC OS and see if there are any questionable and unknown programs. If you see any, you need to remove them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Net search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted application, adware software or malware, you will likely find information that says so.
Open Finder and click “Applications”.
Very carefully look around the entire list of software installed on your MAC. Most probably, one of them is the ExploreParameter adware. If you have many software installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious programs by sort the list by date of installation.
Once you have found a questionable, unwanted or unused application, right click to it and choose “Move to Trash”. Another way is drag the application from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Don’t forget, choose Finder -> “Empty Trash”.
Remove ExploreParameter adware from Google Chrome
Like other modern web-browsers, the Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby restore the internet browser’s settings like new tab, search engine and home page that have been changed by the ExploreParameter adware software.
Open the Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as shown in the following example and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
Get rid of ExploreParameter adware from Mozilla Firefox
If your Mozilla Firefox web-browser is hijacked by ExploreParameter or an unknown search provider shows results for your search, then it may be time to perform the web browser reset. It will keep your personal information like browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and web form auto-fill data.
First, run the Firefox and click button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the browser. Further, click the Help button () as shown in the figure below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web-browser adress bar and press Enter. It will open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown in the figure below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, press the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the ExploreParameter adware. After, it is complete, click the “Finish” button.
Remove ExploreParameter from Safari
The Safari reset is great if your internet browser is hijacked or you have unwanted add-ons or toolbars on your web-browser, that installed by an malicious software.
Click Safari menu and choose “Preferences”.
It will open the Safari Preferences window. Next, click the “Extensions” tab. Look for unknown and suspicious extensions on left panel, choose it, then click the “Uninstall” button. Most important to delete all unknown add-ons from Safari.
Once complete, click “General” tab. Change the “Default Search Engine” to Google.
Find the “Homepage” and type into textfield “https://www.google.com”.
Automatic Removal of ExploreParameter adware
Computer security researchers have built efficient adware removal tools to help users in removing unwanted pop ups and undesired ads. Below we will share with you the best malicious software removal tools with the ability to scan for and remove ExploreParameter adware software.
Use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) to remove ExploreParameter adware
We recommend using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware. You can download and install MalwareBytes Free to detect adware software and thereby get rid of ExploreParameter ads from your web-browsers. When installed and updated, this free malware remover automatically searches for and deletes all threats present on the MAC.
- Download MalwareBytes from the link below.Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
15717 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: September 10, 2020 - When the downloading process is complete, please close all apps and open windows on your machine. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
- The MalwareBytes Free will launch and display the main window.
- Further, press the “Scan” button for checking your MAC OS for the ExploreParameter adware. This task may take some time, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Free is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
- Once the scan get completed, the results are displayed in the scan report.
- Review the scan results and then click the “Remove Selected Items” button.
- Close the AntiMalware and continue with the next step.
How to stay safe online
If you browse the Internet, you can’t avoid malvertising. But you can protect your browser against it. Download and use an ad blocker application. AdGuard is an ad blocker that can filter out a ton of of the malvertising, stoping dynamic scripts from loading harmful content.
- Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link. Save it to your Desktop.AdGuard for Mac download
2859 downloads
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: January 17, 2018 - After the downloading process is finished, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the install is finished, click “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
- In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your MAC system, AdGuard will run automatically and stop unwanted ads, block harmful and misleading web sites.
Finish words
Now your Apple Mac should be clean of the ExploreParameter adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted popup ads and undesired malicious websites) and MalwareBytes Anti Malware (to periodically scan your MAC for new malicious software, browser hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Mac operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new hijackers, harmful applications and adware are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to remove ExploreParameter ads from your internet browser, then ask for help here.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Loading..
UPDATE 15/10/2016: I have now been using Dragon 6.0.1 for a couple of weeks, you can read my thoughts here.
UPDATE 28/9/2016: I received a personal phone call from Jeff Lieman, the manager of Engineering at Nuance, encouraging me to try out and review the new version, Dragon 6.01, which was released today. I will try it out over the next few weeks and give you an update.
I’m so disappointed with the latest version of Dragon for Mac 6 released yesterday that I’m not even going to write a review. I will make some comments though for those who might be thinking of upgrading.
Dragon for Mac 6 (renamed Dragon Professional Individual for Mac, v6) crashes every few minutes. It does crazy mistakes like “againnâ€, “consistsnt†and “won’tt”. There have been a couple of times it has taken complete control of my computer and spat out endless garbage like ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
I cannot even force quit it because it is an invisible application. I cannot go into activity monitor to quit because I have lost control of my keyboard. I’ve installed it on my Macbook Air but it’s too unstable to put on my main Mac. Audio normalizer for mac.
Here are some comments from actual users:
“profound disappointment.”Kevin
Dragon For Mac Firefox Extensions
“this version of Dragon is so much garbage that I thought I might be able to warn others”Zach
Mac app update. Would be nice to be able to change sounds, chat group avatar, background image, etc.Other than that love the app and it’s integration into Outlook calendar and contacts!
“Upgrading to dragon 6 is the worse decision I have made in a long time.”Max
“shouldn’t Nuance be beta-testing new releases with users so these bugs get squashed before a general release?”Jon
“I find it surprising that this version has been released when it clearly contains so many errors.”Peter
“I am also frustrated with version 6, and like Zach, I’ve been a user since the MacSpeech iListen days.”Stephen
“Now instead of just messing up and quitting, the 6.0 version just stops working and gives you a spinning beach ball.”Mary
“getting a little tiresome”adsub
“very disappointed that Nuance would put out such an unstable version.”Mark
“it is not a positive experience.”David
“Getting Dragon version 6 for the Macintosh to work for me was a huge pain.”Fletch
“What good is improved UI when the guts don’t work.”Andrew
Download Firefox Extension
“Big promises for Dragon 6, but a complete failure on delivery. Don’t buy it!”Tersh
“It has crashed more than 10 times in 6 days in the course of doing very ordinary dictation tasks.”Steve
“by far the worst release I’ve seen as far as bugs and erratic behavior in a program version that’s virtually useless”Mark
“I feel like Charlie Brown, each time they come out with a new version I think that it will be different but then they pull the football away.”
And my favourite:
“The only “Deep Learning” taking place here is that I must not allow myself to be ripped off yet again!”Arnold
We know we are desperate if people are suggesting solutions like this:
“why don’t you try Dragon for Windows (using a Windows bootcamp partition or a virtual machine)?”Marius
I am very disappointed because previously this was one of my favourite pieces of software.
You can read more on the Nuance customer forums here.
A final note, be wary of reviews like this one that are overly positive – they are selling the software!