This article has been created to give you insight on what is the Win Tonic PUP and how you can remove it from your computer effectively and permanently.
A new potentially unwanted software going by the name Win Tonic has been detected by Symantec researchers. The Win Tonic PUP is the type of software which is created to help optiminze computers and make them faster. The program claims to detect and remove invalid registry entries, malware and also junk files, calling them potentially unwanted items. However, what may be potentially unwanted is the Win Tonic program itself, primarily because researchers believe that the detections it displays may be various different types of objects on the computer which may be completely legitimate. This may be done with the purpose to get you to purchase the full version of Win Tonic software.
Threat Summary
| Name | Win Tonic |
| Type | Hoax PC Scanner |
| Short Description | May display fake detections of malware and PC errors to get users t pay for a full version of the program. |
| Symptoms | Your PC may expeirence slow-downs and the program may start automatically and show errors on each scan. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
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Malware Removal Tool
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Win Tonic. |
WinTonic – Spread
In order to be replicated on the victims’ computers, the Win Tonic software may either be added in the installers of other programs as a part of a bundling affiliate program or it can be downloaded from a misleading web page.
If WinTonic is added as a result of software bundling, the program may be added in one of the installation steps of the setup of any free software you may have downloaded. The software may be presented as a free extra on those setup wizards and you can easily miss it, since such programs are often hidden in the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation modes of the setups.
Another way of you downloading Win Tonic on your computer is if you have visited it’s official website, where the program is advertised as a legitimate tool used to get users to download and fix their computers. The website even says that the product is Norton approved, which is not exactly correct, since Norton detects this software as a PUA.
Win Tonic – More Information
Once Win Tonic is installed on your computer, the program may drop it’s program files, which have been detected by the researchers to be with the following locations, with the following names and types:
→ %UserProfile%\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\pctonics.com
%UserProfile%\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Win Tonic
%UserProfile%\All Users\pctonics.com
%UserProfile%\All Users\pctonics.com\Win Tonic
%UserProfile%\Public\Desktop\Win Tonic.lnk
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\HtmlRenderer.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\HtmlRenderer.WPF.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Interop.IWshRuntimeLibrary.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Interop.SHDocVw.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\langs.db
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Microsoft.Win32.TaskScheduler.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack.Shell.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\msvcp100.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\msvcr100.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\Newtonsoft.Json.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\PaddleCheckoutSDK.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\PresentationCore.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\sscfont.ttf
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\System.Data.SQLite.DLL
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\System.Threading.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\TAFactory.IconPack.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\unins000.dat
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\unins000.exe
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\unins000.msg
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\langs.db
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\Microsoft.Win32.TaskScheduler.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\Newtonsoft.Json.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\System.Data.SQLite.DLL
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\System.Data.SQLite.Linq.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\System.Threading.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\TAFactory.IconPack.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\WebExtNotifier.exe
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\WebExtNotifier.exe.config
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\x64\SQLite.Interop.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\websec\x86\SQLite.Interop.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\WpfAnimatedGif.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\WPFToolkit.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\wtc.exe
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\wtc.exe.config
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\x64\SQLite.Interop.dll
%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic\x86\SQLite.Interop.dll
In addition to this, the Win Tonic software is also attacking the Windows Registry Editor, because the program modifies a vast number of registry sub-keys in which it changes values of registry entires and also adds new ones:
→ HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage\NewShortcuts\%AllUsersProfile%\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Win Tonic\”Buy Win Tonic.lnk” = “1”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage\NewShortcuts\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Win Tonic\”Buy Win Tonic.lnk” = “1”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage\NewShortcuts\%AllUsersProfile%\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Win Tonic\”Win Tonic.lnk” = “1”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage\NewShortcuts\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Win Tonic\”Win Tonic.lnk” = “1”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”utm_campaign” = “wnspdutlads”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”utm_source” = “wnspdutlads”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”pxl” = “WNS3461_WNS3389_RUNT”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”utm_pubid” = “XXXYYY”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”utm_medium” = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-at” = “XXXYYY”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-context” = “6c37b8f0-774a-11e8-b413-8faecea024a5″
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-plt” = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-var1″ = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”lpid” = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”btnid” = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-var2″ = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-var3″ = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”referurl” = “”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”showpriceplan” = “3”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”shwtutrl” = “0”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”ppid” = “3F”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-ip” = “125_18_48_78″
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-datetime” = “07-26-2018 10:15:27 AM”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”x-fetch” = “1”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”InstallString” = “%ProgramFiles%\Win Tonic”
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-156198121-423029172-7828763-500\Software\pctonics.com\Win Tonic\”LangCode” = “en”
The program then schedules a hidden type of task which cannot be easily found and deleted. The program’s main idea is to start scanning your computer and detect the following “dangerous items”:
- Malware.
- Junk and privacy issues.
- Invalid registry objects.
- Web protection level.
The program may scan your computer and then display a screen claiming that there are a number of items that are potentially unwanted on your computer:
The program even goes as far as to display pop-ups on the bottom right sreen of your computer above the clock:
The program’s main purpose is to get you to fix your issues, believing they are serious and pay the licensed version, but the problem seems to be that those issues may not be real and the program might be misleading you in a way just to get you to sign up and pay.
Remove Win Tonic from Your Computer
If you want Win Tonic removed from your computer, we recommend that you follow the removal instructions underneatht his article. They have been created with the sole purpose of getting you to remove Win Tonic either manually or automatically. But since some objects and tasks created by Win Tonic cannot be removed so easily, experts recommend that you use an advanced anti-malware program for the removal process. It’s main goal is to get you to get rid of Win Tonic from your computer automatically and in the same time protect your computer from intrusive programs, like Win Tonic in the future as well.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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How to Remove Win Tonic from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for Win Tonic with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall Win Tonic and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by Win Tonic on Your PC.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Win Tonic there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Video Removal Guide for Win Tonic (Windows).
Get rid of Win Tonic from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Win Tonic and remove related files and objects
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Win Tonic. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Win Tonic via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Win Tonic files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Win Tonic, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for Win Tonic (Mac)
Remove Win Tonic from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase Win Tonic from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall Win Tonic from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove Win Tonic from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Win Tonic will be removed.
Eliminate Win Tonic from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Win Tonic-FAQ
What Is Win Tonic?
The Win Tonic threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of Win Tonic?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like Win Tonic?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does Win Tonic Work?
Once installed, Win Tonic can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
Win Tonic can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is Win Tonic Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the Win Tonic Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Win Tonic how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on Win Tonic?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Win Tonic threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.