Remove “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” virus

The “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” pop-up ad is a social engineering technique, which is to trick Windows users to install adware or a potentially unwanted program on their computers.
Picture of Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended) virus
The “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” pop-ups happens regardless of the web browser or search engine, and if you are seeing a pop-up from a website saying that a “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” is required, then your computer may be infected with adware or a potentially unwanted program.
This infection is designed specifically to make money. It generates web traffic, collects sales leads for other dubious sites, and will display advertisements and sponsored links within your web browser.

The “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” ad is distributed via adware or other malicious programs. Malicious websites, or legitimate websites that have been compromised, may display this pop-up ads within your web browser.
On these infected or compromised websites, cyber criminals will display a pop-up box stating that you need to updated or install a piece of software.The text for the “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)”pop-up is:

Flash Player is needed
Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)

If you click on the “Download” or “Click to install now” button, instead of installing an update, you’ll agree to download an adware or a malicious programs onto your computer.
The “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” link may install on your computer potentially unwanted programs like: toolbars (Sweet-Page Toolbar, AwesomeHP Toolbar), adware (EnhanceTronic, Feven 1.8, CouponBuddy) or other forms of malware.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this “Please install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” adware. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” pop-up ads (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” virus from your computer and any other adware program that may have been installed during the setup process.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point,STOP and ask for our assistance.

STEP 1: Uninstall the adware program responsible for the Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-ups
STEP 2: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) adware from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome with AdwCleaner
STEP 3: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 4: Double-check for the “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” malware with HitmanPro
(Optional) STEP 5: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

If you are using an Apple Mac OS X operating system, please follow this Remove virus from Apple Mac OS X (Pop-up Ads and Adware) guide to remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up ads

STEP 1: Uninstall the adware program responsible for the Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-ups

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

  1. To uninstall a program from Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
    [Image: Control Panel in Windows Start Menu]
    If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for “control panel” .Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control Panel from there.
    [Image: Type Control Panel in Windows 8 search box]
  2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category. This option is shown by the arrow in the image below. If you are using the “Classic View” of the Control Panel, then you would double-click on the “Programs and Features” icon instead.
    [Image: Uninstall a program]
  3. When the “Programs and Features” or the “Uninstall a Program” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall New Player, HostSecurePlugin, CloudScout Parental Control, Savefier, Storm Watch, Media Video Players,Browsers_Apps_Pro, Save Pass, HQualityPro-1.6, Sm23mS, Salus, Network System Driver, SS8 and HD-V2.2.
    The malicious program may have a different name on your computer.
    To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your programs by the installation date. Scroll through the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown program.

    If you are having issues while trying to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

    Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-ups from Windows
    If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.


STEP 2: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) adware from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for the “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” malicious files, browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

  1. You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
    ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will download “AdwCleaner” on your computer)
  2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
    AdwCleaner Icon
    If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
  3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
    AdwCleaner scan button
    AdwCleaner will now start to search for the “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
  4. To remove the “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
    Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) with AdwCleaner
  5. AdwCleaner will prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.
    AdwCleaner removing malware

STEP 3: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

  1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
    MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free”)
  2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware setup program]
    Picture of User Account Control You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
  3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizardwhich will guide you through the installation process.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard]
    To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Final Setup Screen]
  4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Fix Now” button.
    [Image: Click on the Fix Now button to start a scan]
    Alternatively, you can click on the “Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the“Scan Now” button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Threat Scan]
  5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any, you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
    [Image: Click on Update Now to update Malwarebytes Anti-Malware]
  6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware while performing a scan]
  7. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the “Apply Now” button.
    [Image: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware]
    Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
  8. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware removing Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)]
    After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

STEP 4: Double-check for the “Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended)” malware infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

  1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
    HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
  2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
    [Image: HitmanPro start-up screen]
    Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
    [Image: HitmanPro setup options]
  3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) malicious files.
    [Image: HitmanPro scanning for malware]
  4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) virus.
    [Image: HitmanPro scan results]
  5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
    [Image: HitmanPro Activate Free License]

(Optional) STEP 5: Remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

If you are still experiencing issues with the Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) pop-up ads in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, we will need to reset your browser to its default settings. This step needs to be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

  • Reset Internet Explorer
  • Reset Mozilla Firefox
  • Reset Google Chrome
You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear iconIE Icon Gear in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
    [Image: Internet Options in Internet Explorer]
  2. In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
    [Image: Reset Internet Explorer]
  3. In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
    [Image: Reset Internet Explorer to its default settings]
  4. When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now  need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.
    [Image Reset Internet Explorer settings]
Your computer should now be free of the Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) adware infection. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Please Install Flash Player Update (Recommended) adware from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.