Has Amazon Assistant ruined my Computer ?

I have been staying in and buying almost everything online - including much from Amazon.

So I could not see any harm in downloading 'Amazon Assistant' promoted by Amazon as a help to shoppers.

Apparently, and in my opinion, it's spyware/malware trying to direct online shoppers to buy everything from Amazon.

What it does is no matter what site you are shopping on, direct you back to Amazon by showing you the Amzon prices.

I immediately stopped the extension - But I was already having computer problems - So I removed the extension
- too late - there is damage done to my computer.

Malwarebytes found 10 PUP files which were quaranteened.

I've run other system scans - All found something.

As of now my system seems clean but will not operate properly, its slow on everything - except in opening the Amazon website
- of course that works fine.

There is no program to remove when I check the Control Panel for programs.

Still my computer was working fine before I installed the Amazon Assistant - and now it is barely usable.

What can I do

a reply to: AlienView

Do you use a junk cleaner like CCleaner ?
If not try that to clear the clutter and clean your registry which should speed up your machine , or you could system restore to a point before you installed Amazon Assistant.

Hmmm. It seems a bit odd that Amazon would feel the need to try and make people do what they're already doing by choice (buying everything from Amazon).

try a different browser?
could tell you weather it's lingering add on components or something at the system level

a reply to: gortex

Of course I have CC Cleaner also and updated it and ran it- did not find much and no real improvement.

Like I said Maywarebytes did find and quarantine 10 PUP [poterntially unwanted prorgram] and that didn't help either.

BUT what finally seems to have straightened the problem out for now was the old trick you should haave learned,
and I forgot.

REBOOT the dam thing - And as I was rebooting I saw it closed several 'apps'.

Start up and now it seems to be working OK !

- Bet you those 'apps' were really spyware in disguise !

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Hmmm. It seems a bit odd that Amazon would feel the need to try and make people do what they're already doing by choice (buying everything from Amazon).

Odd? All the big companies have been doing that for decades. It's called marketing 101. Whether it's ethical (not in my opinion) or not is a different thing.

Go to your programs and features (Win 7, it called something slightly different in Win 10) and find the offending program. Left click on it to highlight it and then right click on it to bring up a drop down, usually it just says "uninstall". Click on that and wait for the program to be deleted, usually when it disappears.

Now clear your browsing history, save your passwords.

Like Gortex said above, run CC Cleaner and then MalwareBytes. Now run your AV.

Restart your computer.

If the offending program is not in Programs and Features, you will have to do a search to find it.

originally posted by: HalWesten

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Hmmm. It seems a bit odd that Amazon would feel the need to try and make people do what they're already doing by choice (buying everything from Amazon).

Odd? All the big companies have been doing that for decades. It's called marketing 101. Whether it's ethical (not in my opinion) or not is a different thing.

It was sarcasm. I actually like Amazon and do buy everything from there because it's convenient. Well, I mean before the plague hit I didn't buy stuff there if I could find it local but now I kinda don't have a choice because I kinda don't want to die because I needed to run down to the store and buy a USB cable.

originally posted by: BrianFlanders

originally posted by: HalWesten

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
Hmmm. It seems a bit odd that Amazon would feel the need to try and make people do what they're already doing by choice (buying everything from Amazon).

Odd? All the big companies have been doing that for decades. It's called marketing 101. Whether it's ethical (not in my opinion) or not is a different thing.

It was sarcasm. I actually like Amazon and do buy everything from there because it's convenient. Well, I mean before the plague hit I didn't buy stuff there if I could find it local but now I kinda don't have a choice because I kinda don't want to die because I needed to run down to the store and buy a USB cable.

Ok. Sarcasm is hard to recognize online at times.

Actually with the prices of smaller SSD hard drives so low now it wouldn't hurt just to get 2 or 3 extras and use one for your operating system. And duplicate it onto a 2nd and/or even a 3rd SSD and keep them as backup drives. Trash your original SSD operating system? You can simply format it and copy back the backup. Or replace the original SSD with the backup.

Just saying having a couple of months old operating system backup can save headaches later.

a reply to: AlienView
Maybe also try running sfc and dism in cmd as admin?
Check in task manager what's using resources etc.

Glasswire is also an easy-to-use firewall, maybe check what's reporting back to the mothership.
Also double-check windows privacy and background app settings.

And for the record - I have nothing against Amazon and am otherwise satisfied with using them for much of my at home
shopping - including food.

BUT whoever developed the 'Amaxon Assistant' should be checked out - Amazon does not need a bad program to gain
shoppers - and will lose shoppers with bad programs.

I was going to, and still might, call customer service and tell them: Get rid of or revise 'Amazon Assistant'
- Its a bad program