Donation Reminder

Posted by Max Lehmann on March 9, 2016

What is Donation Reminder?

Probably, those who installed Donation Reminder regret doing so already. Although the program seems like a fast and easy way to help others by donating money for various purposes, the software might be very harmful to your computer as it may contain malware. The application is classified as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), and it might sound not so dangerous, but if you continue reading the article you will learn more about the way it works and why it poses a threat to your system’s security. It would be advisable to remove the program as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it might be difficult for inexperienced users, so if you want to remove it manually, take a look at the instructions available below the article. test test test

What does Donation Reminder do?

This PUP affects The Internet Explorer and Google Chrome browsers by installing an extension to them. As the software’s creators claim the application “<…> shows a little reminder every time a donation is available when you're shopping online.” After the extension is installed you will see a small software icon on the top-right corner, and if you click on it you will see a list of e-shops, such as Ebay.com, Amazon.com, etc. This means that the application will redirect you to these pages and for that the creators will receive money if you purchase something on that site. Also, while visiting these e-shops you will get notifications with a suggestion for donating.

Before the installation, you might have read the given “Frequently asked questions” regarding the extension. Strangely, to the question “Is it safe to use” the answer is “Yes! The Find & Remind toolbar is safe and secure. There's no adware, spyware or spammy stuff, and it won't give your computer a virus.” However, in the Donation Reminder setup wizard’s License Agreement, it states that “the Software may contain viruses, bugs, worms, trojan horses, bots and other harmful and destructive components.” Such contrasting statements look very suspicious, and it is more likely that the one from the License Agreement is true. No doubt that any user would stop the installation process after seeing such information, but if you did no read these terms carefully, you might have missed it.

Where does Donation Reminder come from?

It is possible that you came across this extension while visiting www.easyfundraising.org.uk. The website and the software was published by The Support Group (UK) Limited, and this is not the first extension of theirs that is considered a PUP. Also, the application might travel bundled with other software, and you may have installed it unintentionally. Usually, it happens for users who do not read the setup wizard’s steps because bundled programs often appear only as a suggestion that you could untick. What matters now is that you delete this potentially harmful application from your system.

How to remove Donation Reminder?

As we mentioned above, the removal of the software is quite complicated because it leaves a lot of junk files after you erase it, and deleting it might require not only skills, but also a lot of patience. Of course, you can delete it automatically with a reliable antimalware tool and there will be no leftovers. Moreover, a legitimate security tool would also get rid of the malware that might have entered your system while using the extension. However, if you choose manual deletion you can follow the instructions that are provided below the text. It will list all the files and their locations that you should eliminate without hesitation. If you have some questions related to the software or antimalware tools, feel free to leave us a comment.

Remove Donation Reminder from system

Erase Registry entries

Press Win+R to launch the RUN.
Type regedit and click OK.
Navigate to: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
Find Donation Reminder and right-click on it to delete.
Go to: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes
Locate listed keys: Donation Reminder.BackgroundHostObject, Donation Reminder.BackgroundHostObject.1, Donation Reminder.Navbar, Donation Reminder.Navbar.1, Donation Reminder.ScriptHostObject, Donation Reminder.ScriptHostObject.1, Donation Reminder.Tool, Donation Reminder.Tool.1
Right-click on them separately and click Delete.

Remove CLSIDs from Registry

Launch the RUN (Win+R).
Type regedit and press OK.
Click on Edit on the top-left corner and select Find.
Copy and insert the listed CLSIDs one by one, select Keys and press Find Next:
Right-click on the above listed CLSIDs separately and select Delete.

Remove Donation Reminder from Google Chrome

Open the Explorer Window.
Copy and insert this locations separately: %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\plfknkdmhngcjepkalkhgpmhpolandfp; %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\plfknkdmhngcjepkalkhgpmhpolandfp
Right-click on plfknkdmhngcjepkalkhgpmhpolandfp folders and press Delete.

Erase leftovers

Open the RUN (Win+R), type regedit and press OK.
Navigate to: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Approved Extensions
On the right side look for Value {01B94BDC-2A0C-4471-B08A-47A24E677873} and right-click on it to delete.
Go to: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\LowRegistry\DOMStorage
Find easyfundraising.org.uk and www.easyfundraising.org.uk keys, right-click on them separately and select Delete.
Close Registry and open the Explorer window.
Insert given location %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
Find plfknkdmhngcjepkalkhgpmhpolandfp folder and erase it.
Copy and paste this location into Explorer %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Storage
Locate given folders http_www.easyfundraising.org.uk_0.localstorage, http_www.easyfundraising.org.uk_0.localstorage-journal and right-click on them to remove.
Go to: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStore\{any number of symbols}\www.easyfundraising.org[1].xml
Delete www.easyfundraising.org[1].xml.
Navigate to: %AppData%
Find Donation Reminder folder and right-click to delete it.