How do I get rid of Bing and adware on my macbook? I have changed the preferences on Safari to google, and tried to download an adware remover, but things are now worse!

Question

Hi can anyone help me to get rid of Bing and all sorts of Adware on my macbook which arrive everytime I use Safari? I have changed the Safari preferences but Bing won't go away, and worse, it comes up with adverts. I also seem to be losing things I do want - like VLC player-  its creepy

Answer 1

There is no need to download anything to solve this problem.
If Safari crashes on launch and you don't have another web browser, you should be able to launch Safari by starting up in safe mode.
You may have installed the "Genieo" or "InstallMac" ad-injection malware. Follow the instructions on this Apple Support page to remove it.
Back up all data before making any changes.
One of the steps in the article is to remove malicious Safari extensions. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.
After removing the malware, remember to reset your home page in all the web browsers affected, if it was changed.
If you don't find any of the files or extensions listed, or if removing them doesn't stop the ad injection, then you may have one of the other kinds of adware covered by the support article. Follow the rest of the instructions in the article.
If you find Apple's instructions too hard to follow, ask for an alternative that doesn't require you to trust a black-box application without knowing what it does.
Make sure you don't repeat the mistake that led you to install the malware. Chances are you got it from an Internet cesspit such as "Softonic" or "CNET Download." Never visit either of those sites again. You might also have downloaded it from an ad in a page on some other site. The ad would probably have included a large green button labeled "Download" or "Download Now" in white letters. The button is designed to confuse people who intend to download something else on the same page. If you ever download a file that isn't obviously what you expected, delete it immediately.
In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, select the General tab. The radio button marked Anywhere  should not be selected. If it is, click the lock icon to unlock the settings, then select one of the other buttons. After that, don't ignore a warning that you are about to run or install an application from an unknown developer.
Still in System Preferences, open the App Store or Software Update pane and check the box marked
          Install system data files and security updates (OS X 10.10 or later)
or
          Download updates automatically (OS X 10.9 or earlier)
if it's not already checked.