PC App Store app - how to get rid of adware

Birubi

I recently went to download WinMerge and somehow became infected with PC App Store adware. I was unable to remove the AlwaysOnTop subscription form or stop the program from Task Manager. After numerous tries of SafeMode starts I was finally able to get in. I tried a full system scan and BitDefender reported system clean. Then, I started normally and searched for any PC App Store files and found those as in the attached picture. They would not be deleted due to being open elsewhere, so I went back in and restarted in safe mode, deleted them, and the system now seems to be OK, but I still have lingering doubts that there is still some malicious adware waiting to be activated as Bitdefender did not even find the basic files to be malicious. Any recommendations?

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

Based on the behavior you've described, the "PC App Store" app would most likely fall into the category of a potentially unwanted application (PUA/PUP), rather than conventional malware. This would explain why the scan reported the system as clean. Some applications use advertising, redirects, subscriptions, or bundled offers as part of a disclosed (although sometimes deliberately unclear) business model. If the user accepts the installer’s terms or chooses an installation, the additional component may be treated as consented software. Moreover, the files themselves may contain no malicious code, the unwanted behavior may be delivered through scheduled tasks, browser notifications, remote advertising content, or otherwise legitimate components.

Security products must therefore balance PUA detection against false positives. Blocking every application that displays advertisements, promotes subscriptions, redirects users, or bundles another program would also affect many legitimate free applications. This does not mean that Bitdefender never detects adware or bundlers, but classification depends on factors such as transparency, consent, persistence, deceptive behavior, reputation, and whether the application performs genuinely harmful actions. You can find a more detailed explanation of this category here.

Going forward, check the following:

1. Open Bitdefender and go to Protection → Antivirus → Advanced, then make sure Scan potentially unwanted applications is enabled.
2. Check Settings → Apps → Installed apps and remove PC App Store, AlwaysOnTop, and any other unfamiliar application installed on the same date.
3. Review your browser extensions, startup applications, and permitted website notifications, removing anything you do not recognize.
4. Restart the computer, update Bitdefender, and run another System Scan.
5. Download WinMerge only from its official website or another source expressly recommended by its developer. Unofficial download portals sometimes repackage legitimate programs with additional offers.

The fact that a file could not be deleted while Windows was running only means that it was in use; by itself, this does not establish that it was malicious. Similarly, “system clean” means that the scan found no items matching Bitdefender’s current detection criteria. It is not a guarantee that no unwanted configuration or legitimate-but-intrusive program remains.

I hope this helps.