Do you know what WikiThemes is?
WikiThemes is a recently created potentially unwanted program targeted at users who like reading Wikipedia articles. Nonetheless, users who were not looking for such software could install it too just accidentally since the tool might be bundled with other similar applications and shared through various file-sharing web pages. Another downfall is that WikiThemes displays articles from a site, which is unrelated to Wikipedia and could be untrustworthy. Provided you want to learn more, we recommend reading the rest of our report. On the other hand, if you think it was a mistake to allow this potentially unwanted program settle on your system and do not want to keep it any longer, you could have a look at the removal guide added below the text and try to eliminate the software manually.
To begin with, we found out the application has a homepage (wikithemes.timeapp-studio.com) that provides quite a lot of information about the software, although not all of it is reliable. To give you an example, the Frequently Asked Questions section says “WikiThemes utilizes Wikipedia Web services, and allows you to enjoy Wikipedia for PC,” but our researchers tested the program themselves, and they confirm that the provided links come from a different source.
Apparently, some developers created a similar site to wikipedia.org; it is known as en.wiki2.org. The site claims to provide a better-looking version of the original Wikipedia. However, despite its beautiful appearance, the site might be questionable and untrustworthy. Apparently, it does not share the Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement documents; because at the moment of writing if you click links to them you get only error messages.
The mentioned documents are important if you want to know what kind of information the website could gather or how it might be used, and so on. For instance, WikiThemes website’s provided Privacy Policy document claims the site might collect user’s personal information if he submits it himself, e.g. when you write a comment you need to give your email address. What’s more, it appears to be the tool’s developers “may share or sell information with third parties for marketing or other purposes.” Thus if you were planning writing feedback on wikithemes.timeapp-studio.com, you might want to rethink it.
WikiThemes screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
As we mentioned, in the beginning, there is a chance WikiThemes could get installed accidentally. This may happen if you encounter a bundled setup file that suggests the potentially unwanted program as an additional application. If the user does not notice it being suggested and do not deselect it, the tool could be installed automatically. Still, it is difficult not to notice it since the application might be able to auto-start with Windows. It can act this way because the software creates a value name in a specific Windows Registry directory. The program’s window has a search box on the top and below it should display links to the articles from the web page we mentioned at the beginning.
In conclusion, the application provides a slightly different content from the one that is promised on its homepage and the tool’s description it provides. Also, despite the differences between displayed content, it does not seem like using the application is much different from opening a browser and loading wikipedia.org. Therefore, it might be best not to take any chances with WikiThemes and simply erase it. If you think the same, we can offer you our removal guide located below this paragraph. The other way to get rid of the software is to scan the computer with a reputable antimalware tool and click the deletion button. This way, you could automatically eliminate other possible threats as well and strengthen the system’s security.
Delete WikiThemes
- Press Windows Key+E.
- Locate these paths one by one:
%LOCALAPPDATA%
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data
%APPDATA%
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup - Find folders titled as WikiThemes, right-click them separately and choose Delete.
- Navigate to %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- Find a file called WikiThemes.lnk and remove it.
- Close the Explorer.
- Press Windows Key+R.
- Insert Regedit and tap Enter.
- Search for the listed paths:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AppDataLow\Software
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall - Look for keys titled as WikiThemes, right-click them and select Delete.
- Go to this specific location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- Find a value name called WikiThemes, right-click it and press Delete.
- Exit the Registry Editor.
- Empty the Recycle bin.
In non-techie terms:
WikiThemes appears to be similar to other potentially unwanted programs called DailyWiki and DailyBee. Such software is not considered as malicious, but its reliability and benefits are questionable. For example, this application is supposed to allow you to “use Wikipedia straight from your Desktop!” but what you receive is a program that searches for articles from a source, which is not related to Wikipedia and could be unreliable. This is why we would advise you to use your browser instead. Users who want to erase the tool can do so manually with the removal guide located above or with a reputable antimalware tool.