How to remove Search.tb.ask.com redirect from Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox? Why your browser is redirect to Search.tb.ask.com randomly? Follow the guides below to find out an effective manual way, completely removing this nasty redirect virus.
Search.tb.ask.com is known as browser hijacker infection that cam complicate usual web surfing, block some reputable Internet resources and open different web sites instead of requested ones. Similar to home.tb.ask.com redirect, it usually comes bundled with lots of executable files you download from the Internet and could be installed on browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer. Once attached, it provides no uninstall feature and hides from the user in order to obstruct its removal as much as possible. Thus, even though you spend a few hours in scanning the computer, you will get nothing but just waste your time because antivirus cannot detect this browser hijacker.
This hijacker always works by changing your home page to Search.tb.ask.com and also make itself to be your default search provider without your permission. It is worthy to be mentioned that if one of the browser is hijacked, other browsers you have installed on the compromised computer including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or many others can be affected as well. Don’t think it is just a small problem and leave it in your PC because it may track user’s web browsing habits, record addresses of visited sites and send collected data to a remote server in the background. This is not a trusted website as you will see tons of advertisements provided among all the search results after clicking the Search button. Therefore, you have to get rid of Search.tb.ask.com hijacker as quickly as you can in order to get your homepage back.
1. It can redirect you to malicious websites with numerous pop up ads to interrupt and stop you from doing anything on your computer;
2. It can turn your computer to run slowly and pose sudden death;
3. It can introduce more unwanted viruses and ransomware to do further harms;
4. It can help cyber criminals track your online activities and capture significant personal data to cause you a loss of value.
5. It can change your default DNS configuration and block you accessing your favorite sites.
6. It forcibly customizes the default homepage, search engine and bookmarks of your computer.
Considering this redirect virus can’t be fixed by any security tools, uses can use the manual guide below to fix this issue.
1. Clear all the cookies of your affected browsers.
Since tricky hijacker virus has the ability to use cookies for tracing and tracking the internet activity of users, it is suggested users to delete all the cookies before a complete removal.
Google Chrome:
Click on the “Tools” menu and select “Options”.
Click the “Under the Bonnet” tab, locate the “Privacy” section and click the “Clear browsing data” button.
Select “Delete cookies and other site data” to delete all cookies from the list.
Internet Explorer:
Open Internet explorer window
Click the “Tools” button
Point to “safety” and then click “delete browsing history”
Tick the “cookies” box, then click “delete”
Mozilla Firefox:
Click on Tools, then Options, select Privacy
Click “Remove individual cookies”
In the Cookies panel, click on “Show Cookies”
To remove a single cookie click on the entry in the list and click on the “Remove Cookie button”
To remove all cookies click on the “Remove All Cookies button”
2. End the malicious process from Task Manager.
Once Search.tb.ask.com redirect is installed, computer user may notice that CPU usage randomly jumps to 100 percent, slowing down the computer. If your system’s CPU spike is constant, users should check from Task Manager and see if there is a suspicious process occupying the system resources and then end it immediately.
(The name of the virus process can be random.)
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc at the same time and it will open up task manager directly. Then change to “Processes” tab.
3. Show hidden files and folders.
Open Folder Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Folder Options.
Click the View tab.
Under Advanced settings, click Show hidden files and folders, uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and then click OK.
4. Remove all the malicious files manually.
%AppData%Local[random].exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Random “.exe”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current\Winlogon\”Shell” = “{random}.exe”
Search.tb.ask.com redirect is a browser hijacker that gets inside on the infected PCbundled with other software that you usually download from the Internet for free. It affects all major Internet browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Once you get your browser infected, you will find it complicated to browse the Internet as you will be forced to experience a bunch of annoying pop ups and redirection. Also it can degrade overall web browser stability and performance because browser hijacker infection always occupies much computer resources to conflict with installed applications. It is recommended users to remove Search.tb.ask.com from your system once you detect in on your PC.
Note: If you are not a computer wiz and have no idea how to perform the removal, please contact experts from YooCare Online Tech Support for further help.
Published by & last updated on August 3, 2013 2:33 am
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