May 7, 2016

searchlock3.com Browser Hijacker Removal Guide

What is searchlock3.com browser hijacker? It’s on my Internet Explore and changes everything! I have no idea when I installed it. I found it launched strange activities without my permission lately. I don’t have my favorite homepage anymore. Many strange things appear on my toolbar. I use this computer to work every day. However, it seems that it’s a bit out of control. Something frequently redirects me to searchlock3.com and many other weird websites that I hadn’t seen before. It takes much more time to gather related information for my work. Besides, numberless ads pop up which is so annoying. I can’t concentrate on my work. Is there anyone who can help me fix those problems? I need my computer work normally as soon as possible. Please answer me soon. Many thanks!

Brief Description of searchlock3.com Browser Hijacker

searchlock3.com is an unwanted browser hijacker program which alters your homepage and browser settings without your approval. It helps its developer generate revenue by performing various activities on your computer. To better control your browser, it changes your settings to support its goal. It forces you to visit searchlock3.com and other suspicious websites to promote its affiliated websites. No one knows whether those websites are safe or not. After all, virus and other malware can hide anywhere online. As an ad-supported program, it delivers tons of ads to you. However, it is pretty difficult to block those annoying ads via changing your default settings. Suffering from those annoying things, you may try to uninstall searchlock3.com. Unfortunately, no uninstall option is provided. In addition, searchlock3.com browser hijacker is installed by yourself without your knowledge. It has your permission to get into your system in a way.

How Does This Browser Hijacker Access your System?

You may say that you do not remember you have installed searchlock3.com before. We need to tell that less people notice when searchlock3.com is installed. It is installed along with free software, like media player, files reader and other similar tool programs. Before it gets into your system, it’s bundled with other third party programs. When you install those free software, it tells plug-in will be installed among Terms of use. Besides this line, there is a box which is checked. If you skip this step or click on “Next” without removing that check, unwanted programs like searchlock3.com browser hijacker will be installed on your computer. Therefore, we recommend you remove the check to cancel plug-in installation or download software from its official website.

How Does This Browser Hijacker Work?

searchlock3.com browser hijacker Is spread for marketing purpose. After it’s installed, it starts to spy on your activities online to collect your private information. It records your browsing history and programs you search most frequently to design their products. It changes your homepage into searchlock3.com or other unknown websites. No matter what you are searching for online, it hijacks the information you want and injects useless ads into your search results. When you click on one of those results, it always redirects you to searchlock3.com and other related websites which is a time consuming thing. To make matter worse, potential risk like virus, Trojan, worm and other computer threat may exist on those unknown websites. After you click on links of suspicious websites accidentally, viruses can be downloaded immediately. You should not ignore random redirection caused by searchlock3.com browser hijacker for your computer’s safety. Besides, various ads pop up now and then which makes their products popular. Can you image how annoying it would be when you work on your computer with endless ads around? It will mess up your day. Therefore, get rid of it as soon as possible.

Processing manual removal is supposed to have a certain level of computer literacy. If you are not sure how to start and are afraid of making any critical mistakes damaging the computer system, please live chat with YooCare Expert now.

Removal Guide

1. Clean Add-ons and Extensions

* Internet Explorer:

(1). Click Tools in the Menu bar and then click Internet Options

Tools in IE

(2). Click Programs tab, click Manage add-ons and disable the suspicious add-ons

Manage-browser-add-ons22

* Firefox:

(1). Click Tools in the Menu bar and then click Add-ons

Tools-in-Firefox

(2). Click Extensions, select the related browser add-ons and click Disable

* Google Chrome:

(1). Click Customize and control Google Chrome button → Tools → Extensions

Customize-and-control-Google-Chrome-button

(2). Disable the extensions of searchlock3.com

2. End Relevant Processes

(1). Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc together to pop up Windows Task Manager, click Processes tab

Task-Manager

*For Win 8 Users:

Click More details when you see the Task Manager box

Win-8-Task-Manager

And then click Details tab

Details-Tab-in-Win-8-Task-Manager

(2). Find out and end searchlock3.com’s processes

3. Show Hidden Files

(1). Click on Start button and then on Control Panel

(2). Click on Appearance and Personalization

Appearance-and-Personalization

(3). Click on Folder Options

Folder-Options

(4). Click on the View tab in the Folder Options window

(5). Choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Hidden files and folders category

Show-Hidden-Files-Folders-and-Drives

(6). Click OK at the bottom of the Folder Options window

*For Win 8 Users:

Press Win+E together to open Computer window, click View and then click Options

View-in-Computer-Window

Click View tab in the Folder Options window, choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Hidden files and folders category

View-Tab-in-Folder-Options-Window

4. Delete Relevant Registry Entries and Files

(1). Delete the registry entries related to searchlock3.com through Registry Editor

Press Win+R to bring up the Run window, type “regedit” and click “OK”

Regedit

While the Registry Editor is open, search and delete its registry entries

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run ‘Random’

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Random

(2). Find out and remove the associated files

%AllUsersProfile%\random.exe

%AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\random.exe

%Temp%\random.exe

Video Shows You How to Safely Modify Windows Registry Editor:

Conclusion

All in all, searchlock3.com browser hijacker is an annoying and unwanted program which puts your computer at risk. As it needs many components to support itself, many programs are added to the toolbar on your browser. Hence, when you are about to open a new tab, it takes a long time to get it ready as it makes its components load at the same time. Your computer runs slower and slower after being infected with this browser hijacker. As it is capable of accessing your browsing history, we can not make sure whether it can access your financial information like bank card detail and other accounts and passwords or not. In some way, your sensitive information faces potential risk brought by searchlock3.com browser hijacker. You may wonder why your security program does not tell you that searchlock3.com is a threat. As we mentioned above, you installed searchlock3.com program indirectly with unknown free software. It got your “permission”. Therefore, it acts a “legit” program on your computer. To deal with such a tricky browser hijacker, we advise you remove it manually to protect your computer away from any risk.

Published by & last updated on May 7, 2016 1:37 pm

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