Every time I try to browse the internet on IE, I end up on Mystartsearch Virus. I don’t know where it comes from and it keeps redirecting me to Mystartsearch.com. It is really annoying. Can I trust this search engine and use it for my search sessions? I prefer Google anyway. I tried to change my settings, but it didn’t work this way. I also downloaded a few security tools to scan my PC, still nothing worked because they can’t find anything malicious from my system. Is there another way I can remove this hijacker?
Mystartsearch Virus (ask known as Mystartsearch.com hijacker) is considered an ad-supported search engine that affiliated with browser hijackers or adware. It modifies settings of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari without users’ consent and causes a lot of inconveniences for computer users. This hijacker looks very similar to any other search providers like Google, Bing or Yahoo and it can change your start page, new tab and default search engine to its own page without asking for your permission. The page itself has a field to enter your search queries and also provides links to your favorite websites, including Walmart, Macys, Amazon, Ebay, Best Buy, etc. Although it seems reliable, actually it is only a deceptive website that will not provide you any reliable search results related to your queries. Instead, you can see tons of sponsored websites in your search results that link you to malicious pages and download potentially unwanted programs to further infect your PC.
Mystartsearch Virus disturbs your browsing and it usually gets attached with freeware/shareware that you download from the Internet. In most of the cases, ‘optional downloads’ are hidden under quick or basic installation, so make sure that you always select either advanced or custom installation option if possible. This will let you know if the freebie you are about to install contains additional components like Mystartsearch hijacker. Once installed, the virus can monitor your browsing activities and collect your search terms in order to steal your personal information and involve you into various marketing related projects. As a result, you can see sponsored websites are filled with your search results, and you may detect that unwanted toolbars and add-ons are added without your permission, also you could be redirected to the random websites reluctantly. A browser hijacker is basically used for promoting third parties, their websites, and software. It not only lures people into installing other misleading software or participating in online scam affairs but also reduces browser performance. It is not surprised that your browser keeps crashing and saying ‘not responding”. To avoid any problems, it is necessary to get rid of Mystartsearch Virus from the system.
It belongs to browser hijacker virus which can totally mess up your browser setting.
It changes your default DNS configuration and blocks you accessing your favorite sites.
It may install some malware in your computer to make bad influence without your consent.
It degenerates your computer performance gradually.
Browser hijacker infection like Mystartsearch Virus may enter your system as an add-on for your browser or bundled-up with some free software. Most of time, it can be downloaded from a website you visited, something you clicked on, or a pop-up that you did not request to view. You may not even know when and how you download this browser hijacker which compromises your internet security until you find your computer is fully messed up. A hijack virus is a type of computer virus known for its ability to disrupt your Internet browsing. It can redirect your Internet searches to random sites, disallow you from visiting certain Web sites, and change your Internet home page. In addition, it is able to slow your computer, decrease your available memory, and flood your computer with popup advertisements. When you detect the presence of such malicious hijacker, a complete removal is needed without any hesitation.
1. You keep getting random pop-ups opening in new browser tabs.
2. When clicking on Google search links you get taken to sites that have nothing to do with the subject you searched for.
3. Anti-virus and firewall software won’t start.
4. Internet stops working.
5. Unknown software has been installed without your authorization.
6. You can’t access reputable sites unless you type the URL into the navigation bar
Mystartsearch Hijacker Virus hijacks your browser to redirect your web search results and changes the homepage and browser settings. To completely uninstall it from an infected system, manual removal is the first choice because sometimes antivirus software cannot pick up the exact computer threat timely or remove it permanently. Now most browser hijackers are quite similar to spyware and adware threats and therefore cannot be removed with the help of popular antivirus products. Users can follow the manual guide here to get rid of this browser hijacker completely.
1. Clear all the cookies of your affected browsers.
Since this tricky hijacker virus has the ability to use cookies for tracing and tracking the internet activity of users, it is suggested users delete all the cookies before a complete removal.
Google Chrome:
Click on the “Tools” menu 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”
To remove all cookies click on the “Remove All Cookies” button
2. End the malicious process from Task Manager.
Once Mystartsearch Virus is installed, computer user may notice that CPU usage randomly jumps to 100 percent. At any time Windows always has many running processes. A process is an individual task that the computer runs. In general, the more processes, the more work the computer has to do and the slower it will run. If your system’s CPU spike is constant and remain at a constant 90-95%, 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 to quickly bring up Task Manager Window：
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 related to Mystartsearch Virus manually.
%AppData%Local[random].exe
C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\*.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main StartPage
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Mystartsearch Virus is frequently categorized as a browser hijacker because it takes control of the Web browser and does things the user may not have specifically requested. It alters your homepage and default search provider to Mystartsearch.com and doesn’t allow you to replace it with any other pages or restore your browser’s settings. Usually this page will link you to malicious website that shows you a bunch of sponsored ads and sells unwanted programs. It is really annoying to view these corrupted pages and ads again and again, at the cost of your time. The virus also causes much slower internet connection speed and overall connection instability. Anyway, Mystartsearch doesn’t provide the results that a trustworthy search engine would offer, therefore you should get rid of it quickly in case of further damages.
Note: If you are not a computer expert 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 December 17, 2015 3:48 am
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