I found out yesterday that my laptop has been hijacked by Websearch.searcholic.info ‘virus’ and it gave me tons of ads whenever I browsed online. I’ve been spending my morning searching all around to get answers of how to get rid of it. I have run security checks on my computer to check for viruses, but nothing is found. I also checked my pop up settings and everything is set to be blocked, yet I still see those annoying ads on my web browser and then Websearch thing will not go away. It is really frustrating. I’m using Windows 8. Any help will be appreciated.
Websearch.searcholic.info is another fake website as similar as Websearch.Searchoholic.info that can get into the computer without any permission and then create many annoying problems to the computer users. It will hijack web browsers such as Safari, IE, FireFox, Chrome, modify the DNS and redirect search results in Google, Yahoo and Bing to a multiple undesirable websites. Although the page itself seems harmless, it can pop up randomly whenever you are online or come up every time you open your browser. The design of the Websearch page may seem like Google, but it is far from legitimate. This is merely a phony search engine, offering fraudulent search results and displaying many sponsored links or pop-up ads.
Mostly Websearch.searcholic.info redirect virus comes bundled with free programs that you downloaded from the Internet, including music players, PDF creators, etc. Once installed, it takes control of your web browsers and then changes your home page or default search engine to its own website where you can see a fake search engine and various ads below. It installs unwanted applications, browser helper objects (add-ons, extensions, toolbars), and third party programs to your computer without your awareness. As a result, you will have a hard time surfing online. During your online session, a seemingly endless barrage of ads may pop up on your screen and once you click on them, you will be automatically redirected to malicious web pages or even pornographic website against your will. Those sites always contain various malware and infections. It can put your computer in a high-risk situation so it is suggested users not click on any ads displayed by Websearch.searcholic.info. The hijacker could use the tracking cookie in a try to deliver ads and collect PC users’ personal information in order to transmit it to remote cybercriminals, as well as earn money from rerouted traffic. In order to protect your privacy, Websearch.searcholic.info hijacker has to be deleted instantly.
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 Websearch.searcholic.info 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
Websearch.searcholic.info 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 Websearch.searcholic.info redirect 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 Websearch.searcholic.info hijacker 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
If your start page was replaced with Websearch.searcholic.info, your browser has been hijacked by browser hijacker virus or you may download potentially unwanted programs accidentally. The hijacker can perform many annoying activities once it is installed, therefore you may find your homepage and default search engine are changed to the bogus WebSearch page or other corrupted web pages without your permission. And unfamiliar toolbars are added onto your browser, giving you odd icons on the top of the browser and linking you to advertisements web pages. In addition, you may see numerous annoying ads when browse online and your web browser may keep directing you to web pages with low reputation again and again. A search hijacker can hide its presence by injecting running processes and system registry, which make the removal process particularly complicated. Therefore, it is recommended users follow the above manual removal guide to have it deleted permanently.
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 on February 8, 2015 6:57 am, last updated on June 13, 2015 2:21 am
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