Everyone knows that the Internet today carries many threats to users of modern computer systems. From there come viruses and worms, keyloggers and advertisers, spies, and even browser hijackers. We’ll dwell on one of these. This is the Chrome Search virus. What this is, not every user knows, so often questions arise related to its removal. Let's try to figure out what's what.
Chrome Search: what is it?
In general, virus threats of this type are usually classified as hijackers of Internet browsers. And it does not matter which one is installed in the system or used by default. The worm is introduced into all programs of this type and is almost an exact copy (even through the interface) of threats like Delta Saerch, which work on the same principle and disguise themselves as a Google Search search engine.
Chrome Search is a virus that is a small program in the form of an add-on (often often invisible in the browser) that replaces a search engine, which makes working on the World Wide Web difficult and sometimes even impossible. This is due to the constant redirects (redirects) to potentially dangerous sites or specific resources offering to buy something. How to remove Chrome Search completely, not everyone knows, although, in principle, there is nothing complicated.
Impact on the system and Internet surfing
Now a few words about how the virus affects the system. Of course, there is no obvious threat in terms of modifying operating system files. However, if you look closely, you may find that the replaced search engine is able to track user requests on the Web, as well as use personal information to transmit to third parties. And this is an extremely undesirable moment. The fact is that in most cases the user simply will not know that his first name, surname, username or password will be used to commit illegal actions. And if the computer also stores the numbers of cards or accounts with unencrypted codes, there is nothing to say. At one point, money can simply disappear. So now we’ll discuss how to remove Chrome Search. In principle, the proposed instruction is applicable to almost all threats of this type.
Removal Preparation
So, we have the Chrome Search virus . How to remove this malware from a computer? This is quite simple to do if you know what actions to take.
Before you deal directly with the removal of the virus, you should pay attention to several important points. First of all, if you notice the presence of a threat, you must immediately close all running browsers and stop downloads. The second condition is the forced termination of the process responsible for the operation of the virus.
To do this, go to the "Task Manager" either using the standard combination Ctrl + Alt + Del, or by typing taskmgr in the "Run" menu bar, and then find the name Chrome Search among active processes and services. As already clear, you must first stop the process by executing its forced completion. Now you can directly begin to eliminate the Chrome Search virus. How to remove this unwanted component from the computer will be shown below. The only thing that should please most users is that the program itself is not hiding from the user, but without hiding is presented in the list of installed applications.
How to remove Chrome Search from the Control Panel?
So, since the virus does not even think of hiding from the eyes of the owner of the computer terminal, for starters we use the simplest standard method.
We go to the "Control Panel", where we select the section of programs and components (in XP version this is the section for adding and removing programs). For convenience, we sort the installed applications by date, after which we find the Chrome Search program in the list. Now all that remains is to activate the standard uninstall process and wait for it to finish.
Registry Scan and Browser Actions
However, the solution to the problem of how to remove Chrome Search is not limited to this. The fact is that the “native” Windows uninstaller does not differ in particularly broad capabilities. It is precisely because of the negligence of this service that files and system registry keys that are not deleted, from its point of view, can remain in the system.
Now we need a registry editor. It is called by the regedit command, which is written in a special menu bar "Run" (Win + R). After entering the “Editor”, just in case, you should back up using the export command from the file menu.
Now we use the search in order not to search for the necessary in all branches and not to waste time. To do this, press Ctrl + F, and in the query field, enter the combination Chrome Search (the search system can also be called from the main menu "File"). All identified results are immediately deleted. Then, using the same type, you can search for residual files and folders in any file manager (for example, in the standard "Explorer"), but, as practice shows, in most cases this is not required. Well, perhaps, if the virus is already too deep in the system, and the user did not pay attention to the change of the search line and the start page in time.
Finally, another important action. We launch the used browser and change the start page to either blank (about: blank) or whatever you need. Further, if a shortcut is used to launch the browser, for example, located on the “Desktop”, delete it, and then create a new one. It remains to check the system for operability. We reboot the system and look at the browser. If everything is fine, a previously created copy of the registry can be deleted, and instead create a copy that has already been cleared of traces of the virus.
Save time and effort
In principle, you can do something else in order to save time and effort: immediately after the appearance of the virus and activation in the system, you can restore the system from a control point to an earlier state. In some cases, this procedure will help, but, mind you, this does not always work.
In any case, it’s worth a try. However, as practice shows, it is better to apply the above methods, but use not the built-in Windows tools, but more powerful third-party utilities.
Of particular note is the iObit Uninstaller software package. How to remove Chrome Search using it? There are two options. In the first case, the program first starts the built-in system uninstaller, and then searches for residual objects, including files, folders, and registry entries, after which it suggests deleting all components, which, naturally, saves the user from having to perform actions in the editor. In the second option (if the virus program for some reason does not appear in the list of installed applications), the Forced Uninstall function is used. The application searches for non-displayable programs, and then performs the deletion using its own uninstall and subsequent search tools. But with the browser, you still have to perform the actions.