Dangers posed by Search.gamekapow.com browser hijacker
Search.gamekapow.com virus adds Game Kapow extension to web browsers and starts causing redirects to home.searchkapow.com site. It happens because the aforementioned extension starts controlling web browsers, and alters the following settings – the startup page, new tab page and default search settings[1]. It adds hxxp/search.gamekapow.com/ value to these settings and saves it. What is interesting is that if you try to enter this page without having the extension, you will be redirected to search.tagadin.com page. This search site is already documented in our database because it is promoted with the help of potentially unwanted programs as well. The reason why we do not recommend using these search tools is that they are highly untrustworthy. The Search.gamekapow engine usually provides modified Yahoo search results that are filled with advertisements. It doesn’t differ from other shady Yahoo redirect viruses, which try to use the reputable image of Yahoo as a smokescreen to push sponsored content to computer users. If you click on a sponsored link inserted in between the organic search results, you can be taken to websites you would normally try to avoid. Therefore we suggest removing using a strong anti-spyware program like FortectIntego or manually. If you’re determined to remove Search.gamekapow.com manually, please follow instructions we prepared.

Game Kapow redirect virus can be installed when looking for free games online. This suspicious browser add-on has its official website, which suggests installing itself in order to browse gaming categories and “search for hours of gaming entertainment.” Sadly, all that this extension provides is a bogus search engine that hardly finds any useful information. This extension has permissions to read victim’s browsing history, communicate with cooperating websites, change default search settings and read/change data on gamekapow.com sites and all psccint.com sites. Keep in mind that this potentially unwanted program will try to track your activities online to collect information about your interests. After collecting enough information, it can attempt to display pop-up ads to you or promote third-party deals in other intrusive ways. It goes without saying that the activity of this browser hijacker should not be ignored. To prevent potential risks and distractions that this hijacker causes, a full Search.gamekapow.com removal is required.

Things to remember when trying to avoid installing potentially unwanted programs
Potentially unwanted programs like Search.gamekapow can sneak into computer system alongside popular free programs[2], which makes it harder to prevent their installation. Users typically do not read statements provided by Default or Standard software installation settings and simply agree with whatever these settings suggest doing, including the installation of potentially unwanted programs. You must know what you agree with when installing a particular software, so we suggest choosing Custom or Advanced settings, which clearly disclose the existence of bundled software and allow to reject it. As you can see, these settings are much more trustworthy and choosing them is a much better option. If the software installer doesn’t provide different installation options, just try to find statements about extra software added to your download. If possible, remove the ticks next to them.
Remove Search.gamekapow.com hijacker with ease
If you cannot figure out what is the right way to remove Search.gamekapow.com virus, you can find an explanation on how to do it below. The 2-spyware team has prepared a comprehensive guide for those who are less tech-savvy but still want to delete the hijacker manually. Of course, manual Search.gamekapow.com removal is a much safer option to go for; however, we understand that not everyone wants to obtain a security software just to remove a bothersome ad-supported program. To change your mind, we want to point out that such software can easily detect deeply rooted malware programs that sometimes remain on the compromised system for months until the user notices that something is wrong.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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