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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2017

How to remove Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com spreads around with the help of GeniusMediaTab extension

Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com is a browser hijacker [1] which typically shows up on the browser after the users knowingly or inadvertently install some potentially unwanted program on their computers. Typically, the experts link this hijacker’s appearance with the installation of StepApp’s browser extension called “GeniusMediaTab”. Once this shady browser helper object enters computers, it reassigns the default search engine and the homepage of the infected web browsers with what looks like a legitimate and multifunctional search engine. Nevertheless, the real purpose of this service deviates far from such popular search services such as Google or Yahoo. Genius Media Tab Search is developed primarily as an online advertisement service which takes a form of a search engine but displays ads and sponsored links instead of the regular search results. Similar tendencies extend throughout the whole site. For instance, its homepage is filled with a bunch of different links, supposedly allowing a quick and convenient access to the popular social media sites, online shopping pages, video streaming services, etc. In reality, these links are put there to generate traffic [2] to the websites in question and boost their online rating. In addition, every search query you enter on this site gets redirected through goto.maxdealz.com until it finally lands on us.search.yahoo.com. Of course, the advertiser does not do that for free and receives commissions from the parties it promotes. In the meanwhile, the users have to suffer unstable web browsing led by annoying pop-up ads, banners and other advertisements showing up on every web page they go to. We believe that it is a good reason to remove Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com from the computer. You can perform the removal with reputable antivirus software such as FortectIntego.

The image of Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com virus

Along with Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com hijack come a number of other problems that may increase if the virus is not banished from the computer swiftly enough. First of all, you will notice the decrease of your web browsing speed. Sometimes, the web engine may even crash due to the information overload triggered by the ads. We shouldn’t forget the GeniusMediaTab extension either. This potentially unwanted program may secretly collect non-personally identifiable information about your browsing habits and use the gathered knowledge to fill the search results with targeted content, hoping to lure out your clicks and generate some pay-per-click revenue. Fortunately, you don’t have to participate in such business. You can simply perform Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com removal and opt for some other search engine which would be more oriented towards benefiting the user.

Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com virus

Strategies PUPs apply for the system infiltration

First of all, we should say that Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com does not infiltrate PCs by itself. It is either brought in by some potentially unwanted program or the users agree to install it when setting up new software on the computers. In both cases, the hijack is a result of careless software downloading and installation. If you want to be safe from potentially unwanted programs turning up on your computer, you should download software only from the reputable sources. When installing software on your PC, investigate what other components you may be giving the permission to install on your computer. In case you notice suspicious items, opt out their installation manually.

Remove Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com and reset your browser

When you need to perform Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com removal, make sure you use the proper tools for this process. You may use antivirus utilities, anti-malware software or anti-spyware, as long as this tool is legitimate and up-to-date. Regardless of the time-saving and precision benefits that the automatic virus elimination provides, some users may still want to remove Search.geniusmediatabsearch.com virus manually. If that’s your case, you should definitely check out the step-by-step tutorial below.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

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

Remove the unwanted program:

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

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

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

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

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

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

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

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

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

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