Barquery.com virus (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Virus Removal Guide
Barquery.com virus Removal Guide
What is Barquery.com virus?
Barquery.com might include shady sponsored links into search results page
Barquery.com is a dubious search engine that spreads in software bundles as “BarQuery Desktop Search.” Security experts categorized it as a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] and a browser hijacker.[2] After the installation it might:
- turn the browser address bar into an Internet search box;
- set Barquery.com as your default search engine and homepage;
- deliver sponsored search results;
- track non-personally identifiable information about users.
According to the Terms of Use, the program might spread together with other applications or offer additional downloads to the users. However, these offers are usually indirect. Thus, so-called Barquery.com virus usually appears on the computer suddenly.
One of the first things the hijacker does on the computer is an alteration of browser’s settings. It might replace the homepage and default search engine. In this way, it forces people to use its shady search service. In order to ban users from accessing other search providers, the PUP might modify Windows registry and shortcuts.
Developers of the Barquery.com generate pay-per-click revenue. Thus, if you click on the sponsored results and visit affiliates’ websites, they make incomes. Besides, this cyber parasite might also display various online ads and profit from clicks on them too.
However, the main problems here are related with Barquery.com redirect tendencies. Some of the sponsored content might lead to potentially dangerous websites that are created for spreading malware or other cyber crimes. Therefore, you might be tricked into downloading rough security software or reveal some personal information about you.
Talking about information about you, you should check the Privacy Policy of the browser hijacker. This document claims that the search tool does not collect personally identifiable information. However, non-personal details are interesting. After the Barquery.com hijack, it starts collecting these details:
- IP address;
- type of the browser;
- type of operating system;
- unique software ID;
- a version of the BarQuery Software and other details about it;
- search queries.
Data tracking should be one of the most important reasons why you should remove Barquery.com from the device. Nevertheless, developers say that this activity is necessary for providing the best services; aggregated details might also be shared with unknown partners.
We highly recommend FortectIntego for Barquery.com removal. This anti-malware/anti-spyware will help to get rid of the virus quickly and safely. However, if you are looking for manual removal guidelines, you can find them below the article.
Barquery.com is a suspicious search engine that spreads with freeware and shareware.
Software bundles allows infiltrating the system silently
As we have already mentioned, the authors of the bogus search tool tell that it might be spread bundled or include additional components itself. The hijacker is noticed spreading in the United States; however, it might spread to the European countries, such as the United Kingdom.[3]
Therefore, in order to avoid undesired programs, you should be careful with freeware and shareware installation. When you have to install a program, always opt for the Advanced/Custom setup and check each of the steps carefully. If you are offered to install additional programs, unmark ticks from then and stop their entrance.
Keep in mind that Quick/Basic settings do not have this option. Thus, if you use them, you may not be informed about additional software. As a result, PUPs get indirect permission to enter the system.
It’s not hard to get rid of Barquery.com virus
Barquery.com removal requires investigating computer’s system. If you decide to do this task manually, you will have to find and uninstall the hijacker from the Add/Remove programs in the Control Panel. Also, you should check Chrome, Explorer, Firefox and other browsers that are installed on your PC. You will have to remove suspicious extensions and reset them.
In order to simplify the task, you can choose to remove Barquery.com automatically. This method allows eliminating the hijacker using updated anti-malware program. Thus, you have to choose the software, install it and run the system scan.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Barquery.com virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To remove Barquery.com completely, you have to access Add/Remove programs and uninstall it from there.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Make sure that any hijacker-related components were not left in the 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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Check the list of Firefox extensions and uninstall everything that might be related to Barquery.com hijacker. Then reset the browser.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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
After the Chrome hijack, you should follow these instructions to get rid of the Barquery.com entirely.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Barquery.com registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting stealing programs
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) – What you need to know. AhelioTech. The blog by IT consulting and technology service provider.
- ^ Browser hijacker. Webopedia. Online Tech Dictionary for IT Professionals.
- ^ NoVirus. NoVirus. British site about recent computer viruses and security news.