Remove Gotosearch.ru virus (Virus Removal Guide)
Should I let Gotosearch.ru to be my default search engine?
Questions about Gotosearch.ru virus
Gotosearch.ru virus is an annoying browser hijacker that lets users explore questionable and dangerous content on the Internet. Browser hijacker spreads bundled with various free programs and steps in computers without users’ knowledge and realization. Users just see results of the hijack – changed homepage and search engine. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make any customizations and reset browser’s settings. The virus is designed to prevent users from making any changes. Indeed, the developers do not doubt that after several attempts to look for something online, you would never visit this website again. Even though it claims to deliver results from Google Custom search, you barely find something useful there. Hijacker modifies search results and includes sponsored content there because developers need your clicks and visits to promotional sites. That’s how shady advertising business works. Developers of these kinds of programs generate revenue from pay-per-click and affiliate marketing strategies, and usually, their clients are shady and suspicious. You may end up on a malicious website or catch ransomware virus with the help of Gotosearch.ru hijacker. Therefore, if this site appeared on your screen, scan your computer with a reputable anti-malware program (e.g. Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego) and wipe out this computer infection. There’s no need to delay, because hijacker may install various extensions and plugins to your browsers which may flood your screen with ads or start monitoring your browsing activity. Remove Gotosearch.ru immediately!
Browser hijacker might look like an ordinary search engine with minimalistic design. However, it does not include any information about the developers, do not provide the Privacy Policy or other documents and appeared on your PC out of the blue. If your browser has been hijacked, you should know that Gotosearch.ru virus is not dangerous itself. Browser hijackers cannot damage computers or steal personal files; however, they might infect computers indirectly. For example, you might click on particular link or advertisement and end up on a malicious website that has been created for spreading malware and viruses. Due to Gotosearch.ru redirect issues, you may be forced to visit potentially dangerous sites as well. Keep in mind that developers are not responsible for third-party content, its safety, and credibility. Honestly, it’s hard to tell if they take responsibility for something at all because they do not provide any information about themselves. Knowing these facts, you should initiate Gotosearch.ru removal right now.
How to avoid Gotosearch.ru browser hijacker?
Gotosearch.ru hijack might occur when users install software inattentively. The creators of PUP are aware of computer users’ bad habit to install programs using recommended setup. “Quick,” “Advanced,” “Standard,” etc. modes hide various additional applications and do not inform about their installation. If you want to avoid browser hijackers, adware, and other PUPs, you should not rely on these settings and opt for “Advanced” or “Custom” setup. It delivers a list of optional programs and let you decline their installation. Besides, during installation, you may see the checkbox with a saying that you agree to set Gotosearch.ru as your homepage or default search engine. Make sure you uncheck this box. Additionally, if you want to protect your computer from various computer infections, install a strong antivirus program and watch your every click online.
Getting rid of the browser hijacker
To remove Gotosearch.ru you have to options, so you have to make a decision based on how much you value your time and how skillful you are. Browser hijacker’s elimination may be held manually or automatically. Probably, you can imagine that manual removal requires more time and effort, so before taking this challenge, look through manual Gotosearch.ru removal guidelines below. If you want to save your time and do something more pleasant that virus elimination, opt for automatic elimination. Keep in mind that both elimination methods are safe and effective!
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
To remove Gotosearch.ru virus, follow these steps:
Get rid of Gotosearch.ru from Windows systems
If your computer has been infected with Gotosearch.ru virus, you have to detect and remove it from the system, as well as all its components. Follow the instructions carefully and don’t forget to check all web browsers that are installed on your computer.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall Gotosearch.ru and related programs
Here, look for Gotosearch.ru or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Gotosearch.ru from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties.
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Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
Uninstall Gotosearch.ru from Mac OS X system
It’s uncommon for Mac users to face a browser hijacker; however, if it has happened, follow the instructions carefully and eliminate the virus. Then, wipe out malicious extensions and plugins from your web browsers.
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Gotosearch.ru or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Eliminate Gotosearch.ru from Internet Explorer (IE)
To remove Gotosearch.ru hijacker from the system, you have to check the list of add-ons and remove all questionable extensions that have been installed on Internet Explorer.
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Gotosearch.ru and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Gotosearch.ru removal.
Erase Gotosearch.ru virus from Microsoft Edge
To remove the virus completely, you have to eliminate suspicious components from the Microsoft Edge as well.
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Gotosearch.ru should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Delete Gotosearch.ru from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Browser hijacker might have installed various plugins and extensions to Mozilla Firefox. Now you have to check the list of extensions and remove all questionable entries.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select Gotosearch.ru and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Gotosearch.ru removal.
Remove Gotosearch.ru from Google Chrome
Gotosearch.ru virus might have affected Google Chrome and install various add-ons and extensions. Follow the instructions below and remove all suspicious entries.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select Gotosearch.ru and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Gotosearch.ru removal.
Get rid of Gotosearch.ru from Safari
To remove browser hijacker, you have to look through the list of recently installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious entries from Safari.
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Gotosearch.ru or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Gotosearch.ru, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Gotosearch.ru removal process.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address. If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
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November 4th, 2016 at 10:01 am
At first, I thought that Google has changed their design… The colors are the same!
November 4th, 2016 at 10:03 am
My poor browser has been infected with this parasite!