How to remove Home.downloadspeedtester.com virus

The main reasons why you should not use Home.downloadspeedtester.com

Home.downloadspeedtester.com virus is yet another browser hijacker posing as a legitimate search provider that you should avoid. These intruders rarely offer their services politely and ask for permission to enter your computer. They always sneak inside secretly, without being noticed. When Home.downloadspeedtester.com malware finds its way to the computer, it attacks web browsers. IT security specialists noticed that this browser hijacker mostly targets Safari, so, Mac OS X users should be especially careful. The first sign that your computer has been infected with this parasite is a modified homepage. However, it may make some more unpleasant changes and prevent users from restoring them. Don’t waste your time trying to switch back to your default search engine. The virus is created in a way that you are left with only one option – Home.downloadspeedtester.com removal. You can eliminate the virus with the help of Fortect Intego.

Home.downloadspeedtester.com has a fresh, simple and innocent-looking design. However, this friendly-looking search engine holds lots of dangers and threats to your computer and personal information. The search engine is corrupted and delivers modified search results. Genieo Innovation Ltd, the creators of the browser hijacker, wants you to visit particular sponsored websites because they generate revenue from boosting their traffic and popularity. Perhaps they don’t have intentions to cause you serious computer problems; however, their affiliates’ might do. Usually, third-party websites are full of viruses, malware, Trojans, and other parasites that you don’t want to meet. Home.downloadspeedtester.com redirect problem is also blamed for leading to malicious websites, putting computers at risk and playing with users’ patience. If your browser is hijacked, you will encounter lots of redirects to weird and questionable websites. However, one of the most unpleasant features is that the virus may track information about you. Your name, location, IP address, and other browsing-related information might be collected and shared with the affiliates. Therefore, you should remove Home.downloadspeedtester.com as soon as you notice it.

The picture of Home.downloadspeedtester.com virus

How did it end up on my computer?

The Home.downloadspeedtester.com virus spreads bundled with other software. Users claim that their computers were infected with the virus after installing DownloadSpeedTester program. So, it’s better to stay away from this app. Moreover, if you want to avoid Home.downloadspeedtester.com hijack and other potentially unwanted programs, you should always pay attention to the software installation process. Make sure you download freeware from reliable sources and always choose “Advanced” or “Custom” installation mode. Also, you should always read the Privacy Policy, Terms of Agreement and other official documents provided by the software creators. These documents define such important things as data gathering and sharing. If some statements in these terms seem suspicious and might put your privacy or computer’s security at risk (like in the case of Home.downloadspeedtester.com) – do not install this program.

Home.downloadspeedtester.com removal

You can initiate virus elimination using two different methods. One of them is absolutely simple, while the other’s a little bit more complicated. If you are an advanced computer user willing to fight the virus with your bare hands, you can remove Home.downloadspeedtester.com manually. At the end of the article, you will find a step-by-step guide how to get rid of this parasite. If you don’t want to spend your free time with virus elimination – automatic removal is the best option for you. For automatic Home.downloadspeedtester.com removal, you will need a professional anti-malware program. If you have it already, update it right now! An outdated version of the program might not be so effective and might be unable to find all of the virus-related components. Once you renew your antivirus, you can then run a full system scan. When the program finishes its job, you will be able to enjoy browsing the Internet again.

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.

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