PieSearch virus (Free Guide) - updated Jul 2016
PieSearch virus Removal Guide
What is PieSearch virus?
What is PieSearch virus and why your browser’s homepage was suddenly changed
According to 2-spyware.com researchers, PieSearch virus is a totally annoying browser hijacker. It is known that this dubious search engine is related to Piesearch.com, which can easily take over people’s start page and the default search engine on each of their web browsers. If that is the case you are dealing with, you should know that you are hijacked. While technically PieSearch virus is not considered a severe virus, we believe that it deserves to be uninstalled. Here, we should warn you that that it may fail to leave your computer while trying to remove it in a traditional way. That’s why there are so many different comments about “Piesearch entfernen”. In fact, we have discovered that the most of computer users search for PieSearch removal from Chrome instructions, however, we must say that this browser parasite can affect other web browsers, too. This post is dedicated for users who struggle with PieSearch removal and you can find a detailed removal guide on the next page of this post. If you need a quick way to get rid of this hijacker, you should think about automatic removal option.
First of all, we would like to inform you what is the aim of PieSearch browser hijacker. Obviously, it slithered into your computer not without a reason. Its sole purpose is to generate profit by redirecting computer users to third-party websites that belong to partners of PieSearch. That is the reason why it sets PieSearch.com as the homepage. This website provides web search engine that supposedly gathers and presents best search results from the most popular search engines including Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex. However, users who have tried this search engine complain that it does not serve reliable search outcomes because for some reason clicking on them does not open corresponding web pages. Unfortunately, this search engine is not designed to be useful for the computer user.
As we have already stated, it is designed to redirect the user to predetermined websites. Needless to say, PieSearch redirects are extremely bothersome, but that is not the only negative thing we have to say about them. You should stop using this search engine immediately as it can make you visit dangerous and even malicious websites. Unfortunately, this browser hijacker has some additional features and components set up on your PC to stop you from changing homepage settings, therefore, to change the homepage, you have to remove PieSearch redirect virus from your computer. If you are looking for a good PieSearch removal tool, we recommend using FortectIntego. In case you would like to uninstall this PUP from your system manually, navigate to page 2 to find a manual removal guide.
Do you know how did PieSearch virus hijack your computer?
We are almost 100% sure that you did not install Piesearch by your choice. The question is, how did it manage to enter your computer system without your knowledge? Surprisingly, the answer is quite simple. This bothersome application uses a legitimate software distribution technique, known as “software bundling.” Bundling allows promoting various applications alongside other programs, usually well-known, popular and free ones. You should know that many free programs suggest installing optional programs, but they provide these suggestions in a quite unfair and indirect way. When you install a program that promotes optional software, you can easily skip the important setup steps and automatically agree to install these additional components without even knowing it. This is exactly why you should never rely on Default or Standard installation settings. We strongly recommend you to opt for Custom or Advanced settings whenever you install software as these options disclose the list of additional downloads that can be installed along with the primary program. You better opt these additions out. Otherwise, you might end up with several PUPs on your computer.
How to remove PieSearch hijacker from your computer?
There are several PieSearch virus uninstall options you can choose from:
- The automatic removal option;
- The manual removal option.
Now, it all depends on how skilled PC user you are. If you have experience removing PUPs, uninstalling PieSearch virus manually should not be a hard task for you. However, we understand that many computer users do not have such experience, and that is why we have provided detailed instructions how to remove PieSearch browser hijacker manually. You can find these instructions below the post. No matter whether you are an experienced computer user or not, you should protect your computer from more severe computer threats, and that is why we recommend you to eliminate PieSearch virus and secure your computer with anti-malware software. Read below to find out what anti-malware solutions we recommend choosing.
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 PieSearch virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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
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)
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
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 PieSearch 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
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. 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 the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. 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.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.