Search.easytowatchtv.com (Easy Removal Guide) - Tutorial
Search.easytowatchtv.com Removal Guide
What is Search.easytowatchtv.com?
Search.easytowatchtv.com is a browser hijacking program
Search.easytowatchtv.com created by Polarity Technologies Ltd is one of the numerous dubious applications which hijacks users' browsers and makes unwanted changes to them. Typically, unwanted programs[1] get into target computers via software bundles; therefore, victims are typically unaware how the troublesome hijacker entered their computers.
Search.easytowatchtv.com virus offers a variety of links to questionable websites which promote online gaming. However, do not let nice colors and promises about funny games and videos fool you. Typically, the quality of these games is extremely poor. Besides, they can be used by their developers to extort money from unaware PC users.[2] Online gaming has become very successful during recent years. That's why there is no wonder why cyber crooks want to cash out of it.
Easy to Watch TV can compromise browsers like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. Right after that, users can notice that their preferred homepage and search engine have been modified and set to search.easytowatchtv.com web page. These changes might seem minor; however, users who would like to revert these adjustments might soon realize that it is not possible to accomplish this goal.
The primary goal of Polarity Tachnologies is to generate revenue by redirecting users to affiliate websites. Thus, they do not care if the content you are being introduced to is safe and legal. For example, you might end up on a phishing site or a malware-ridden domain. As a result, you might get infected with such perilous threats as ransomware or similar malware.
To prevent that from happening, we suggest you to stop using this highly questionable search engine. If you want to decrease the risk of annoying redirects to malicious websites, make sure you remove Search.easytowatchtv.com with each of its components. For that, we recommend using only trustworthy anti-malware solutions. In this case, that could be FortectIntego.
In addition to all these negative effects on a browser, Search.easytowatchtv.com virus poses another serious danger to its users: data tracking. Have you ever wondered where all these spam emails come from? In most of the cases, their appearance is related to personal information that you agreed to share with questionable developers, such as Polarity Technologies.
Typically, such dubious apps track non-PII, which includes user's email address, IP address, ISP, search queries, websites visited, etc. Such activity helps developers of search.easytowatchtv.com create an online profile which causes ads that could suit your habits the most. Therefore, you may end up with buying on these sponsored websites instead of shops of your liking.
If you care about keeping your personal information confidential, we advise you to initiate Search.easytowatchtv.com removal as soon as possible. In addition to automatic elimination, you can also check our tutorial below this article.
Freeware download managers might hide additional applications
As we already mentioned, users typically do not notice how the browser hijacker infiltrated their system. The key to internet safety is knowledge; hence, we advise you to follow these simple rules:
- Never download software and its updates from unknown sources;
- Read online reviews before installing an application you never heard of;
- When installing free software, make sure you are patient with the installation process. You should always opt for Advanced/Custom installation mode instead of Recommended/Quick one, as the latter does not adequately disclose the full list of programs that will be installed. Remember that software bundling is the most common distribution method of PUPs;
- Avoid visiting suspicious websites. Security experts from bedynet.ru[3] warn that downloading and installing illegal software from P2P or similar sites might lead to not only PUP but also dangerous malware infections.
Online gaming is a huge success. Therefore, PUP developers try to monetize on lucrative industry. Two reliable ways you can remove Search.easytowatchtv.com permanently
There are two different options you can pick for this virus elimination: manual or automatic. Both options are viable, so make sure you choose the one that suits you the most.
If you are a computer-savvy individual, you can scroll down and find the detailed instructions for Search.easytowatchtv.com removal. Every effort was made to make this guide as coherent as possible. Thus, make sure you follow each step carefully (otherwise, your browser might be hijacked again).
If you want to remove Search.easytowatchtv.com automatically, we suggest downloading reputable anti-malware software. This elimination method can be executed in just a few minutes. Additionally, security software will prevent future alike attacks.
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 Search.easytowatchtv.com. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To uninstall this virus, make sure you get rid of Easy to Watch TV and similar entries in your Control Panel. Then, fix each of the affected web browsers to make this PUP removal complete.
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
Do not forget to reset your Safari browser settings after uninstalling Search.easytowatchtv.com. For that, use this guide:
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 Search.easytowatchtv.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
Protect your privacy – employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
- ^ Chris Hoffman. PUPs Explained: What is a “Potentially Unwanted Program”?. How-to-Geek. A Site for Geeks from Geeks.
- ^ Kevin Martin. Online games: 5 risks to your online security and privacy. Avast. Experts on security.
- ^ Bedynet.ru. BedyNet. Russian internet security website.