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Remove Search.searchptp.com (Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

removal by Jake Doevan - - | Type: Browser hijacker
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Reasons not to trust Search.searchptp.com search engine

Screenshot of Search.searchptp.com search engine

Search.searchptp.com is a bogus search engine created by Polarity Technologies Ltd. It spreads with Package Tracker Pro application which is usually included in freeware downloads. Once it enters the system, users might find a changed homepage, default search engine, and even new tab URL address.

However, it might not be easy to revert all the changes caused by search.searchptp.com virus. It might modify Windows registry and alter browser’s settings to prevent users from uninstalling it. But the good news is that this cyber threat can be removed.

Technically speaking, this search tool is not a virus, but a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that works as a browser hijacker.[1] Therefore, you can remove search.searchptp.com with or without security software. If you choose manual elimination option, you will need to find all hijacker-related entires and revert its changes.

After the search.searchptp.com hijack, users might suffer from these problems:

  • inability to set their preferred Chrome, Firefox, Explorer or other browser’s startup page;
  • being forced to use search.searchptp.com search engine as default one;
  • seeing an increased amount of online ads that are based on the browsing history;
  • redirects to sponsored websites;
  • browser slowdowns or crashes.

The appearance of the search.searchptp.com seems legit. It offers quick access to popular websites and allows tracking parcels directly from the home page. Additionally, all the search keywords are redirected to Yahoo results page.

However, you should be aware of suspicious search.searchptp.com redirect tendencies. The hijacker might trigger redirects to third-party sites once you click on the Yahoo result link. Indeed, the PUP wants to control your browsing habits. Why? In order to generate income.

The real purpose of the program is to profit from online advertising. Thus, when you click on ads or visit affiliate’s site, developers generate pay-per-click revenue. This form of online advertising is legit. However, when it is applied by a browser hijacker, there’s a risk to end up on a malicious website.[2]

Thus, after the hijack, you should not test this tool or tolerate its appearance. The program might not only increase your chances to get infected with ransomware or data-stealing trojan but collect information about you as well. Thus, uninstall the program immediately! If you want to speed up search.searchptp.com removal, take advantage of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego.

Image of Search.searchptp.com virusSearch.searchptp.com operates as a browser hijacker that modifies browser's settings.

Suspicious program infiltrates the system in software bundles

The reason why search.searchptp.com hijacks browser’s homepage is an installation of Package Tracker Pro which is widely distributed in software packages. You can find it offered to download together with various free programs that you can download from file-sharing sites or torrents.

When you need to install freeware or shareware, you have to be careful in order to avoid unintentional installation of third-party software. According to Les Virus[3] team, users often rely on “Quick” or “Recommended” settings when they install new programs. However, it’s a bad habit because this setup does not reveal about “additional downloads.”

For this reason, you always have to choose “Advanced” or “Custom” settings that disclose and allows rejecting installation of third-party apps.

The correct way to uninstall search.searchptp.com

Only uninstalling Package Tracker Pro is not enough to remove search.searchptp.com entirely. You have to get rid of other suspicious programs, browser extensions and other hijacker-related components that might be capable of bringing back the hijacker.

You can follow manual search.searchptp.com removal guide presented at the end of the article. However, if you are afraid of missing some components, you should opt for the automatic elimination method.

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.

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To remove Search.searchptp.com, follow these steps:

Get rid of Search.searchptp.com from Windows systems

Follow the steps below to remove browser hijacker along with its related components from the system:

  1. Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs). Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
  2. 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. 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'.
  3. Uninstall Search.searchptp.com and related programs
    Here, look for Search.searchptp.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs.
  4. Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes. Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
  5. Remove Search.searchptp.com from Windows shortcuts
    Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
  6. Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus. Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL

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.

Remove Search.searchptp.com from Mac OS X system

If your browser was hijacked, these instructions will let you remove PUP from the system entirely:

  1. If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
  2. Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Search.searchptp.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash. Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'

Eliminate Search.searchptp.com from Internet Explorer (IE)

To speed up Search.searchptp.com removal from Internet Explorer, you should reset the browser.

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Search.searchptp.com and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete…
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Search.searchptp.com removal.Reset Internet Explorer

Erase Search.searchptp.com from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the Search.searchptp.com-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click on Uninstall at the bottom.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Reset MS Edge if that above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

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.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick DeleteAdvanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. 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” -VerboseAdvanced MS Edge reset 2

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.Reset Chromium Edge

Delete Search.searchptp.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

The guide below will explain to you how to wipe out Search.searchptp.com from the Firefox entirely.

  1. Remove dangerous extensions
    Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
  2. Here, select Search.searchptp.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries. Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
  3. Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
    Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General.
  4. Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
  5. Click OK to save these changes. When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
  6. Reset Mozilla Firefox
    Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
  7. Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Search.searchptp.com removal. Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times

Uninstall Search.searchptp.com from Google Chrome

In order to get back to normal browsing sessions, you have to uninstall suspicious extensions, including Package Tracker Pro, from Google Chrome.

  1. Delete malicious plugins
    Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
  2. Here, select Search.searchptp.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries. Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
  3. Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
    Click on menu icon and choose Settings.
  4. Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages. After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
  5. Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  6. Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section. When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
  7. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  8. Reset Google Chrome
    Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings.
  9. Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings. When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
  10. Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Search.searchptp.com removal. Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal

Get rid of Search.searchptp.com from Safari

  1. 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. Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
  2. Here, select Extensions and look for Search.searchptp.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them. Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
  3. 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.
  4. Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Search.searchptp.com, 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. When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
  5. Reset Safari
    Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
  6. 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 Search.searchptp.com removal process. Select all options and click on 'Reset' button

Do not let government spy on you

The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet. 

You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.

Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.

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.

About the author
Jake Doevan
Jake Doevan - Computer technology expert

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References

This entry was posted on 2017-11-28 at 09:05 and is filed under Stealing programs, Viruses.

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