Searchinspired.com. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
SearchInspired.com – a fake search engine used to collect people’s personal information
Searchinspired.com is a bogus search engine that might hijack any web browser.
Searchinspired.com virus is a browser hijacker which belongs to Cro-Bit Ltd. This potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] claims to increase users’ browsing experience by providing them links to most popular websites, for example, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and others. No matter that it may seem like the faster way to reach domains that you need, beware that it can also collect personal and anonymous information which is supposedly used to return advanced search results. Sharing such data with strangers is dangerous, so we do not recommend using Searchinspired.com.
| Summary of the cyber threat | |
|---|---|
| Name | Searchinspired.com |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Danger level | Medium. Takes control over the browser and redirects to possibly dangerous websites |
| Symptoms | Default homepage, search engine and new tab URL replaced with an unknown domain, delivery of the excessive amount of ads, redirects to questionable sites, possible installation of third-party browser extensions or plugins |
| Affected browsers | Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and other popular browsers |
| Distribution | Software bundles |
| To uninstall Searchinspired.com, install Reimage and run a full system scan | |
Even if this site seems very promising and legitimate to use, you should note that it can easily infiltrate your computer without your knowledge. Typically, Search Inspired affects careless users because its developers have been actively using a method called bundling. After finding itself on the system, this invader hijacks all popular web browsers (Chrome, Mozilla, IE, Safari, etc.) by changing the homepage, the default search engine, and the new tab URL to the preferred one.
As a result, victims start noticing redirects to Searchinspired.com and other sites that seem unfamiliar. In this case, you should be very careful because this site can return forged search results that are filled with various pop-up ads, in-text links, and similar content. After clicking such link without thinking, you can be redirected to a dangerous site seeking to infect you with malware. Additionally, you can find yourself on a fake survey site and similar domains that are typically used to swindle people’s personal information.
To sum up, this site poses a serious danger to your computer, so there is no need to keep it on the system. Do not get tricked by harmless looks of this browser hijacker! The easiest way to go back to Google Search is to remove Search Inspired from your computer by using Reimage or another reliable anti-spyware program.
Furthermore, we should warn you about program’s ability to record personal and anonymous data about its users. It has become a serious problem which has already involved Facebook and other huge companies. According to the Privacy Policy of Search Inspired, its developers are collecting such kind of information:
Search Inspired may collect two types of information: 1) Personal Information, and 2(Anonymous Information. Personal Information means information that may directly or indirectly identify you, such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number. Anonymous Information means information that does not directly or indirectly identify you, such as the number of page views, link clicks, and login times. We may use both Personal and Anonymous Information to create Aggregate Information. Aggregate Information, is the grouping of Personal and Anonymous Information into groups and/or categories, which does not identify you directly or indirectly. Through you use of the Site we may collect the following Personal Information: you name; email address; information you provided in public forums and/or social networks; information you provided us including your device identifier or IP address when you use the Site.
While the personal data which is mentioned in the privacy policy includes only one’s email address and PC’s IP address, its loss can cause lots of additional problems and inconveniences, including an increased amount of spam, suspicious personalized ads that interrupt you while browsing on the web and similar problems. However, security specialists from NoVirus.uk[2] do not recommend ignoring this activity.
To sum up, you should stay away from this highly questionable search engine. If you ever come across a redirect to this site, please, make sure you initiate Search Inspired removal. To get rid of the browser hijacker, you need to perform steps that we provided below this article. Here, you will find manual removal guide and programs that can be used for automatic virus removal.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
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'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
Main distribution methods used to spread this browser hijacker
The browser hijacker can be downloaded from its official website. However, before installing programs from unknown sources, you should always read users’ reviews to see how good or bad they work. In addition, you can add this PUP to your web browsers yourself because of poor knowledge and a lack of cautiousness while downloading third-party software from the web. That’s because this hijacker has been actively spread via bundling.[3]
This marketing method is mostly supported by developers of suspicious apps that are trying to increase the popularity of their apps. After hiding them inside legitimate and well-known programs, they simply get a chance to get inside users’ systems without being noticed. “Bundled” programs are often related to unwanted system changes, so make sure you decline all offers suggesting you to add them to your computer.
If you want to stay safe from browser hijackers, you should:
- Be very cautious while downloading/installing software;
- Avoid using programs which come from third parties;
- Download/install all programs just from official and trusted sites;
- Always opt for Custom or Advanced installation mode and then deselect all check marks that allow system changes and installation of third-party apps.
To get rid of Searchinspired.com from your PC, you need to reset your web browser
To remove Searchinspired.com virus from the system, you have to eliminate dubious browser extensions and other PUPs. Additionally, we highly recommend resetting web browser to change it back to its previous state. If you are not tech savvy, you should use the guide given below. However, make sure you follow every step in exact order just to ensure a full virus removal and also a proper functionality of your PC in the future.
If you need a quick solution to fix your computer from redirects, you can choose automatic Search Inspired removal option. In this case, you will have to decide on what anti-malware program do you want to use, update it and let it do all the work for you. In this case, you should delete all components that belong to this threat. Programs that are recommended below have been selected due to their simple usage, an ability to clean every harmful program from the system and recover it from damage.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Searchinspired.com, follow these steps:
Remove Searchinspired.com from Windows systems
Browser hijacker may have arrived on the system bundled with some suspicious programs or installed unknown third-party tools itself. Follow these steps to find and eliminate these entries:
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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 Searchinspired.com and related programs
Here, look for Searchinspired.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Searchinspired.com from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. -
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.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariUninstall Searchinspired.com from Mac OS X system
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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 Searchinspired.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete Searchinspired.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
-
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. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Searchinspired.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
-
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.
-
Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
-
When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Searchinspired.com removal.
Eliminate Searchinspired.com from Microsoft Edge
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, Searchinspired.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariGet rid of Searchinspired.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
In order to remove SearchInspired.com from Mozilla Firefox, follow this guide:
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select Searchinspired.com 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. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Searchinspired.com removal.
Erase Searchinspired.com from Google Chrome
Uninstall questionable Chrome extensions and reset the browser to delete Searchinspired.com for good:
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select Searchinspired.com 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.
-
Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Searchinspired.com removal.
Remove Searchinspired.com 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. -
Here, select Extensions and look for Searchinspired.com 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 Searchinspired.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.
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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.... -
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 Searchinspired.com removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ Chris Hoffman. PUPs Explained: What is a “Potentially Unwanted Program”?. How-to Geek. The website about technology.
- ^ No virus. No virus. Cyber security news.
- ^ Bundled software. Webopedia. Online tech dictionary for IT professionals.
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