StudyHQ Toolbar (Removal Instructions) - Dec 2017 update
StudyHQ Toolbar Removal Guide
What is StudyHQ Toolbar?
StudyHQ – yet another toolbar capable of adding myway to your web browser
StudyHQ is a browser hijacker which promises users to improve their studies by offering flashcards. Unfortunately, besides this seemingly-useful feature, the program can also hijack your browser[1] and leave myway.com instead of your favorite search engine.
Besides, these are the following reasons explaining why we recommend staying away from StudyHQ virus:
- It hijacks all web browsers that can be found on the system;
- The add-on promotes an untrustworthy search engine;
- The elimination of the toolbar is quite complicated;
- Toolbar tracks your searches each time you start using it.
The developer of StudyHQ is a well-known company called Mindspark Interactive, responsible for distributing thematic toolbars, such as HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar, ConvertersNow Toolbar, etc. Even though all of them offer different services, each of them works in the same manner – it infiltrates computers without user's authorization, installs a toolbar and changes browser's settings to launch myway every time user starts searching the Internet.
The extension[2] has been found spreading in a bundle with various freeware, including popular download managers, media players, PDF creators, and so on. Make sure you get rid of them right after you decide to remove StudyHQ from your computer. For that, use FortectIntego or other program that has already been tested by security experts.
One of the main tasks that Study HQ is set to perform is to promote myway. Thus, once you install the toolbar, you may find myway.com as your default search provider and a start page. Although this search engine is not considered to be malicious, keep in mind that the most of its search results are sponsored.
In case your browser has already been attacked, make sure you initiate a quick StudyHQ removal from your system. Otherwise, you may receive modified search results that might be filled with third-party links, advertisements and other content that causes redirects to predetermined websites.
Such marketing technique is widely used these days because it has been very effective while trying to increase traffic to specific websites. However, you should be aware of the fact that there is no chance of knowing what kind of website you will be redirected to. By using its services, you put yourself at risk of getting infected with malicious programs.
To prevent this, we suggest you to initiate StudyHQ removal on your computer. For that, you can use the guide which is provided below.
Learn how browser hijacker reaches your system
Experts from NoVirus.uk[3] warn that potentially unwanted programs travel inside the installers of free applications. You might not always be fully informed about their installation since Recommended or Quick settings do not allow to de-select the marks of which permit to infiltrate the PUP on your PC.
Thus, if you want to prevent browser hijacker from sneaking onto your computer, you should always check freewares and what kind of attachments they are carrying because this dubious toolbar can be downloaded not only via the official website but also via other free downloads. Thus, always select Advanced or Custom installation mode and untick everything that seems suspicious for you.
Recently, the developer of this program contacted us asking us to remove this post from 2-spyware.com website. We believe that we shouldn't do that as long as programs that we offer for the removal of StudyHQ Toolbar can detect it and help users to remove it from the system. As it is mentioned under each of download buttons, we ARE affiliated with these anti-malware programs, and while some of them are free, others can remove a virus only after purchasing them. These mentions fully fulfill each of the requirements of FTC.
Nevertheless, we have recently decided to make a revision of this and other posts that are related to this developer. We claim that all of them are described properly.
StudyHQ Toolbar elimination methods
You have two different options for StudyHQ Toolbar removal from your computer — automatic and manual elimination. If you are among those who do not want to install additional software to get rid of the hijacker, try using manual removal guide and uninstall the program yourself. Note that this might be dangerous since inexperienced computer users can terminate processes which are essential for a normal OS functionality.
The easier way to fix your computer is to either perform automatic StudyHQ removal. You can be sure that programs recommended for this procedure are highly reliable and can easily fix your computer with only one click. We deeply believe that automatic elimination is the most convenient method because it will identify and remove all hijacker-related components.
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 StudyHQ Toolbar. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
StudyHQ removal requires to uninstall all its elements. Likewise, the guide below will show you how to do it safely on Windows OS:
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
You can clean your Mac PC from browser hijacker by following these instructions:
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
To fix Chrome you should delete StudyHQ extension and reset your browser.
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 StudyHQ Toolbar 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
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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.
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