Tide Search virus (Improved Instructions)
Tide Search virus Removal Guide
What is Tide Search virus?
How to know if you are dealing with Tide Search virus?
Tide Search virus is, in fact, a browser hijacker. If you have it on your computer, you will notice it very soon, because Tide Search hijacks any of your usual browsers and replaces the start page with search.tidesearch.net without your permission. What is more, after getting on your computer, it installs add-ons and various extensions and makes other browser’s changes without you even knowing it. Thus, if you see tidesearch.net instead of your common browser default search engine, you should quickly remove Tide Search from your computer. You can do that with the help of FortectIntego.
Why is it dangerous to have Tide Search on your computer?
There are three main reasons why you should never use Tide Search. First of all, as it is mentioned before, it replaces your usual browser homepage and default search engine with unknown Tidesearch.net or Nt.tidesearch.net. This way, Tide Search takes over the browser and, even if you change your homepage back to your previous one, this software will change it back to tidesearch.net after you restart your computer. This constant switching from your usual browser to browser hijacker can be very annoying and time-consuming. Thus, if you have noticed Tide Search hijack on your computer, we can guarantee you, that your browsing sessions will become very unpleasant. Secondly, users notice that instead of the best search results, this software uses Tide Search redirect function to show unrelated search results and ads. Moreover, in many cases, it redirects users to unknown third party websites. These redirections are posing a threat to your computer’s security because these sites can be filled with malicious software. Please note, merely visiting the third party website is enough to infect your computer with malware. Thus, always watch what you click and do not visit sites you were redirected to. Finally, Tide Search is also used to flood user with various ads, which appear during each browsing session. Beware that you may start noticing ads in a form of pop-up windows, banners, hyperlinks, etc. each time you open your browser and attempt to use the Internet. Tide Search ads also have been actively used to redirect the user to third party websites. To sum up, using Tide Search is not only inconvenient for the user, but, also, may make your computer vulnerable to multiple threats.
How does Tide Search infect computers?
Most probably, you installed Tide Search on your computer bundled with other free software. As it is a well-known fact that users tend to skip some steps as they are installing the software on the computer, developers suggest installing the software faster, by using Quick or Recommended installation option. This way, additional components are embedded and installed without the user even knowing it. Thus, to protect your computer from Tide Search hijack, you just need to choose Custom or Advanced install options and monitor what is declared on installation wizard, because these options always show what additional components are included in the software download. Also, you should always read End User’s License Agreement and Privacy Policy as they usually list any software which is included.
Tide Search virus is used to achieve one purpose – to generate pay-per-click revenue. It is achieved by redirecting the user to third party websites using ads and tidesearch.net search results. Each time you click the ad or go to an unknown third party website, the developers of this browser hijacker generate income in a suspicious way. Tide Search can also be used to collect data about your browsing activity, such as IP addresses, cookies and browser history. This NPII (non-personally identifiable information) is gathered with the main aim which is to share it with the third parties, which is then used to create more attractive and user-oriented ads. However, there is no guarantee that this data will not be used for inappropriate activities, such as misleading you into believing that you must update some of your software. The longer you have this software on your computer, the more information this program can collect about your browsing activity. Therefore, if you don’t want to be tracked all the time, see Tide Search removal guide on page 2 and delete this software from your computer.
Easy Tide Search removal guide
If you are reading this article, this means that you have already been infected with Tide Search virus. Don’t worry. It can be easily removed, both manually and automatically. You can remove Tide Search using instructions bellow. However, we suggest you to remove this software manually only if you are an advanced user. Otherwise, we strongly recommend using anti-malware software and removing Tide Search automatically. The anti-malware software will ensure fast and efficient Tide Search removal from your computer. Finally, by keeping the anti-malware software on your computer, you will increase your computer security level significantly.
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 Tide Search 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 Tide Search 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
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 from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.
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