Viceice.com hijack (Removal Instructions) - updated Sep 2016
Viceice.com hijack Removal Guide
What is Viceice.com hijack?
Viceice.com virus: how harmful can it be?
If you are wondering how could you remove Viceice.com virus, you came to the right place. 2-spyware.com team is ready to explain you all details related to this browser hijacker. First of all, you should remember that it is not a typical search engine. It is a doubtful search site that can track your search sessions and show you sponsored search results. When inside the system, Viceice.com tracks people’s mostly visited websites, search queries, clicks, and similar information. Besides, it is especially interested in people’s email addresses. Beware that you should not reveal your email address to unknown parties. While it may seem like this information is non-personal, its leakage may lead you to an increased amount of spam. If you don’t like an idea of tracking, you should remove Viceice.com from your computer. You can do that with the help of manual removal option or automatic removal.
Update on Viceice:
According to the latest information, Viceice spreads in a bundle with Sims 4. As several of 2spyware users have informed us, they have discovered about the infiltration of this browser hijacker right after downloading the latest version of Sims. Please, be careful with this program because careless installation can result in the appearance of unwanted search engine on your Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari web browsers. It seems that Internet Explorer is not vulnerable to Viceice virus.
Of course, you should also beware of the fact that there are tens of other programs that have been involved to the distribution of this browser hijacker. In most of the cases, they do not present it as an optional component in an explicit manner, which is why there are hundreds of people who have no idea how did they manage to end with it without even realizing that. Right after Viceice.com hijack is finished, it drops a plug-in on all the most popular web browsers, corrupts registry entries, and sets itself as a default start engine. As a result, you may be tricked into using it instead of Google and other search providers that are known as reputable. No matter how attractive this search site looks, do NOT use because you can receive modified search results from its developers! That’s how they try to promote third party websites and earn easy money.
Unfortunately, this is not the end. Although search engines like Viceice.com claim that they use Google Custom Search, they also rely on Google AdSense which is a well-known service used for displaying ads. Please, be careful with these ads because they have already been noticed to cause redirects to questionable websites. Besides, some part of them can suggest you to update some kind of software, perform a free system scan on you computer, participate in surveys, check Internet speed, and so on. These ads MUST be avoided! To stay safe and prevent Viceice.com redirect issue on your computer, run a full system scan with ReimageIntego and remove this browser hijacker.
Prevention of this virus:
As we have already mentioned, Viceice.com redirects may start interrupting you out of nowhere. That’s what has happened to you, and you feel confused about it? Stop worrying. This search provider is not malicious, so it has obviously entered your computer using a legitimate method of infiltration. You don’t have to Google for the distribution methods because usually potentially unwanted programs spread bundled with other freeware. So, it’s most likely that you have installed a download manager, media player or another freeware and installed it along with all its attachments. To prevent this from happening in the future, our recommendation is to start checking freeware’s Advanced or Custom settings. This way, you will get the chance to see all ‘optional downloads’ in an explicit manner and will be able to opt out of them all. By the way, it’s advisable to make a small research on your selected program because EULA, Privacy Policy and similar information sources may inform you about ads, cookies, and other issues. If you are already affected, make sure you perform Viceice.com removal without wasting your time.
How to remove Viceice.com virus?
Viceice.com removal is highly recommended in order to keep your computer safe and stable. This procedure can be done using two different methods – manual removal option and automatic removal method. The first option requires following a detailed guide, which is given down below. Please, be careful and perform each of our removal steps in right order to prevent data loss and other problems. If you don’t think about yourself as an experienced PC user, you should opt for automatic removal option. In this case, make sure that you update SpyHunter or other reliable anti-spyware to its latest version to remove Viceice.com with each of its files. More information (a detailed guide and programs that you can use to eliminate this hijacker automatically) are given below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of ReimageIntego. 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 Viceice.com hijack. 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 Viceice.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: ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting stealing programs
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
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