Remove Zinkwink.com virus (Easy Removal Guide) - Free Instructions
Things to know about Zinkwink.com redirects
Zinkwink.com is a shady search tool that provides results filled with advertisements. It can instantly replace your homepage and default search settings to hxxp://zinkwink.com/ if you install ZinkWink Desktop software. It belongs to browser hijackers category due to its ability to redirect users to shady third-party sites only to generate pay-per-click revenue[1].
This suspicious search tool is offered by a shady company that is also a developer of Query Browser, Zwankysearch.com, Kwanzy.com and other potentially unwanted programs (PUP). These programs should be avoided at all costs. Not only ZinkWink spies on the computer user by collecting one’s browsing-related data, but it also inserts hardly reliable links into search results, willing that the victim will click on them.
As a result, the victim can be thrown onto hazardous third-party sites, which instantly earns some money for the developer of the PUP. However, LesVirus.fr[2] says that there is not much benefit for the user. By exploring results brought by ZinkWink redirect virus, he or she risks visiting untrustworthy, malicious, or even phishing sites[3].
Although the search tool itself cannot infect victim’s computer, it is a tool that creates an environment for visiting untrustworthy web pages. This is the main reason why we recommend you to remove Zinkwink.com.
If you detected http://Zinkwink.com/ in your browser, read the instructions provided below the article and get rid of the Zinkwink Desktop. In case you are not looking for manual Zinkwink.com removal guidelines and you would rather use a professional malware removal tool, we recommend choosing ReimageIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner.
ZinkWink.com redirect virus is a tool set to change victim's browser settings and force him to use ZinkWink search engine.
Potentially unwanted programs infiltrate computer without user’s notice
Potentially unwanted programs have a tendency to spread in a shadow of popular free programs that offer them as “recommended” third-party programs. Whenever you decide to download a new free program to your computer, we suggest choosing the right installation settings and removing checkmarks next to suggestions to install unknown additional software to your PC.
We usually recommend opting for Custom or Advanced settings – these will give you a chance to see the list of added programs and allow you to deselect the unwanted ones. Make sure you deselect all of them – these programs are hardly trustworthy, and their main function is to display ads based on victim’s browsing activities.
Remove Zinkwink.com from Chrome, Safari, and other browsers
Now that it is time to remove Zinkwink.com virus, you have to decide how do you want to do it. There are two methods that you can choose from:
- The manual removal method;
- The automatic removal method.
Depending on your choice, you will need to use either anti-malware software or Zinkwink.com removal instructions provided below. Usually, we suggest trying to delete the hijacker manually and finishing the removal using anti-malware software. This way, no spyware/malware programs would have a chance to remain in your system if they infected it a while ago.
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.
To remove Zinkwink.com virus, follow these steps:
Uninstall Zinkwink.com from Windows systems
First of all, uninstall ZinkWink Desktop. Then, remove other suspicious programs such as QueryBrowser or Kwanzy. After completing the removal of unwanted programs, delete suspicious URLs from browser shortcuts using the example given below.
To remove Zinkwink.com virus from Windows 10/8 machines, please follow these steps:
- 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 entries related to Zinkwink.com virus (or any other recently installed 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.
Get rid of Zinkwink.com from Mac OS X system
If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:
Remove Zinkwink.com virus from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Zinkwink.com virus-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove Zinkwink.com virus, 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 related to Zinkwink.com virus and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Zinkwink.com virus-related entries.
Delete Zinkwink.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
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Zinkwink.com virus and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete…
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Zinkwink.com virus removal.
Eliminate Zinkwink.com virus 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 Zinkwink.com virus-related 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.
Reset MS Edge if that 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 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.
Erase Zinkwink.com 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 plugins that are related to Zinkwink.com virus and click Remove.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Options.
- 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.
In case Zinkwink.com virus did not get removed after following the instructions above, 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 – this should complete Zinkwink.com virus removal.
Remove Zinkwink.com from Google Chrome
Delete ZinkWink, Kwanzy, and other extensions that look suspicious.
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 Zinkwink.com virus 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.
If the above-methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the Zinkwink.com virus-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 to complete Zinkwink.com virus removal.
Uninstall Zinkwink.com from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Zinkwink.com virus 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 Zinkwink.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.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
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.
- ^ Pay-per-click. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ LesVirus. LesVirus. Malware Removal Guides.
- ^ How to Spot a Phishing Website. GlobalSign Blog. Myriad of In-depth Articles from Industry Experts, Product Managers, and Senior Engineers.
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