How to Remove Search.searchgmfs1.com Pop-ups

Can’t Remove Search.searchgmfs1.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Search.searchgmfs1.com Removal instructions!

Search.searchgmfs1.com is a bogus search engine. If the website takes over your screen, be wary. You’re in danger. Your system’s well-being is in jeopardy. And, so is your privacy. The page’s popping up is a sign of trouble. It’s a warning that a hijacker slithered its way into your PC. You best heed that warning, and take immediate action. Don’t underestimate the hijacker! To do so is a mistake, you’ll regret. One, with colossal consequences. At first, it may not seem that alarming. But, as time goes by, issues evolve. Problems grow, and what begins as minor interference turns into a major security risk. Don’t allow that escalation. Protect yourself from the nasty cyber threat! Once it reveals itself with the site, take notice! And, act against it. Find where its exact hiding place is, and delete it ASAP. Accept the Search.searchgmfs1.com page as the warning it is. Don’t discard it. And, don’t delay your action. Locate and remove the hijacker menace the first chance you get. It’s for the best.

How did I get infected with?

Hijackers are pretty sneaky. The one, behind Search.searchgmfs1.com, is, too. The tool manages to get you to approve its install. All, while keeping you clueless. Oh, yes. It got you to give it the green light, and kept you in the dark about it. That is, until it began to throw the page at you. It may seem a bit confusing. After all, the hijacker can’t access your system on it own accord. Not without, asking for, and receiving, your permission to do so. Yes, an exchange has to take place. And, it did! Only, it’s not as straightforward as you may imagine. The hijacker did inquire for your permission on its admission. But, it did so via slyness and finesse. The old but gold means of invasion came in rather handy. Freeware, fake updates, spam emails. The infection has its pick of ways to trick you with. But neither one can prove successful unless you’re careless. That’s the key ingredient for the hijacker’s successful sneaking in. Your carelessness. It needs you to skip doing due diligence, and rely on luck. To rush, and give into naivety. Don’t oblige. Do the opposite! Choose caution, instead. It helps you keep an infection-free PC. Carelessness leads to you getting stuck with Search.searchgmfs1.com, at every turn. Make the right choice.

Why is this dangerous?

Search.searchgmfs1.com becomes the bane of your browsing. The hijacker finds a way to force the page on you, no matter what you do. Open a new tab, type in a search, it doesn’t matter. Search.searchgmfs1.com will find a way to appear. It even pops up in place of your default homepage and search engine. No, you didn’t agree to the switch. No, you had no prior knowledge of its implementation. One day, it’s there, and that’s it. That’s what you can expect from a hijacker. They’re intrusive, and can force changes on you. Nothing stops them from flooding your PC with malware. Yes, if the infection so chooses, it can approve the install of more threats. It can fill your PC to the brim with more unwanted infections. And, how long do you think that goes unnoticed? How long until your system gets too overwhelmed, and gives up? Yes, The Blue Screen of Death is a rather minute possibility. But ‘minute’ doesn’t equal ‘non-existent.’ So, as minor as the odds may be of seeing blue, are you prepared to take them? Or, would you rather avoid the risks that follow the hijacker? Do yourself a favor, and pick the latter. Search.searchgmfs1.com is a harbinger of bad news. Acknowledge it as the warning it is. Accept the presence of the hijacker. Find where it lurks. And, get rid of it. The sooner, the better.

How to Remove Search.searchgmfs1.com virus

The Search.searchgmfs1.com infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the Search.searchgmfs1.com infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

STEP 1: Track down Search.searchgmfs1.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.searchgmfs1.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Search.searchgmfs1.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.searchgmfs1.com related processes in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Search.searchgmfs1.com startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean Search.searchgmfs1.com virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

STEP 3 : Clean Search.searchgmfs1.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Search.searchgmfs1.com by clicking on the little recycle bin
• Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

• Open Mozilla Firefox

• Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
• Disable the unwanted Extension
• Go to Help
• Then Troubleshoot information
• Click on Reset Firefox

• Open Internet Explorer

• On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
• Click on Internet options
• go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
• Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

• Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Search.searchgmfs1.com

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for Search.searchgmfs1.com, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

You must clean all your browser shortcuts as well. To do that you need to

• Right click on the shortcut of your favorite browser and then select properties.

• in the target field remove Search.searchgmfs1.com argument and then apply the changes.
• Repeat that with the shortcuts of your other browsers.
• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove Search.searchgmfs1.com Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.