How to Remove Gl-search.com Hijacker

Can’t Remove Gl-search.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Gl-search.com Removal instructions!

Gl-search.com gets advertised as a legitimate search engine. Its developers state it’s useful and reliable. They offer it as a helpful tool that enhances your browsing experience. Supposedly, it provides better, more relevant results. As well as, quick access to several popular sites. Well, despite these grand claims of assistance, the site is nothing more than a symptom of an infection. It’s the first manifestation of the meddling of a dangerous cyber threat. A browser hijacker, to be precise. Consider the Gl-search.com page a clue. It warns of the existence of the hijacker. The sooner you accept it as the warning it is, the faster you can act on it. And, you better not delay! Delays lead to regrets. That’s because, the longer the hijacker remains on your system, the bigger the mess it makes. Hijackers waste no time. Once they invade, they spread their clutches throughout, and corruption ensues. In no time, you begin to feel their influence. The tool forces you into a whirlwind of unpleasantness. Both you, and your system’s well-being, are in jeopardy. Heed experts’ advice, and cut the infection’s stay as short as possible. Find its exact lurking place, and delete it on discovery. Don’t waste time in debates. Its prolonged stay ears you nothing but troubles and headaches. Its prompt removal earns you a peace of mind, and the gratitude of your future self. Acknowledge the danger, you’re in, and take immediate action. Remove the hijacker menace ASAP.

How did I get infected with?

Gl-search.com pops up, courtesy of a hijacker, lurking on your PC. But what about the hijacker itself? How did it end up on your computer? Well, fact of the matter is, you installed it. You may not recall it, but you did. These types of programs need user’s permission on their installation. They have to ask you if you agree to allow them in. Only if you do, can they proceed with admission. No approval, no access. It seems a pretty sure way to keep an infection-free PC, doesn’t it? Well, don’t be quite so sure. Infections have found ways around it. They still seek your consent. But they do it in the sneakiest way possible. Freeware tends to be the most preferred means of invasion. That’s because, users are exceptionally careless when dealing with freeware installs. Instead of being extra thorough and vigilant, they do the exact opposite. Most skip reading the terms and conditions altogether. The say YES to everything in blind faith, and hope for the best. Needless to say, to leave your fate to chance, is a colossal mistake. One, you’ll regret. One, with severe consequences. Don’t make it. Understand that infections prey on carelessness. So, don’t grant it. Don’t choose distraction, naivety, and haste over due diligence. Do yourself a favor, and choose caution over carelessness. Even a little extra attention goes a long way.

Why is this dangerous?

Gl-search.com turns into the bane of your browsing. The hijacker forces it on you, at every turn. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to escape the sight of it. Open a new tab? It’s there. Type in a search? It lurks among the results. It is everywhere. Even in place of your default homepage and search engine. One day, you open your browser, and it’s there. No, you didn’t agree to the switch. No, you weren’t aware of its implementation. One day, it’s just there. It’s a surprise, of sorts. And, what a surprise it is. You better get used to experiencing such surprises often. Hijackers are quite meddling, and aren’t shy about forcing changes on you. That’s among the scariest parts of having a hijacker on your computer. Think about it. What if it decides to install an entire array of malicious programs? It can do that. It can flood your PC to the brim with unwanted infection. And, how long do you imagine your system will manage to endure these endless advances? How long until it gets too overwhelmed, and gives up? How long until The Blue Screen of Death? Sure, it’s a minute possibility. But it is one! So, the question is, are you willing to take your chances? Or, would you rather, play it safe? Do yourself a favor, and get rid of the hijacker ASAP! Don’t let the tool cause irrevocable damages. Delete it NOW!

How to Remove Gl-search.com virus

The Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Gl-search.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Gl-search.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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 Gl-search.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.