How to Remove Googlesearch.me Redirect

Can’t Remove Googlesearch.me hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Googlesearch.me Removal instructions!

Googlesearch.me is a malicious website, you don’t want to come across. It’s abusing the Google name, hoping it grants it legitimacy. It is nether legitimate nor trustworthy! Don’t fall for its trickery. This is not a website, you can rely on. Consider it a sign, a clue even. It indicates the presence of a severe cyber threat. One that belongs to the browser hijacker family. Hijackers, as you well know, are malicious infections. They slither their way into your system with cunning and deceit. Then, once inside, take over. And, corruption ensues. You face problems with every aspect of your system. Your browsing experience suffers. Your system crashes all the time. You face a severe malware threat. As well as a looming threat of seeing The Blue Screen of Death. And, as the cherry on top, your privacy is in jeopardy. Hijackers aren’t good news. They bring nothing but harm and headaches your way. The program, using Googlesearch.me as a face, is no different. Avoid its malicious influences. Prevent the hijacker from throwing you into a whirlwind of unpleasantness. Once it displays the page that first time, acknowledge it as a warning. That’s what it is. Heed it. Accept that your system is in danger, and do your best to protect it. Keep it out of harm’s way by locating the hijacker’s hiding place. And, getting rid of it on discovery. It’s the best course of action you take. Take it now!

Remove Googlesearch.me

How did I get infected with?

Googlesearch.me seems to pop up out of the blue. But it’s not the case. Its unexpected appearance is by your doing. You orchestrated it. Confused? Well, don’t be. It’s pretty simple. Let’s explain. The hijacker, behind the page, can’t access your PC on its own accord. It needs permission. Your permission. The tool has to ask whether you agree to install it. Only if you do, can it proceed with entry. No consent, no admission. So, the hijacker has to find a way to ask approval. A way that doesn’t end in rejection. It turns to trickery. Through slyness and subtlety, it dupes you into granting it access. You don’t recall the exchange, because you weren’t careful enough to catch it. That’s what the infection counts on. Your carelessness. It hopes you give into naivety, and distraction. That you rush, and not bother to do your due diligence. After all, that increases its chances of a sly invasion, significantly. Don’t ease the infection’s infiltration. Choose vigilance over carelessness. Don’t leave your fate to chance. Be thorough every time you allow a tool, update, anything off the web. Even a little extra attention can save you an avalanche of issues.

Why is this dangerous?

Prepare to see the Googlesearch.me site, non-stop. Once the hijacker invades, it forces it on you all the time. It interferes with your online activities all the time. When you so much as touch your browser, you get redirected to it. As well as flooded with pop-up ads. Going online turns into a hellish experience, full of intrusions. Your screen gets overrun with disruptions, and don’t think they go unnoticed. They leave their mark. Your computer’s performance slows down to a crawl. And, your system suffers frequent crashes. And, do you know what? To click a single link, ad, or anything the tool displays, is a colossal mistake. Nothing, you see, is reliable. Take the advertisements, for example. They conceal a multitude of cyber threat. To press a pop-up, is to agree to install, the malware, it harbors. So, click nothing! But even the malware risk pales in comparison. The worst part, of having a hijacker, is the security issue. These programs spy on you. They don’t only interfere with your browsing, but monitor and record your activities. Every move you make, gets cataloged. Once the hijacker deems it has gathered enough data, it sends it. That’s right. It hands it over to the cyber criminals that published it. Don’t let your private life fall into the hands of these strangers! Keep your personal and financial data private. Get rid of the infection before it’s too late, and you’re full of regrets.

How to Remove Googlesearch.me virus

The Googlesearch.me 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 Googlesearch.me 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 Googlesearch.me related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Googlesearch.me startup location

STEP 3: Delete Googlesearch.me traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Googlesearch.me 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.

end-malicious-process

  • Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Googlesearch.me 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 Googlesearch.me virus from the windows registry

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

win-plus-r

  • A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

regedit

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]

delete backgroundcontainer

  • 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:

hosts-redirect-virus

STEP 3 : Clean Googlesearch.me traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable Googlesearch.me from chrome

  • Open Mozilla Firefox

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

remove Googlesearch.me from 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

remove Googlesearch.me from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Googlesearch.me

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 Googlesearch.me, 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.

safebrowsing-biz-shortcut-removal

  • in the target field remove Googlesearch.me 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 Googlesearch.me 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.

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