How to Remove MoviesNow Search Redirects

Can’t Remove MoviesNow Search hijacker virus? This page includes detailed MoviesNow Search Removal instructions!

MoviesNow Search is a malicious program, part of the hijacker family. It uses deception to gain access to your system. Then, once inside, spreads its clutches throughout, and corruption ensues. You start to suffer from a variety of grievances, ranging from minor to major ones. And, the absolute worst one has to do with your security. The malicious program jeopardizes your privacy. It follows instructions to spy on you as soon as it invades. So, once it settles, the espionage starts. The tool keeps a close eye over your browsing. And, not only that. It doesn’t stop at monitoring your activities. It also records them. What’s more, after it determines it has gathered enough data, exposes it. Let that sink in for a moment. A dangerous cyber threats spies on you, steals information from you, and exposes it. To whom? Well, to the unknown individuals, who published it. Do you think that ends well? Hardly. Don’t let strangers with agendas get a hold of your private life. Keep your personal and financial details from falling into the wrong hands. Get rid of the MoviesNow Search program ASAP! Once you become aware of its existence, take actions to remove it. The sooner it’s gone, the better.

Remove MoviesNow Search

How did I get infected with?

The MoviesNow Search tool is sneaky. In fact, it’s quite masterful at sneakiness. The program manages to slither its way into your PC, undetected. It gets you to approve its installation, while keeping you clueless. That sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Well, in actuality, it’s pretty simple. Let’s explain. Every hijacker has to ask the user for permission on its admission. If it gets denied, it cannot proceed with installment. To avoid the risk of rejection, the tool makes sure to ask in the right way. Meaning, it turns to trickery and finesse. There’s still an exchange, of course. The program asks if you agree to allow it in. But it does it with such slyness that you don’t even realize. It uses freeware, corrupted links, spam emails as a way in. It can even pretend to be a fake system or program update. So, you may believe, you’re updating your Java, but you’re not. In reality, you’re giving the green light to a cyber threat. That’s why, caution is crucial. Be thorough enough to catch the sneaky hijacker in the act. And, keep it from entering your system. Always take the time to read the terms and conditions when installing freeware. Or, anything off the web, for that matter. Vigilance can’t hurt, but it can be quite useful. That is, if you wish to keep an infection-free PC. Choose caution over carelessness. One helps to keep threats out of your system. The other invites them in.

Why is this dangerous?

After you get duped into installing MoviesNow Search, brace yourself. You’re in for quite the mess. Once the tool settles, your browsing won’t ever be the same again. Prepare to suffer from incessant intrusion. The hijacker turns your online experience into a nightmare. Do anything at all, and you suffer interference. The program bombards you with a variety of advertisements. Pop-up, banner, in-text. Every type of ad there is, you get flooded with. Furthermore, you get redirected, non-stop! The hijacker throws the Search.playzonenow.com site on you at every turn. It makes it so you can’t go online, without the page popping up. That doesn’t only get annoying fast, it also has consequences. All the ads and redirects end up slowing down your computer’s performance. As well as, cause frequent system crashes. Don’t put up with the infection’s meddling. Don’t allow it to influence your system, or take aim at your private information. Protect yourself, and your PC. Get rid of the dreadful infection the first chance you get. That way, you’ll save yourself a plethora of problems. And, earn the gratitude of your future self. So, remove the MoviesNow Search hijacker at once. It’s the best course of action. Take it.

The MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate MoviesNow Search startup location

STEP 3: Delete MoviesNow Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search 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 MoviesNow Search from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by MoviesNow Search

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 MoviesNow Search, 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 MoviesNow Search 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.

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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