Remove Search.hcouponsimplified.com Hijacker

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

The Search.hcouponsimplified.com website is the face of a nasty browser hijacker. This parasite enters your computer in complete silence and wreaks havoc. This parasite is ad-supported. Basically, when you click on a commercial provided by the hijacker, its owners will get paid. It is in their best interest to lure you into clicking on as many ads as possible. So, they turned to trickery. The Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker blocks its competitors’ adverts and replaces them with its own. Then, it injects extra commercials on every web page you open. If you resist the temptation, the hijacker will automatically redirect your browser to sponsored pages. And last but not least, it will trick you into believing that sponsored content is actually organic search results. It is not a coincidence that the Search.hcouponsimplified.com page has a search bar. The hijacker can manipulate the search results you are exposed to. No matter which search engine you use, the Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker can inject extra entries among the results you are provided with. As you, might have guessed, these extras are commercials. Yet, they are not marked as such. The thing with hijackers is that these programs do not verify the ads. Neither do they check the advertisers behind them. Dodgy websites pay hefty sums for their links to be displayed on the top. The hijacker is a hazardous app. It should not remain on your computer. If you let it run, it may cause serious troubles. We can help you remove this infection completely. We have provided a manual removal guide below this article. Of course, you can also use a trustworthy anti-virus program for automated removal. You have options. The sooner you clean your computer, the better!

How did I get infected with?

The Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker uses various distribution techniques. Torrents, spam emails and, of course, software bundles are just the most commonly used ones. A little extra caution, however, can keep your computer virus-free. The software bundling technique, for example, cannot succeed without your help. To prevent these techniques from succeeding, simply, pay attention to the installation process of your programs. If you are offered an advanced/custom installation, select it. Under it, you will be presented with the opportunity to deselect all unwanted programs. Nowadays, developers often attach extra programs to the payload files of many popular tools. These extras can be malicious. Take your time to read the Terms and Conditions/EULA. If you spot anything out of the ordinary, abort the installation immediately. Also, keep in mind that these programs are bonuses. You can deselect them and still install the app you originally planned to set up. This is your computer. You call the shots. Don’t let programs like the Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker on board ever again!

Why is this dangerous?

The Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker is a menace that should not be tolerated. Following a successful installation, it takes control over your browsers. It injects numerous commercials. Yet, it doesn’t verify them. Such an unverified advert may arouse unwarranted expectations at best. At worst, it will download more malware and viruses on your computer. Speaking of which, the hijacker may redirect your browser to infected websites. With this utility on board, you are also very likely to be exposed to online scams. Question everything. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t. These issues, however, are nothing compared to what the hijacker does behind your back. The Search.hcouponsimplified.com hijacker is never idle. It lurks in the shadows and collects information about you. If you are not careful, it may steal sensitive data. Such as your real name, billing address, IP and email addresses, passwords and usernames, etc. Keeping this utility on board is not worth the risk. Remove it before it causes irreversible damage.

How to Remove Search.hcouponsimplified.com virus

The Search.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.hcouponsimplified.com startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Search.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.hcouponsimplified.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.