Remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co Pop-ups

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

Search.hwatchtvnow.co is bad news. This website is the face of a browser hijacker. If it has replaced your homepage, or if “Ads powered by Search.hwatchtvnow.co” pop up out of the blue, prepare for trouble. These issues are your warning. A hijacker lurks in the shadows of your OS and wreaks advertising havoc. Brace yourself! The intruder is a complete an utter menace. It uses every opportunity to interfere with your activities. Whether you watch a video or browse your favorite website, the hijacker is always there to annoy you. It opens pop-ups, plays commercials, displays banners. And it doesn’t stop here. The parasite also loads sponsored pages in new tabs, as well as turns random text into hyperlinks. The vast number of ads, of course, is a problem too. The numerous advertisements overload your browser and cause performance issues such as freezing and crashes. You face an avalanche of errors and malfunctions. You, unfortunately, also face security risks. The “Powered by Search.hwatchtvnow.co” ads are not mere annoyances. A parasite displays these ads. You can’t expect them to be safe, much less trustworthy. The ads often redirect web traffic to spam, scam, and corrupted websites. They arise unwarranted expectations at best. At worst, they lure people into online traps! Spare yourself many future headaches, remove the hijacker ASAP!

How did I get infected with?

Search.hwatchtvnow.co pops up by courtesy of a browser hijacker. This parasite sneaks into your device through trickery and makes a mess out of your browser. Don’t, however, imagine cyber-attacks. The hijacker relies on corrupted links, fake updates, malvertising, spam messages, and pirated software. Its tricks prey on your naivety. The thing about this parasite is that it can’t get installed without your, the user’s, permission. It is bound to seek your consent. And it does. It always asks. But it does so in the sneakiest way possible. The hijacker hides in the fine print and infects your computer when you “forget” to deny it access. Do not make that mistake! No anti-virus app can protect you if you throw caution to the wind. Only your vigilance can prevent infections. Don’t be lazy! Choose caution over carelessness. Always take the time to do your due diligence! Don’t visit shady websites. Download software and updates from reliable sources only. And forget about the “Next-Next-Finish” setup strategy. If available, use the advanced/custom setup option. Deselect the unwanted bonus apps and go through the terms and conditions. Don’t hesitate to abort the installation if you notice anything suspicious!

Why is this dangerous?

The Search.hwatchtvnow.co ads are a plague. What starts as an occasional banner turns into an ad invasion. That’s because you are dealing with a browser hijacker. This parasite sneaks into your computer and floods you with countless “Ads by Search.hwatchtvnow.co.” Do not underestimate the situation, though. The parasite is not a simple annoyance. It threatens to redirect you to dangerous websites, as well as to leak confidential information. Confused? Just take a closer look at these “Powered by Search.hwatchtvnow.co” ads and you’ll realize the full extent of the problem. The ads are not random but targeted at you. They are based on the websites you visit, the links you follow, the videos you watch. That’s because you are under surveillance. The hijacker studies your browsing habits and uses your preferences against you. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It not only turns you into an easy target but also sells the collected data! Do you feel comfortable knowing that any crook out there can buy your information? What if some pieces of data, your search queries, for example, leak personal and financial details? Do not take unnecessary risks! Take action against the parasite as soon as the Search.hwatchtvnow.co website pops up. Find where the hijacker lurks and delete it upon detection!

How to Remove Search.hwatchtvnow.co virus

The Search.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.hwatchtvnow.co startup location

STEP 3: Delete Search.hwatchtvnow.co traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

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

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.hwatchtvnow.co, 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.hwatchtvnow.co 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.hwatchtvnow.co 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.