Search.searchw3m.com Hijacker Removal

Can’t Remove Search.searchw3m.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Search.searchw3m.com Removal instructions!

Your computer harbors an infection. It’s part of the hijacker family, and it’s dangerous. The program is malicious, invasive, and a danger to both your system and yourself. It continuous to force the Search.searchw3m.com site on you all day, every day. Consider the page’s initial display, the infection’s grand announcement. It uses the website as a way to reveal its existence. You best not ignore that clue, but heed it. And, better yet, act on it! Understand that hijackers don’t make good companions. They slither into your system via slyness. Then, once inside, spread their clutches throughout, and corruption ensues. You begin to face daily annoyances in the form of issues, both major and minor. They range from getting redirected, to having your privacy at risk. Yes, at the very top of issues, you encounter, you find ‘security threat.’ The hijacker threatens to steal and expose your personal and financial data. The question is, are you going to let it? Here’s some advice: don’t! Do yourself a favor, and delete the dangerous threat ASAP! You have nothing to gain by allowing it to stay, and everything to lose. Locate and remove it at once.

How did I get infected with?

The hijacker, hiding behind Search.searchw3m.com, duped you. It got you to approve its installment. All, while keeping you oblivious. Oh, yes. You had no clue of the invasion. Not until, the tool revealed itself via the Search.searchw3m.com site. The most common means of invasion remains freeware. It tends to offer the easiest way in. Do you know why that is? Well, most users throw caution to the wind during its install. They rush, and don’t even bother to read the terms and conditions. Instead, they rely on luck. And, that’s a horrible strategy. One, you’ll regret. Don’t go down that path! Choose caution over carelessness. Apply extra attention next time, you’re dealing with freeware. Or, anything else you get off the web. Always do your due diligence. Be thorough. Understand that caution helps to keep infections away. Carelessness, however, invites them in. Make the smart choice.

Why is this dangerous?

Search.searchw3m.com turns into your shadow. The hijacker forces it on you at every turn. Your browsing experience becomes a daily barrage of Search.searchw3m.com, and ads. Oh, yes. The online interference isn’t limited to Search.searchw3m.com, alone. The tool also bombards you with advertisements. Pop-up, in-text, banner. Every type of ad there is, you see on your screen. And, these disruptions are incessant. They occur every single time you o online. And, that doesn’t go unnoticed for long. The intrusions have consequences. Your system starts to crash all the time. Your computer starts to slow down. Browsing the web becomes an immensely infuriating experience. But, your grievances don’t end there. The online interference is only the beginning of your unpleasant predicament. Your situation gets worse with time. So, what starts with redirects and ads, evolves. Remember the security risk, mentioned above? The more time the infection spends on your PC, the bigger its chances of success. Understand that the hijacker follows programming to spy on your online activities. It tracks every move you make, and records it. After it deems it has stolen enough information from you, it exposes it. It hands it over to the people, who published it. Do NOT allow that! Don’t let your personal and financial details get stolen and exposed! Don’t extend the hijacker’s stay by even a moment after discovery. Once you become aware of its presence on your PC, act towards its prompt removal. It has no place on your PC.

How to Remove Search.searchw3m.com virus

The Search.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.searchw3m.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Search.searchw3m.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Search.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.searchw3m.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.