Startinf.com Hijacker Removal

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

There’s a browser hijacker on your computer. It’s lurking somewhere in the corners of your system. And, it’s making a mess of everything! The Startinf.com website popping up is a clear sign of the invasion. You best take immediate action against the threat. The longer you leave the hijacker on your computer, the more you’ll regret it. These are malicious, damaging programs. They wreak havoc from the moment they slither into system. And, do not stop until you remove them. It’s because of that, you must act fast! Issues WILL pile up. They WILL worsen. Do your best to get rid of the hijacker before it wrecks your PC beyond repair. Acknowledge the Startinf.com site as your sign of action. Once you spot it on your screen, accept you’re in danger. Heed the page’s appearance as the warning it is, and act on it. Don’t waste time in debates. Don’t discard the importance of the page’s popping up. You’re in danger. Your system’s well-being is in danger. Do what’s best for both, and delete the hijacker on detection. After you discover its presence on your PC, get rid of it. Its stay brings you only troubles and unpleasantness. Its deletion earns you the gratitude of your future self.

How did I get infected with?

Startinf.com appears, courtesy of an infection, lurking on your computer. A browser hijacker snuck in undetected. And, the site is its way of announcing itself. But how do you suppose that happened? How did you end up with a hijacker? Those don’t appear out of the blue. As a matter of fact, they need permission to enter. Without it, they cannot install themselves on your PC. For a hijacker to access your system, it must ask if you agree to allow it in. Only if you give it the green light of admission, can it proceed. The question is, do you remember giving it? Odds are, you have no memory of the exchange. But it did happen. Don’t beat yourself up too hard, though. Don’t think the tool outright appears to ask your approval. It doesn’t. It does seek your consent, but it does it in the most cover way possible. It lurks behind freeware, corrupted links, spam emails. It poses as a bogus update. It’s quite masterful at deceit. It’s up to you to catch it in the act, and foil its attempts. Always apply extra attention when installing tools, updates, anything. The web is a dangerous place. Take everything, you get from there, with a grain of salt. Double and triple-check what you agree to. Look for the fine print. Don’t discard the importance of due diligence. It’s crucial, if you wish to keep an infection-free PC.

Why is this dangerous?

Startinf.com takes over your screen. Once the hijacker sneaks its way into your PC, you better get used to seeing it. You’ll get redirected, non-stop. Open a new tab? Type in a search? Do anything at all online, and it’s there. The Startinf.com site becomes your shadow. It traces your every move. And, it’s not alone. The redirects aren’t the only interference that gets forced on you. Apart from seeing Startinf.com, you also get flooded with ads. Banner, pop-up, in-text. They accompany the redirects, to disrupt your browsing all the time. That doesn’t go unnoticed. The hijacker’s incessant meddling has repercussions. They include a slower PC, and frequent system crashes. Going online becomes a nightmarish experience. But do you know what? Those are the surface issues, the minor ones. The one that towers over all the rest, is the privacy risk. The worst issue, you face, concerns your personal and financial details. The hijacker follows instructions to steal, and expose it. After it invades, it starts to spy on you. The infection tracks, and records your browsing activities. Once it deems it has gathered enough, it hands it over to the people, who published it. Cyber criminals with questionable intentions. Don’t let that scenario unfold. Protect yourself. Protect your system from the hazardous influences of the hijacker. Delete it the first chance you get.

How to Remove Startinf.com virus

The Startinf.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 Startinf.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 Startinf.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Startinf.com startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

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

• Open Google Chrome

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