Browser being hijacked may be one of the most headachy problems that most PC users may encounter in the age of Internet. Is your browser hijacked by Zooms.searchalgo.com? Have no ideas how to completely get rid of it? This post provides effective Zooms.searchalgo.com removal guide.
Details of Zooms.searchalgo.com
Definition :
Zooms.searchalgo.com is classified as a nasty browser redirect virus (also called browser hijacker) designed to attack users’ Internet browsers (such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome), and redirect their search results to various websites that promote certain products or services. Obviously, this redirect virus is a tool used by cyber hackers to seek personal gain via unethical means.
How Does the Redirect Virus Spread?
It spreads through spam email attachments which are sent by the cyber hackers.
It spreads through websites that have been hacked by the cyber hackers.
It spreads through freeware, shareware, or ad-support applications.
It spreads through suspicious links and pop-ups within websites that are not trusted.
It spreads through removable storage devices that have been infected by malware.
How Does the Redirect Virus Work?
Once installed on your computer, Zooms.searchalgo.com injects its own registry entries into the Windows registry (generally in the folder of registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Run) and copies its file(s) to your hard disks (generally in the folders under C:\Program Files\). In this way, the redirect virus can run automatically whenever your computer is loaded and further do a series of malicious things.
Then, it modifies your browser settings, DNS settings and Hosts file without any permission, causing your browser default homepage and search engine to be changed to Zooms.searchalgo.com. Its aim is to force you to use the search service provided by it – then, it is able to redirect you to some particular websites by showing the related items in the search results.
In addition, this redirect virus installs some unknown toolbars onto your browsers, no matter you need them or not. Those toolbars may not be malicious, but really annoying. They may keep pop up many ads, coupons, deals, banners and discounts on the web pages that you are browsing.
It should be noted that, the redirect virus could compromise your privacy. It traces your browsing history, collects terms that you have typed into the search box and then sends the data to the remote cyber hackers. As a result, your personal information may be exposed to unknown people and misused by them for marketing purposes.
Symptoms of the Infection
Computer running speed and network speed obviously get slower than before.
Browser default homepage is changed to Zooms.searchalgo.com without consent.
Search engine is changed and you receive many ads and sponsored links in the search results.
When browsing shopping websites, you receive a lot of ads, coupons, deals and discounts.
You are redirected to ad-based websites instead of websites that you want to visit.
Unknown toolbars and add-ons appear your browsers and new websites URL are added to your Favorite folder and bookmark list.
How to Remove Zooms.searchalgo.com Effectively
Method 1: Manually Remove the Redirect Virus by Taking the Steps.
Method 2: Automatically Remove the Redirect Virus by Using SpyHunter.
Note: Please don’t attempt the manual removal method, if you have no experience of dealing with processes, files and registry entries. Any unwitting mistake may cause irreparable system damage. If you want to easily, effectively and safely get rid of the nasty redirect virus, then you can click on the button below to download SpyHunter on your computer.
Method 1: Manually Remove the Redirect Virus by Taking the Steps.
Step 1: End running processes related to Zooms.searchalgo.com.
1) Press Ctrl+ Alt+ Delete or Ctrl+ Shift+ Esc keys together to open Widows Task Manager (or press the Windows key + R key together, type” taskmgr” into the box and click OK).
2) When the Task Manager is launched, click on Processes tab.
3) Find out the redirect virus related processes and click End Process button to terminate them.
2task
Step 2: Show all hidden files and folders.
1) Open Folder Options by clicking the Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Folder Options.
2) When the Folder Options window pops up, click the View tab.
3) Under Advanced settings, click “Show hidden files, folders and drives”, uncheck “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” and then click OK.
Step 3: Remove the files associated with Zooms.searchalgo.com.
%Temp%\random.exe
%Program Files%\random.exe
%UserProfile%\Desktop\[redirect virus name].lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\[redirect virus name].lnk
%Document and Settings%\[UserName]\Application Data\[random].exe
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\random.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\[random].exe
Step 4: Remove the virus redirect related registry entries.
1) Press Windows key + R key together.
2) Type “regedit” into the Run box, and then click OK button.
3) In the registry editor, find out and delete all the related registry entries.
4178-11194-Registry-Editor-in-Windows-7
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “.exe”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “[random].exe”
Step 5: Reset the affected browsers to their default state.
Internet Explorer:
1) Click “Tool” > “Internet Options”.
2) Click the “Advanced” tab and click on the “Reset” button.
3) IE browser will display a “Reset Internet Explorer Settings” box, tick “Delete personal settings” and click “Reset”.
4) When IE finishes applying the default settings, click “Close”, and then click “OK”. Exit and then start IE to make the changes take effect.
Mozilla Firefox:
1) Click on the Firefox menu > “Help” > “Troubleshooting Information”.
2) Click “Reset Firefox” in the pop-up window. Then, Firefox will close and be reset.
3) In the pop-up window, click “Reset Firefox”. Then, click “Finish” and Firefox will open.
Google Chrome:
1) Click the Chrome menu > Settings.
2) Click “Show advanced settings”.
3) Locate and click the “Reset browser settings” section.
4) In the pop-up dialog, click Reset. Then Google Chrome will start applying the default settings.
Method 2: Automatically Remove the Redirect Virus by Using SpyHunter.
For users who don’t have much computer expertise, we highly recommend using SpyHunter. This is a powerful malware removal tool that helps detect and remove many types of malware from users’ PCs. Want to safely remove Zooms.searchalgo.com within clicks of mouse? Please follow the guide below:
Step 1: Download SpyHunter by clicking on the download button below.
Step 2: Double-click the downloaded file and allow it to run by clicking on the “Run” button. Then, follow the on-screen wizard to install SpyHunter on your computer.
Step 3: Once the installation is done, launch SpyHunter and scan your system for Zooms.searchalgo.com and any other potential threats.
Step 4: When the scanning is over, remove all detected threats by clicking on “Fix Threats”.
Step 5: Restart your computer to complete the removal.
Attention: Zooms.searchalgo.com is a nasty redirect virus that must be removed timely so as to keep your PC safe. The manual removal is effective; however, it is complicated and risky. If you wrongly delete any important files and registry entries during the process, you may cause your system to crash down or experience other unwanted problems. To ensure a safe removal of the redirect virus, it is highly recommended that you download and use a removal tool do the removal task for you. SpyHunter is a professional malware removal tool which can thoroughly remove many malicious threats. You can download and use it to get rid of the pesky redirect virus with ease.
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