Remove Mysearchs Search (start.mysearchs.com)

Mysearchs Search is a browser hijacker and a PUP that will hijack your web browser and redirect you to unwanted and potentially dangerous websites. It belongs to the same browser hijacker family as Babylon Toolbar and Search. Some anti-virus engines are already blocking it and hopefully other will do the same very soon. Not all anti-virus engines are strict enough to detect and block PUPs. By the way, you may not know what a PUP is. It's a Potentially Unwanted Program, or a PUP for short. It usually ends up on your computer or other device without telling you in clear terms that you're downloading it. Immediately we can see that this is a rather underhand MO that we're dealing with, and it also raises suspicions as to why a developer would need to sneak a program onto our machines without telling us about it and hijacking your web browser. So surely this means that Potentially Unwanted Programs are malware, right?

It would seem that Mysearchs Search browser hijacker/PUP is a form of malware but it's not quite as simple as that. While Trojan horses, spyware, rogue anti-virus software and adware clearly fall into the malicious software category, a browser hijacker is slightly different. Sure, at first glance it would seem that it is malware simply due to its method of installation but, perhaps surprisingly, most PUPs and browser hijackers are not dangerous – for example, they don't corrupt your files, they don't empty your bank account, and they won't steal your data. So just what exactly do they do?

Well, firs of all, browser hijackers and PUPs are truly annoying. Potentially Unwanted Programs get their name from the way that they install themselves. They are actually programs as for the most part, they do have a function. However, the potentially unwanted part is what signifies the difference with malware. Whereas malware has no redeeming features, Mysearchs Search doesn't display any real malicious traits. But as it's still not a program that you've downloaded by choice the lines are blurred. I.e. you may want it and end up keeping it, or you may not. But you probably don't want to keep it because it changes lots of browser settings and registry keys and changes your home page as well as default search engine to start.mysearchs.com. No one can say for sure whether you will find that new tool bar or browser better than your current one, therefore this PUP is just as potentially wanted as it is potentially unwanted.

The people who develop Potentially Unwanted Programs aren't happy about their creations being referred to as malware and use the argument that their program does have a use (despite the fact that you didn't know you were downloading it!) A developer's aim is for you to enjoy using their new tool bar or home page and not uninstall it from your machine. We'll see why shortly.

So, why would Mysearchs Search be potentially unwanted? Needless to say that there is a reason why they have to be snuck onto your machine and that's because despite appearing to be simply a useful new search option they do have a darker side.

It's fair to say that having start.mysearchs.com on your PC isn't as serious as spyware, for example, but it's still something that you should consider a) getting rid of and b) preventing in the first place. That's because most PUPs and broser hijacker like this one change your browser settings and replace your existing home page to one of the developer's. They'll also change your default search engine which has the effect of redirecting you to websites that the developer wants you to visit. They may display pop-up adverts too. Therefore the difference between PUPs and malware is not as clear cut as you may think.

To remove this Mysearchs Search from your computer, please follow the steps in the removal guide below. If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below. Good luck and be safe online!

Written by Michael Kaur, http://deletemalware.blogspot.com

Mysearchs Search Removal Guide:

1. First of all, download recommended anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this infection. Hopefully you won't have to do that.

2. Remove Mysearchs Search related programs from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).

Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.



If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".



Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.



3. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following:

• Mysearchs Search
• Babylon
• Babylon toolbar
• WPM17.8.0.3159

If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.

Remove Mysearchs Search from Google Chrome:

1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.



2. Ensure that the Developer mode checkbox in the top right-hand corner is checked. Go to Chrome extensions directory and delete the folder Extended Protection extension is loaded from.



3. Then select Settings. Scroll down the page and click Show advanced settings.


4. Find the Reset browser settings section and click Reset browser settings button.


5. In the dialog that appears, click Reset. Close Chrome.


Remove Mysearchs Search from Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox. In the URL address bar, type about:config and hit Enter.



Click I'll be careful, I promise! to continue.



In the search filter at the top, type: Mysearchs

Now, you should see all the preferences that were changed by iStartSurf. Right-click on the preference and select Reset to restore default value. Reset all found preferences!

2. Click the Firefox menu button in the upper-right corner of the browser.

3. Then select Help from the menu.

4. Select Troubleshooting Information.

5. Click the Reset Firefox button at the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page.



6. Click the Reset Firefox button again to confirm the reset.



7. Firefox will restart. Click Finish and you're done.


Remove Mysearchs Search from Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools → Manage Add-ons.



2. Select Search Providers. First of all, choose Live Search search engine and make it your default web search provider (Set as default).

3. Select Mysearchs Search and click Remove to remove it. Close the window.

6. Finally, go to Tools → Internet Options and restore your home page to default. That's it!