Is your browser homepage changed to Websearch.Searchoholic.info suddenly without your permission? Don’t know how to get your default homepage and search engine back? Wonder if it is safe to keep that unfamiliar site on your PC? This post shows some details of the website and instructions for how to delete it completely.
About Websearch.Searchoholic.info browser hijacker:
Websearch.Searchoholic.info is considered as browser hijacker which is associated with adware/PUP. It may change your browser homepage and search engine to its own site without any permission. Usually, it arrives on the PC along with other unwanted applications from the Internet. Once installed on your computer, it makes modifications on the installed web browsers and affects your browsing experience. The browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer and other popular browsers can’t avoid this infection. Whenever you start the browser, Websearch.Searchoholic.info occurs automatically instead of the homepage or start page you set before.
Screenshot of Websearch.Searchoholic.info browser hijacker:
From the screenshot, you can see that the website appears as a search engine similar to Google which enables users to search for information they want. However, this site may not be as helpful as you expect. It may display many sponsored links and ads in the search results and affect your browsing experience. You can see some pop-up ads as showed in the screenshot above suggesting you to run free error scan. They are not reliable because you may be redirected to other irrelevant websites when you click on the ads. Sometimes other potentially unwanted programs can be installed automatically when you click on the OK or Install button from the pop-ups. In fact, the website is designed to make profits by generating traffic and promote advertisements for third party websites which it cooperates with.
As a result, the browser hijacker may occupy lots of your computer resources and memory, leading to very slow computer performance. What’s worse, it may monitor your online activity and collect some sensitive information such as your search queries, the websites you visit and other data which can be utilized by third parties to make money. If it sends your data to third parties, many ads based on your interest may frequently pop up when you are surfing the Internet.
Anyway, you need to remove Websearch.Searchoholic.info browser hijacker from the PC as soon as possible once you notice its invasion. Otherwise your computer may suffer from many other unexpected issues.
Note: If you don’t know how to quickly remove the culprit which causes the browser redirecting issue, we suggest you download and install an advanced antivirus program – SpyHunter to scan the system and solve the problem quickly.
How does Websearch.Searchoholic.info get into your computer?
Commonly, the threat comes bundled with free software or files which have been compromised from the internet. It can be downloaded and installed on your computer when you download any program that is bundled with the browser hijacker. As a result, your browser homepage will be changed without warning.
In addition to that, the infection can be distributed via spam email attachments as well. It can be embedded in the unsafe email attachments and installed on your PC when you open and execute the suspicious attachment files.
To avoid these unwanted programs, you should pay more attention on the surfing Web. Always choose the advanced or custom option if there is when you install a new program. Unselect those unknown or unnecessary applications or services to prevent troubles.
How to get rid of Websearch.Searchoholic.info from your computer completely?
Step 1 Uninstall suspicious programs from your computer
(Alternative way to automatically remove the browser hijacker with SpyHunter)
Step 2 Remove the browser hijacker from your web browser
Step 1 Uninstall suspicious programs from your computer
For Windows 7/Vista, you can follow the steps below to remove the unwanted programs:
Click the Start Menu and go to Control Panel. Click on Uninstall a Program under Programs and the Programs and Features window will appear. Search for the suspicious program and uninstall it.
For Windows 8, you can follow the steps below to have it done.
Click on Start Menu and go to Control Panel. Type programs and features in the search box, and then hit on Programs and Features option.
Highlight the dubious programs and click Uninstall button.
Alternative way to automatically remove the browser hijacker with SpyHunter
SpyHunter is a professional malware removal tool which enables computer users to effectively uninstall any unwanted programs. It is a powerful, real-time anti-spyware application certified by West Coast Labs’ Checkmark Certification System and designed to assist the average computer users in protecting their PC from malicious threats. The tool is automatically configured to give you optimal protection with limited interaction, so all you need to do is install it for immediate and ongoing protection.
Step1. Click the button below to download SpyHunter anti-malware program.
Step2. Install it on your PC after the file is downloaded on your PC.
Step3. Run the tool to scan your system by clicking on Scan Computer Now button.
Step4. Click Fix All Threats once the scan is completed.
Then all the threats on your computer will be deleted completely within minutes and your computer will become clean again. The browsing redirecting issue can be fixed effectively.
Step 2 Remove the browser hijacker from your web browser
Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Open menu button at the top right corner to open Menu -> Add-ons. Select the extensions related to the browser hijacker and click Disable or Remove button.
Click Tools -> Options -> General page->replace the unwanted site with a preferred domain-> click on OK to finish the change.
Go to Firefox shortcut and then click on the Properties option, remove the malicious url from the target box. Click on Apply and OK to save the change.
Google Chrome
Click the Chrome Menu button (on the browser toolbar) -> Tools -> Extensions. Search for the relevant add-ons and click the trash box to remove them.
Click on Chrome Menu ->Settings -> On startup ->Set pages -> Click on the X button to delete the unwanted site url and add a new URL you like.
Go to Google shortcut -> Properties option->remove the dubious site name from the Target box->click on Apply and OK to save the change.
Internet Explorer
Open IE and click the Tools -> Manage add-ons -> click Toolbars and Extensions->select the related add-on and click Remove button.
Click Tools-> Internet Options -> General-> Replace the unwanted url from with a desired domain-> Click OK to complete the operation.
click on IE shortcut-> Properties. In the shortcut tab, remove the extra url-> click on Apply and OK to save the change.
Suggestion:
If you find it difficult to remove Websearch.Searchoholic.info from your PC, it is suggested that you use SpyHunter to remove the malware from your computer thoroughly. The manual removal of the unwanted programs may cost you a lot of time without letting you delete the infection successfully. To prevent such unwanted cyber threats, you should be more careful when surfing the Internet, especially downloading and installing free applications.