Step-by-step Instruction on Completely Remove Search.smartshopping.com

Search.smartshopping.com is a risky redirect virus prowling on the Internet and it will take every chance to infect users’ computer and modify the browser settings, causing users’ default homepage to be changed to its own page. By doing this, the browser hijacker is able to alter the home page and affect users’ browsing habits. This redirect virus has a seemingly legitimate interface which misleads most users into thinking that it is a useful website providing the search function as Google does, and some users really use the unsafe search engine to do a search, and as a result, they are constantly redirected to some suspicious websites.

In fact, it is a fake search engine that pretends to be a legitimate site and provides users with multiple utilities and many other search services in order to attract users to visit it. Besides, when uses run their media players, they would also receive all sorts of pop-up ads delivered by the redirect virus. Generally, a majority of ad websites are utilized to promote various products to make profits. Commodity sales promotion, activity coupons, discounts on goods and bargains are other sources that can be exploited to distribute Search.smartshopping.com redirect virus. As a result, they click on the ads and go to visit the shopping sites or let the pop-up ads show on the web pages.

Although it is not as malicious as a Trojan horse, it does bring many problems to the infected computers. After the modifications are done, endless additional browser items will be installed in the name of regular browser items without consent, including unwanted addons, unsafe extension and unnecessary toolbar. With so many unfriendly toolbars being installed, the browsers would not be able to work properly, and sometimes they may stop responding or just crash down completely. Moreover, it may display some ads or sponsored links that can redirect users to websites with malicious codes. So, if users click the links and visit those unsafe websites, they would unknowingly get other malware like Trojan horse, worms, and adware downloaded onto their computers. Do not hesitate to remove Search.smartshopping.com from your computer before further damage.

How to Get Rid of Search.smartshopping.com Redirect Virus Effectively?

Step one: set the default homepage back

For Internet Explorer:

Click on Browser Tools

Select Manage Add-Ons on the tools window

Click Search Provider

Here you can see many kinds of search engine option as Bing and Google, select your favorite one to be a default homepage.

Choose Search Results and click on Remove icon to eliminate it

Click Tools, select Internet Options and then the General tab. Here you can option a website you like and save it.

c. Select ‘Search Results’ and click ‘Remove’ to remove it;

For Google Chrome:

Open Customize and control

Click on Settings

Select on Basic Options icon

Here you can reset your homepage (e.g.Google.com）

Once you choose a default homepage, click on Manage Search Engines and then click Google to be your default search engine.

Remove it from the browser by clicking Search Result and then the X’ mark

For Mozilla Firefox:

Click Manage Search Engine

Select Search Results and then click Remove option, click OK

Open Tools, under the General tab, set Google.com as default homepage

Step two: locate related files of the redirect virus and remove them from the computer

%AllUsersProfile%

%AllUsersProfile%\Programs\{random letters}\

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\~r

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\~dll

Step three: Remove Cookies on all Browsers

Internet Explorer:

Click options on the browser and then choose Internet Options

Open General tab, click Delete Browsing History to remove all related cookies

Select cookies and click Delete

Mozilla Firefox:

Click option

Select Privacy and then click on Remove Individual Cookies icon

Delete relevant cookies list on the box

Google Chrome:

Click option

Open Under the Bonnet tab

Select Privacy and then click Clear browsing data

Delete all cookies

Step four: Remove Malicious Registry

Open Registry Editor on the start menu

Type in Regedit and click OK

Remove all the following registry entries

HKEY

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings “CertificateRevocation” = ‘1’

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments “SaveZoneInformation” = ‘0’

Conclusion

Generally, Search.smartshopping.com redirect virus breaks into the targeted computers by coming bundled with a junk email attachment, pretending itself to be a legitimate file (such as audio file, image file, or txt file) and cheating users into click on the attachment. Sometimes, it is also bundled with free downloads, such as music files or movies, and sneaks into the computer without permission. For the sake of your computer and personal information, it is advised to delete Search.smartshopping.com redirect virus immediately and fully from your computer once detected.

The most obvious symptoms of the redirect virus infection should be the change of default homepage and the appearance of many pop-up ads as well as unknown toolbars. Once finding the signs of the infection, users have to take the immediate action to remove it from their computers. Ensure a complete deletion of Search.smartshopping.com redirect virus, the safest and best way is to get a professional removal tool on your computer. Meanwhile, keep the antivirus programs running the background and scan every file that downloaded from the Internet before running it so as to prevent damaged caused by tricky and dangerous threats.