How to Remove Launchpage.org “Virus”

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In this article we are going to try and help you remove Launchpage.org “Virus”. Our instructions cover all Windows versions as well as most browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.

In the article you are about to read we will be talking about Launchpage.org “Virus”. Experts identify programs of this type as browser hijackers. What such a program may do to you is irritate you by changing the settings of your browsers (Explorer, Opera, Chrome and/or Firefox). In case any of your browser apps has been influenced by Launchpage.org “Virus”, you are very likely to face some unwanted redirection to various web pages; some constantly appearing ads while you are browsing; as well as the appearance of an unfamiliar homepage and new default search engine. All you need to know about this kind of software has been included in the text below.

Browser hijackers – programs to worry about or some simply irritating products?

Basically, browser hijackers are products, which are marketing-driven and may only influence the browsers, installed on your PC. All the popular browser apps might be prone to such infections. Any hijacker version may not only be able to modify your browser’s appearance and their way of working, but also – review the search history data of these apps and try to define the overall preferences of any victim user. That is why the flow of pop-ups and redirections you could experience may be connected to your most recent or common online search requests. Because of the quite shady features explained above, Launchpage.org and the other representatives of this software type are often seen as potentially unwanted. It is not that they will actually damage your system; it is just that they might irritate you to a great extent.

In order to give an illustration to our statements above about how considerably harmless hijackers generally are, we will compare them and the most infamous malicious programs – Ransomware. For example, if your system has been affected by a Ransomware virus, the chances are that you will experience encryption of the most frequently used files, and a serious amount of disturbance in the form of ransom-requiring alerts. If the infection bothering you is caused by such malware, your data is very vulnerable. In contrast, if the ongoing infection is caused by a hijacker like Launchpage.org, nothing harmful can happen to any of your directories and files. In fact, your browsers will be the only affected components of your system. However, hijackers are certainly not the type of software you will ever need on your computer. That’s why you might not or remember installing such a program, as they may exploit quite tricky means of distribution, so that they could get incorporated into your browsers with your indirect approval.

Catching Launchpage.org is possible when:

If you are wondering how such ad-producing programs as Launchpage.org may trick you into allowing them to get installed on your PC, here is the answer. Although they have nothing to do with any kind of malware, their developers have mastered an easy way to make you install them on your computer yourself. This method is directly connected to the most successful hijacker sources so far- program bundles. Actually, they represent interesting free combos of many apps, programs and games that you may access for free on the Internet. Normally, they also contain irritating software like hijackers and Adware. The only way to catch a program like Launchpage.org is by incorporating the entire bundle into your system. You might have got awfully excited to use a program or an app from the downloaded free bundle. Consequently, you could choose the installation option that requires less time and fewer efforts. They are usually named: “DEFAULT”; “EASY” and/ or ‘’QUICK’’. Ensure that you stay away from them, whatever you are installing on your computer. Instead, you can always make the right choice and select the ADVANCED or the CUSTOM/IZED installation features. They will let you choose exactly the programs and their features you need on your PC, and as a result, you will be able to easily disregard the Adware or the hijacker from the list of the products to be installed.

Is distributing this software in such a way even legal?

Actually, to your possible surprise,  the processes of developing and spreading programs like Launchpage.org are completely legal. In fact, programmers earn big amounts of money out of making such advertising programs, and the people who purchase them – normally goods manufacturers and service providers, also benefit from that by getting a greater audience for what they are selling.

What if Launchpage.org has already managed to annoy you and you have to remove it from your PC?

In such a situation, this hijacker needs to be uninstalled from your system. In order to do that safely and easily, follow the steps in the Removal Guide below.

Launchpage.org “Virus” Removal

Many types of malware will restrict your access to their core files. It is highly recommended that you reboot your PC in safe mode before attempting to use this guide.

• To enable Safe Mode reboot you PC, then hit F8 repeatedly. When the corresponding menu opens please select Safe Mode with Networking.

WARNING! If you are using Windows 8,0 or later and/or your operating system is installed on a fast SSD drive this may fail to work. In this case click here to see how to start your PC in Safe Mode.

#1: Uninstall the malicious program from your control panel

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Enter control panel to look for any suspicious programs, which may have installed on your PC. To do that:

1. Navigate to your Desktop
2. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
3. In the Run window that just opened type appwiz.cpl

4. Go through the list of programs and find Launchpage.org or anything else that may seem suspicious. Right-click on it and choose the uninstallation option

WARNING! Carefully read any confirmation messages that may be created in the process. Sometimes you may get offers to download more Adware applications and this can be linked to either the Yes or the No answer depending on the wording!

• Optional:

Go through the list of programs again and check online for any potentially unwanted programs. We have an article that covers this awesome free software that makes sure that your computer is free from bloatware and programs that you don’t need.

#2: Remove Launchpage.org From Chrome

Now we’ll remove the extensions that the malware has attached to your browser.

1. Open your Google Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://extensions/  in the URL address bar and press Enter.
3. Click on “Developer Mode” on the top right and look for the extension installed by Launchpage.org and anything that might be related to it. Copy their IDs (the string of letters), then remove them by clicking on the trash bin icon.

1. Type Regedit in the Windows Start Menu and press Enter. Go in : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\Extensions and delete the entries corresponding to the suspicious IDs you recorded.

#3: Remove Launchpage.org From Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type “about:support” in the URL address bar and press Enter.
3. Click on the “Refresh Firefox” button on the right and confirm.

#4 Remove Launchpage.org From Internet Explorer

1. Open your Internet Explorer internet browser.
2. Click on the Gear icon on the up right, then on manage add-ons.
3. Go through the list disable any suspicious extensions.

#5 Remove any leftover parasitic processes

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From the task manager:

1. Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open the Task manager, then click on the Processes
2. Go through the list of processes and look for unknown or otherwise suspicious entries.
3. If you see anything suspicious right click on the process and shoes Open File Location, then terminate the process and delete any files you find in the directory.

WARNING! If the directory you open from this menu has no files inside of it it’s probably because the malware has hidden them. You need to reveal hidden files and folders in order to be able to see them. Click here if you don’t know how to do that.

From the start menu:

1. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
2. In the Run window that just opened type msconfig
3. Click on the Startup tab.

This menu controls which programs are loaded when windows starts after a reboot. Disable anything that seems suspicious. Optionally you can also disable any program that you don’t need and also has a high impact on your startup time.

Feel free to write to us in the comment section with any questions that you may have. Also if we have been helpful to you please share this article to help us reach more people like you.