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Welcome to our StartPaging123 “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.
Browser Hijackers are some of the most annoying and unwanted types of programs that can get onto your PC. While they are generally far from malicious software threats such as Ransomware and Trojan horses, Browser Hijackers are still certainly programs that you would not want to have on your computer due to the various negative traits that most of them possess.
StartPaging123
Today, we will be talking about one particular piece of software that is known under the name of StartPaging123. It shares similar traits with most applications of the Hijacker type, which is why we will refer to him as a Browser Hijacker. Most of the complaints regarding StartPaging123 are about its tendency to invade the user’s Chrome, Firefox, IE or any other browser and add to it unwanted toolbars, sketchy search engines as well as change its normal starting page and sometimes cause redirects to obscure websites. All of these are symptoms of a typical Browser Hijacker. There are other potential issues that might arise from this program, but more on that later in the article. If you are reading this because you are seeking to find a way to remove the unpleasant software, look no further. Here, we have a detailed guide that will help our readers that have had StartPaging123 installed onto their computers have it removed and uninstalled for good. The instruction manual is available right below the main part of this article. However, you are strongly advised to first read everything here and then go to the actual removal guide.
Harmful virus or a harmless PUP
While StartPaging123 is certainly quite an annoyance to put up with, as we already stated above, it is nowhere near as problematic and dangerous as actual PC viruses and malware the likes of Trojan horses and Ransomware. In the majority of instances, a Hijacker will solely be used for internet advertising purposes, as it is the main reason those programs are developed in the first place. Sure, the techniques used for internet advertising are undoubtedly aggressive and invasive but your machine should generally remain safe and unharmed by the Hijacker. Additionally, do note that a lot of programs that fall under the Hijacker category are, in fact, legal and legit programs (some of them are even developed by big and well-known companies). In contrast to that, viruses are always illegal and used for malicious and harmful purposes. One other significant difference between Hijackers and viruses is that it is fairly easy to spot a Hijacker since it does not try to hide its presence. With PC viruses, it is exactly the opposite, since they always try to remain unnoticed for as long as possible.
What other problems might come from StartPaging123
We must let you know what other potential issues a typical Browser Hijacker might cause if it gets on your PC so that you know what you would be dealing with. Here are some of the most important examples.
- A very common (and frustrating) problem with most programs of that type is that they are oftentimes able to cover your whole browser with all sorts of obstructive and rage-inducing adverts, pop-ups, banners, etc. In addition to the fact that they are super annoying, they can sometimes redirect you to shady websites if you accidentally click on any of them.
- Probably the most problematic trait of the Hijacker type is that they tend to gather personal data through the user’s browser. Though this is generally used for marketing purposes, it is still a blatant privacy invasion.
- If that was not enough, to add to the frustration, some Hijackers might have a significant effect on the productivity and system stability of the user’s machine. This is especially noticeable on computers that aren’t very powerful.
Last minute tips
If you think that you do not know how to protect your system from getting filled with unwanted and unpleasant Hijackers, take a few more moments to read the following short list of rules and guidelines that will help you increase your PC’s security.
- Be cautious when you go online and always make sure to use your common sense. This is a very overlooked and disregarded piece of advice, yet it is one of the most important aspects to ensuring the safety of your computer.
- Be careful when checking your email – spam letters are everywhere and they oftentimes carry undesirable (and sometimes even malicious) software.
- Do not download anything that looks shady and do not use sources that are not trustworthy.
- Keep away from big online banners and suspicious-looking adverts. Generally, be very careful with your clicks when surfing the internet.
- If you download a program and are about to install it, prior to launching the installation process, make sure to look through the setup wizard and see if there are any applications bundled with it. If you see that there is anything added, look the bundled program up in order to determine whether it is safe or if it is a potentially unwanted software. If it is the latter, uncheck it in the setup menu before you continue.
How to Remove StartPaging123 “Virus”
I – Uninstallation
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- Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
- Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
- Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall
- If you are unable to spot StartPaging123, search for any unrecognized programs that you do not remember installing on your PC – the unwanted software might disguise itself by going under a different name.
II – Safe mode and revealing hidden files
III – Cleaning all your browsers
- Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
- Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
- Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.
- Chrome users:
- Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
- Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
- Now, in the left pane, go to Extensions and look through all extensions that are integrated within your browser. If you notice any suspicious add-on, disable it and then remove it.
- Firefox users:
- Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
- Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name StartPaging123 on them.
- IE users:
- Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
- Click on all add-on types from the left pane and check if there is anything suspicious in the right panel. In case you find anything shade, make sure to remove it.
IV – Removing Shady processes
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- Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
- Thoroughly look through all processes. The name StartPaging123 might not be there, but if you notice any shady looking process that consumes high amounts of memory it might be ran by the unwanted program.
- If you spot the process ran by StartPaging123, right-click on it, open its file location and delete everything in there. Then go back to the Task Manager and end the process.
V – DNS check
- In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
- Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
- Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
- If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
- Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
- Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.
