Welcome to our Search.queryrouter.com “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.
If you are currently seeking help with a thing called Search.queryrouter.com “Virus”, you’ve come to the right place! We will give you all the information that you might need with regards to this PUP (potentially unwanted program) and we will also aid you in uninstalling and removing it from your machine.
What is Search.queryrouter.com?
Search.queryrouter.com is one of the many programs known as Browser Hijackers. Programs of this type of software are known to get into the user’s browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) and meddle with its settings, often changing the homepage, adding new toolbars and search engines and even displaying intrusive pop-ups and banners. All of these changes and obstructive content in your browser can make it rather difficult and frustrating to surf the Internet. Such aggressive advertising techniques are typical for most Browser Hijackers. After all, these programs are primarily used as a way to earn profit by exploiting the online marketing industry. This is also the reason why they tend to be so incredibly annoying and invasive. Sometimes, you might see a Browser Hijacker promoted as some sort of PC optimization program or a browser add-on, which would improve your online security. However, this is hardly ever the case. In reality, it is quite the opposite, since most Browser Hijackers are as unwanted and undesirable as they come.
Is Search.queryrouter.com a “Virus”?
Generally, users often tend to mistake Browser Hijackers for harmful computer viruses like Trojans and Ransomware. Such a misconception is understandable due to the fact that Search.queryrouter.com is known to do things that are rather questionable to say the least. Nevertheless, this does not mean Browser Hijackers like the one we are currently talking about are malicious and dangerous. The truth is that normally most of those programs do not pose any threat to your system’s security. Sure, they can modify your browser without your permission and enforce the changes so that you cannot reverse them unless the PUP is removed, but this does not mean that your computer is actually at risk.
You will still need to remove the Hijacker
Search.queryrouter.com might not be nasty Ransomware or a malicious Trojan horse, but it is also certainly not something you would want to keep on your PC. There are a lot of issues (apart from the ones already mentioned) that you can have with a program of this type and even though most of the time this won’t have any permanent effect on your machine, it is much better to get rid of the unwanted program as soon as possible. With our guide below, we will help you remove the annoying software from your PC. Make sure to check it out once you’ve finished reading the current article.
- As we already mentioned, nagging pop-ups might start appearing in your browser because of the Hijacker. Sometimes those might get so intrusive and obstructive that they may cover your whole screen, making it nearly impossible to use your browser.
- Something that many Browser Hijackers do is they scan your online search history and later use it to modify the adverts they display to you. You certainly don’t want to have your online activity monitored by some sketchy and unwanted piece of software.
- Due to high CPU and RAM consumption caused by the Hijacker’s processes, your computer might get severely slowed-down. In some instances, it might even start to freeze and crash. Problems like this go away as soon as the unwanted program is removed, which is yet another good reason why you should eliminate it.
Make sure to protect your computer!
Removing Search.queryrouter.com from your PC is only half the battle. The other half is to ensure that it never returns to your PC. To do that, you will have to memorize and employ several very essential pieces of advice that we are about to give you in this final paragraph:
- Never use websites that have not been verified as reliable and trustworthy. Visiting or downloading stuff from sketchy sites is risky and you are highly likely to land some sort of unwanted software.
- Make your browser ask for a permission when a file is about to be downloaded. You can do that from the browser settings. No data should be allowed to download automatically onto your PC!
- Do not interact with emails or other online text messages that might be spam, since this is likely the most widely spread method for Browser Hijacker distribution.
- Always make sure to check for applications added to programs you are about to install. To do that, take a careful look through the setup wizard and if there are files bundled with the main program that look suspicious, make sure to uncheck them. If there is an Advanced/Custom installation menu, open it to have full control over what gets installed and what is left out. Bear in mind that such file bundles are one of the most effective ways for spreading Hijackers.
How to Remove Search.queryrouter.com “Virus”
I – Uninstallation
- 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 Search.queryrouter.com, 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 Search.queryrouter.com 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
- 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 Search.queryrouter.com 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 Search.queryrouter.com, 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.
