Remove Searchmine.net “Virus” (Mac/Safari/Chrome)

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Welcome to our Searchmine.net “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.

Web adverts have the ability to turn into a real problem for almost any PC. If you are reading this, chances are you’ll wish to know where each one of these emerging pop-ups comes from and why your browser constantly redirects you to shady promo sites when you seek something else. As a start, you should know that the Searchmine.net “Virus” could be one of the various programs that might be responsible for spamming your web browser with ads. Such programs are generally known as Browser Hijackers and, in this particular article, you’ll find all the information needed to remove Searchmine.net from your own device. 

In most of the cases when people come across Browser Hijackers they typically presume their computer has been attacked by a malicious program. This, however, isn’t really accurate because real PC viruses are nasty pieces of software usually build for malicious tasks like spying, data damage, system corruption, etc. Ransomware is an example of a very dangerous type of PC virus which can lock all personal documents on a computer and blackmail its victims for ransom money in exchange for their liberation. A Browser Hijacker is not capable of causing this type of harm, and, in most of the cases is considered as harmless. Of course, this comparison is just to help our site visitors better recognize the nature of the real computer threats, but nothing of this means that the Searchmine.net “Malware” should not be removed. In fact, there is a removal guide on this page which can help you do that. Sadly, quite a few anti-virus tools won’t take any action against Browser Hijacker programs because such pieces of software are considered as legal. That’s why you may need a special removal tool or a manual removal guide for the effective uninstallation of the undesired software.

Potential dangers, related to Browser Hijackers

Despite the fact that the Searchmine.net “Virus” on its own is not a harmful piece of software, it can potentially help in exposing your system to other, more risky software such as Trojans, Spyware or Ransomware infections. One of the primary problems with adware is the fact that sometimes the ads might not be real advertisements at all. Harmful web pages are a very real danger and some of the worst aspects of programs from the browser hijacker type is that they may accidentally generate and display ads that function as a redirect to such webpages. Fortunately, not many hijackers are known for showing this sort of harmful ads but it is still a good idea to remove the one that operates on your system. Another essential aspect to hijackers generally is that they tend to keep an eye on the user’s online activity. This may sound disturbing, but usually, it is generally done so that the adware can customize its ads in order to make them appear more attractive to the user. Some more invasive programs may possibly sell the attained data to third-party organizations. This is quite rare but still could be a good reason to get rid of Searchmine.net right now. And lastly, such software may often cause a slowdown of your machine’s working capability, as a consequence of all the resources it takes to display its nagging adverts.

Source: Howtoremove.guide’s Remove Searchmine Malware

Remove Searchmine.net “Virus”

I – Safe mode and revealing hidden files

1. Boot your PC into Safe Mode /link/
2. Reveal hidden files and folders /link/

II – Uninstallation

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1. Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
   
2. Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
   
3. Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall

If you are unable to spot Searchmine.net, 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.

III – Cleaning all your browsers

1. Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
   
2. Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
   
3. Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.

• Chrome users:

1. Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
   
2. Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
   
3. 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:

1. Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
2. Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name Searchmine.net on them.

• IE users:

1. Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
   
2. 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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1. Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
   
2. Thoroughly look through all processes. The name Searchmine.net 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.
3. If you spot the process ran by Searchmine.net, 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

1. In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
   
2. Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
   
3. Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
   
4. If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
   
5. Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
   
6. Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.