StartPageing 123 “Virus” Removal

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In this article we are going to try and help you remove StartPageing 123 “Virus”. Our instructions cover all Windows versions as well as most browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.

The ads, pop-ups and the strange page redirects, which have recently taken over your Chrome or Firefox can be incredibly nagging. If you landed on this page, you probably know that all from personal experience. Not to mention the unauthorized changes of your homepage or search engine and the unfamiliar toolbar that has probably appeared in your browser without your permission. Could this be the work of some nasty virus? Not really. All this is a result of the activity of a browser hijacker named StartPageing 123 “Virus”. But how can you remove these changes? You have probably tried to find a way to uninstall or disable them but without success. The reason is that this program installs its components deep inside your system and to remove them, you may need to follow some specific instructions. The good news is that on this page, we have prepared a detailed removal guide, which can help you do that. However, if you are dealing with a browser hijacker for the first time, it is advisable to get familiar with its specifics, so you can handle it better. For that, read the information below and let us know if you need any help.

The advertising industry invades your screen!

Browser hijackers are online advertising tools. They are basically created with the idea to display different sponsored ads, promotional pages, services, products and offers directly on the users’ screen. However, the way they do that may be considered a bit intrusive. Programs like StartPageing 123 may modify some of your browser settings, replace your homepage with some sponsored web page, or substitute your search engine. This way they ensure that you will get redirected to specific advertisements every time you open your browser. But why would these programs do that? Well, the reason for the ads disturbance is money – the people who develop and manage programs like StartPageing 123 use them to earn from the clicks on the displayed ads through the popular Pay-Per-Click method. This means that every time you see ads and you eventually click on them, they will generate revenue. This is not illegal and is actually a source of income for many online based businesses. However, there is a very thin liner between the tolerable advertising and the intrusive and invasive way that some browser hijackers apply. Chasing more profits, the owners of the hijacker usually overdo it with the number of the displayed messages and redirects, this way creating a huge inconvenience for the affected users. That’s why many people, when exposed to the intrusiveness of the browser hijacker, prefer to uninstall it from their system.

Is StartPageing 123 malicious and could it cause any problems to your PC?

Fortunately, browser hijackers contain no malicious scripts that may harm your system, therefore they have no place among the nasty viruses and destructive online threats like Trojans, Ransomware, Spyware, etc. Programs like StartPageing 123 can only affect your default browser and cause some browsing-related disturbance, but nothing else. That’s why security experts classify them as quite harmless. However, the browser hijackers may still be potentially unwanted, because unless you remove them and fully uninstall all of their components from your system, they may still bug you with their changes and annoying sponsored messages. You may also like to consider the risk of being redirected to insecure web locations, unfamiliar web pages or some fake and misleading ads and links. It’s not that this happens often, but still, you may catch up a nasty virus or a Trojan-Ransomware combo if you happen to click on the wrong place somewhere during the flow of the ads on your screen. Your PC may also be affected, because the amount of system resources a program like StartPageing 123 may use to display its sponsored messages may be quite high. Browser crashes, system freezing, and general slowdown may be some of the effects, so if you don’t want to experience them frequently, removing the browser hijacker may be the solution.

How to keep your PC safe?

Uninstalling StartPageing 123 is just part of the job. If you don’t want to catch another browser hijacker soon, there are a few tips that you can apply for protection. First of all, avoid downloading and installing software from non-reputed sources. Places like torrent sites, free download platforms, direct download and installation managers, shareware sites and spam may contain browser hijackers. They are usually distributed via software bundles, that’s why it is very important for you to carefully check any new software installer that you are about to run for such programs. This can easily be done through the “Advanced/Custom” option. So make use of it and generally avoid the “Standard/Quick” installation. This will save you from a lot of disturbance and potentially unwanted software on your PC.

Our removal guide was prepared with help from the kind people at howtoremove.guide. If our instructions do not work, please refer to their how to remove Startpageing123 guide instead.

StartPageing 123 “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 StartPageing 123 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 StartPageing 123 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 StartPageing 123 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 StartPageing 123 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 StartPageing 123 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.