Remove Webstarts.biz “Virus” (Chrome/Firefox)

[bannerTop]

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

If you’ve joined the ranks of victims of the incredibly annoying and frustrating Webstarts.biz and have been trying to find a working solution for your problem, we can offer you just the thing. The changed homepage and default search engine, as well as the constant redirects your Chrome/Firefox/IE browser has been making you suffer through can all be banished with the help of our removal guide. In it you will find detailed instructions as to how to both locate and remove all Webstarts.biz related files. But first we recommend you read the following article, as it will give you some important information regarding the program that’s been bothering you lately, as well as some effective tips on how to prevent getting infected by it again.

What is Webstarts.biz?

The type of software Webstarts.biz belongs to is most commonly referred to as browser hijacker. As you can tell from the name, its main characteristic trait is taking control of your browser (hijacking) and introducing certain changes to its settings, which, as you may have already found, cannot be reversed for as long as the program remains on your PC. These settings mainly include the default search engine of your browser and its homepage. No matter how much it may frustrate you, but you won’t be able to set your preferred ones. In addition to this, browser hijackers are also notorious for the numerous ads they generate and cover your screen with. This is actually the main purpose of programs like Webstarts.biz. They are ultimately advertising tools that exist to promote certain products and services, for which the vendors and producers pay the hijacker developers generously. To be more exact, the developers actually make money based on the number of clicks the featured ads get. Therefore, they strive to bombard you with as many of them as possible and place those annoying popups, banners, hyperlinks and box messages on the most inconvenient places on a certain page.

Does this make Webstarts.biz a “Virus”?

No, not really. Webstarts.biz is not a “virus”. At least not in the classical meaning of the word virus. Well, this topic is debatable, but the official position of cyber security experts is that browser hijackers are generally not considered a threat. They are most certainly not to be put under the same category as viruses, like the treacherous Trojans and ransomware. But though they’re not viruses, they still aren’t 100% safe either, so they’ve been placed in the group of potentially unwanted programs or PUP, for a number of reasons actually. The first one, which tends to be people’s main concern, is the matter of privacy and that browser hijackers don’t have much respect for it. They can be and most time are programmed to access one’s browsing history and record all details related to it, such as the pages you visit, the frequency with which you visit them, the things you type into your search engine, etc. All of this is done for the somewhat innocent purpose of displaying ads that have something to do with your browsing preferences, so as to make sure that you’ll be more likely to click on them. However, with the possibility of that data being sold to third parties, without consulting the user in question, you can see how this may come across as very suspicious and unsettling.

Another thing is the way how Webstarts.biz typically gets installed. You will probably never find a person who deliberately went online to download and install a browser hijacker. That doesn’t happen. Ever. Yet users still end up with the intrusive programs on their computers. That happens largely thanks to program bundles and the free distribution of the same. When downloading a certain program, people rarely concern themselves with the fact that there may be added content to that particular program and that’s exactly what hijacker developers count on. So, you’ve downloaded a bundle without knowing it and only thinking you’ve downloaded a single piece of software. Then you obviously need to install that software, so you run the setup wizard. In it, in the very beginning of the installation process, you are usually given two setup options: default and advanced/custom. By choosing the first (or any equivalent of it) you will be agreeing to any predetermined settings without even being informed of what they are. Choose the second, however, and you will not only see the added programs, you will also be able to leave any and all of them out of the installation process. So you will have solved a problem without letting it even become one.  

Remove Webstarts.biz “Virus” (Chrome/Firefox)

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

[bannerMiddle]

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 Webstarts.biz 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 Webstarts.biz 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 Webstarts.biz 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 Webstarts.biz 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 Webstarts.biz 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

[bannerMiddleSecond]

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.