Soft2Secure

Remove istartpageing.com search homepage in Chrome, Firefox and IE

The ostensibly innocuous site parked at istartpageing.com domain happens to denote a rather massive issue pertaining to web browser functioning on multiple infected PCs. The malicious artifact spreading through drive-by techniques injects a truculent plugin into web navigation software’s preset so that the imposed web page is hit instead of the ones assigned by the user.

The circumstances in which the owners of plagued computer find themselves are particularly distressing because whatever manual troubleshooting mode they choose to implement is mostly to no avail. The mean people creating and distributing threats that belong to the broad ‘adware’ category, obviously, cannot afford the possibility of a standard fix on the victim’s end. This is why they write code that resists commonplace removal and extends its bad effect over to a number of operating system layers, including the startup routine, the Registry and file associations. As a result, the computer administrator’s prerogative to configure their web preferences gets reduced pretty much down to zero, with istartpageing.com constantly popping up when completely different pages would be resolved if it weren’t for the hijack.

The tech gist of this adware is all about overruling the custom browsing settings that are defined at the time of the attack as well as afterwards, until of course the infection gets swept away from the system. The impostor extension makes the homepage, the desired search engine and the new tab page default to istartpageing.com. This, apparently, turns the computer into a node within a larger network of units tasked with Internet traffic generation. The way the criminals treat the entire volume of user hits acquired this way is simple: they forward it further as people enter their search requests into the box on the landing site. The third parties sure don’t mind getting such a boost in quantitatively measured popularity, rewarding the villains for the ‘partnership’ at the end of the day. That being said, istartpageing.com isn’t dangerous to visit – it is just a dummy doorway exploited for selling traffic and online advertising.

What is harmful, though, is the adware program making all of this mess happen. Not only does it cross all imaginable lines of authorization when modifying preferences in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, but it also isn’t your privacy’s best friend, to put it mildly. The app can access your browsing history and then transmit the mined stuff over to a remote server. To get rid of such a multi-purpose rascal, use the following directions based on in-depth analysis of this sample.

Istartpageing.com adware automatic removal

The extermination of Istartpageing.com hijacker can be efficiently accomplished with reliable security software. Sticking to the automatic cleanup technique ensures that all components of the infection get thoroughly wiped out from your system.

1. Download recommended security utility and get your PC checked for malicious objects by selecting the Start Computer Scan option

Download Istartpageing.com remover

2. The scan will come up with a list of detected items. Click Fix Threats to get the adware removed from your system. Completing this phase of the cleanup process is most likely to lead to complete eradication of the infection. However, it might be a good idea to consider ascertaining the adware is gone for good.

Remove Istartpageing.com adware using Control Panel

• Open Control Panel. On Windows XP / Windows 8, go to Add or Remove Programs. If your OS is Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 10, choose Uninstall a program
• Look down the list and locate an app that appears fishy. Click the Uninstall/Change (Change/Remove) option to get the intruder removed if spotted

Istartpageing.com adware removal by resetting the affected browser

Please take into consideration that as effective as it is, the procedure of restoring browser defaults will lead to the loss of personalized settings such as saved passwords, bookmarks, browsing history, cookies, etc. In case you are not certain this outcome is suitable despite its obvious efficiency, it’s advised to follow the automatic removal method described in one of the previous sections of this tutorial.

Reset Google Chrome

• Click on the Chrome menu icon and select Settings
• Locate the Advanced option under Settings and click on it to expand the menu. Then, pick the Reset button at the bottom
• When a new screen appears, hit Reset once again
• Chrome will now display a confirmation dialog box listing the types of data that will be lost if you proceed. Read the message carefully and, if you’re sure, click Reset

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Click on Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information from the drop-down list, or type about:support in the URL field
• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, click Refresh Firefox option and confirm the procedure on another dialog

Reset Internet Explorer

• In IE, go to Tools and select Internet Options from the list
• Hit the Advanced tab and click on the Reset option
• IE will now display Reset Internet Explorer Settings box, where you should put a checkmark next to Delete personal settings option and click Reset at the bottom

Verify whether Istartpageing.com adware has been completely removed

For certainty’s sake, it’s advised to repeatedly run a scan with the automatic security software in order to make sure no harmful remnants of this hijacker are left inside Windows Registry and other operating system locations.

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