My homepage in my Firefox has been changed into Startup.com and I can’t change it back to my normal one. Is it a virus? It slows down my computer and I get many pop-ups from this Startup.com all the time when I’m online. If it is a virus, why my anti-virus doesn’t catch it for me? I can’t stand this nuisance anymore! I want to remove it from my computer, but I can’t locate its position in my computer. Please help!

Brief Introduction to This Domain

Technically speaking, this Startup.com is a domain which does not harm to computer. It is only a website. But hackers take control of this domain, and make it be evil for their unknown activities. Once cyber hackers have edited the script of this domain, people who accidentally come to this website can be infected immediately as the threat can be saved into the computer like a cache file. A vulnerable computer can be easily infected by this browser hijacker once it comes to this domain. This infection can also be installed into a computer by the PC user by mistake. Actually, this redirect can pretend as an optional and usable program in other free programs. Once people download and install those free programs from some dubious web pages, this Startup.com browser hijacker can be installed into computer at the same time. Being different from other viruses or Trojans, this infection cannot be detected by the anti-virus software in the computer. That cause many troubles to those people who are not computer savvies.

The Screenshot of Startup.com

startup-com

Once this browser hijacker takes effect in an infected computer, browsers on the infected computer can be the first thing of being changed by this malicious redirect. This Startup.com browser hijacker is designed for providing commercial information like discount deals to computer user. Computer can gain a lot of pop-up ads once the PC user boot up the infected computer. Those stuffs can show to computer user all the time with sudden disturbance. When user opens the infected browser, PC user can be redirected to many sponsored links no matter open a new tab or search for something. In this way, cyber hackers who make this infection can gain pay-per-click revenue and can increase the rank of those links for some purposes.

However, this infection is beyond the detection of the anti-virus program. So, in this case, the anti-virus program cannot easily deal with such an infection. With the help of this Startup.com browser hijacker, many other viruses or Trojans can come to the infected computer in the background which can damage the computer more. This redirect can steal privacy of the computer user and send it remote hackers. Computer user’s sensitive information is no longer safe if this infection has occurred on the computer. Cyber criminals can use the financial details to cheat more money from others, but once police trace the clue, those criminals can escape from that, but the PC user will take the responsibility for the illegal thing.

The properties of Browser Hijacker

-Can not be detected by your anti-virus software, which makes it hard to uninstall from the computer.
-Once you open your browser, you will be redirected to some unknown websites.
-Can slow down the performance of the computer, or even blue screen.
-Can pop up many unwanted advertisements when you are doing something else.
-Can change your settings in your browser and it is not easy to change it back.

If you find any symptoms listed above showing on your computer, then your computer must be suffered with a browser hijacker that causes you keep being redirecting By Startup.com. Welcome to contact YooSecurity Online PC Experts for manual removal guide. Also, we will provide a short removal guide below for computer literate.

NOTE: Being afraid to do any wrong operation during the process of removing this browser hijacker? Please contact YooSecurity Online PC Experts, we are here to help you:

Manual Removal Guide of Browser Hijacker (For Computer Literate)

There is a removal guide of Browser Hijacker provided here; however, expertise is required during the process of removal, please make sure you are capable to do it by yourself.

Step 1: Find Ctrl, Alt, and Delete these 3 keys and then press them together to open task manager to end the process related to this redirect, the name of the process of it is random.

XP task manager

Step 2: Try to find Folder Options in Control Panel, select the View tab, and then tick Show hidden files and folders and non-tick Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and then click OK.

FolderOptions

Step 3: Click on Start button at the right lower corner, then click on Control Panel

XP-start-control-panel

Then you will come to the Control Panel windows, click on Add and Remove Programs

xp-add-remove-icon

Then try to find the program which relates to this Startup.com, highlight it and choose Remove, the program’s name is random.

4789794954_df8cfb11b2

Step4: Change your homepage in your browser (Take Chrome Google as an Example)

Open the setting in Chrome Google

QQ图片20131209193158

Then choose Set pages, and type the URL you want into the box and click OK.

Similar video on browser hijacker removal:

Conclusion:

Startup.com browser hijacker can change the browser homepage and many other key settings for its own purpose. With this infection in computer, computer can be slow as a snail which can take a large time to launch programs. PC user can get many useless pop-ups all the time. Most of them are bogus which lure the user to pay for some worthless things. In this way, cyber hackers can gain the fiscal details from the victims and steal more money from them. Please do not hesitate to remove this Startup.com once you detect it has already infected your computer.

Suggestion: To follow removal guide that mentioned above, a level of computer knowledge is needed. Still can’t get out of Startup.com? Contact online experts for help now!

Published by Tony Shepherd & last updated on January 29, 2014 5:03 am

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