Is your browser homepage changed to Start2.me without any permission? Do you often receive many pop-up ads when viewing some websites? If you don’t know how to get rid of the strange site and various ads, follow the guide below and you will learn how to fix the browser hijacking.
What is Start2.me?
Start2.me is classified as a browser hijacker which changes the Internet settings of many browsers and displays different kinds of advertisements. It is malware which often alters your browser homepage to its owl URL. If your computer gets infected, the threat redirects you to this site that contain nothing but ads for scams which attempt to get your money, your ID number or even your online bank details. The malware often installs itself onto your computer without permission and takes over the browser homepage or new tab/window within popular Internet browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.
From the picture above, we can see that random ads are showed above the search engine and you can get access to many websites, such as FaceBook and YouTube, conveniently. However, many other sites are potentially unwanted. In fact, cyber criminals create such browser redirect viruses to make profits by promoting and selling fake products. If you have been a victim of the redirect virus, you may find you have downloaded and installed many unnecessary programs after you click on the Download or Update button on that strange website. Please note that some of these ad pages are made up of malicious coding that might install spyware into your system without your knowledge when you visit them. Other cyber threats like Trojans, rootkits, rogue programs and ransomware may be dropped and installed on your computer. As a result, your computer will perform slower and slower as those malware or unnecessary programs occupy a large amount of system resources. The redirect virus may spy on your browser activities and record the information you type. If it sends the data to third parties, your personal information, such as social networking logins and accounts, email address, phone number and even online bank details, may be known and used by cyber criminals for commercial purposes.
Note: Since Start2.me is may violate your personal privacy and slow down the computer performance, you need to get rid of it without any delay. If the installed antivirus cannot pick up anything suspicious, you can use SpyHunter – a professional malware removal tool to scan and delete all the threats completely and quickly.
How to get rid of Start2.me pop-up ads from your computer?
In fact, you can get rid of this browser hijacker from your PC in manual way or auto removal way. Since it may install itself along with other free applications and add additional browser extensions, you need to uninstall the PUP/adware associated with the redirect virus and delete its components to clear the threat. If you are good at computer and know well how to deal with malware, follow the manual guide below to eradicate the threat yourself. If not, use a professional malware removal tool instead to help delete the threat.
◆Option1: Manually remove Start2.me from Control Panel and repair your web browsers.
◆Option2: Remove Start2.me redirect virus by using SpyHunter.
Option1: Manually remove Start2.me from Control Panel and repair your web browsers.
Step1: Remove related programs from Control Panel.
For Windows XP: Click Start, go to Control Panel and double-click on Add/Remove Programs. Select the target program and click Remove button.
For Windows 7/Vista: Click Start, click Control Panel, click Programs and open Programs and Features. Then highlight the unwanted program and click Uninstall/Change button.
For Windows 8.1:Point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search, enter Control Panel in the search box, and then click Control Panel. Click Programs and Features. Find the adware program and click Uninstall to remove it.
Step2. Repair your IE/Chrome/Firefox.
Internet Explorer
1 Open IE, click Tools, go to Manage Add-ons and select Iminent Toolbar and remove it.
2 Open IE, click Tools, go to Internet Options and click General tab. Delete Start2.me and type a URL you like to set it as your homepage.
3 Open IE, click Tools and go to Manage add-ons. Click Search providers and remove the unwanted one.
Google Chrome
1 Open Chrome, click Tools, go to Extensions and click the trash box next to Iminent to delete it.
2 Open Chrome,Click Settings right below Extensions and locate to On startup. Click Set pages and type a new URL you prefer in the box then click OK.
3 Under Settings, locate to Search and click Manage search engines. Point to the unwanted one and click the X mark to remove it then click the Done button.
Mozilla Firefox
1 Open Firefox, click Tools, Press Ctrl + Shift + A keys and disable or remove the unwanted browser add-on.
2 Open Firefox, click Tools, go to Internet Options and click General tab. Remove the annoying website and type a URL you like to set it as your homepage.
3 Open Firefox, click on the search box in the search bar and press F4. Click Manage search engines… and select the unwanted one and Click Remove.
Option2: Remove Start2.me redirect virus by using SpyHunter.
Sometimes, you may fail to remove the redirect virus even you have removed the malware. The threat can keep coming back if some components can’t be completely deleted. For those computer beginners and those who want to quickly get rid of the browser hijacker completely, we recommend you to download and install a professional removal tool – SpyHunter on the PC. It is designed to delete all malicious programs and files on the computer fully. The smart removal tool enables you to find the adware or unwanted programs, malicious browser extensions and other infected files easily. When you remove them with the tool, you don’t need to worry about damaging your PC any more. The tool knows to clear the exact malicious files without harming any vital system files.
Therefore, if you cannot manually remove Start2.me redirect virus or the additional malware brought by it with the help of regular antivirus programs, we recommend you to use SpyHunter to fix the problem. With it, you can delete the browser hijacker as well as its leftovers for good.
Download SpyHunter on your PC by clicking on the icon below.
Save the file on your computer
Run the file and install it.
Scan your computer for all malicious threats.
Select the infected files detected and delete it automatically with the tool.
Exit the removal tool and restart your PC.
Then your computer will become clean again. Remember to keep your antivirus program and other security tools updated to safeguard your PC against various new cyber threats.
Suggestion:
Start2.me is dangerous because it can change your browser homepage and trick you into install unknown programs on the PC by displaying bogus ads on new tabs. This threat often lurks in insecure websites or comes bundled with free downloads. If you don’t pay attention to surfing the Internet or downloading stuff, your computer may be infected. As it is developed with advanced techniques, the redirect virus is able to escape from the detection or removal by antivirus programs. If antivirus programs cannot pick up this malware program, you can follow the instructions in this post to get rid of the virus and protect your PC.
To prevent being infected by the virus, you cannot be more cautious while surfing the Internet. Don’t visit those malicious or strange websites which recommend you to install helpful freeware, for they might contain a plenty of Trojans, ransomware, rogue programs or adware. If you want to download certain software, please go to the official websites or other reliable sources to get the freeware, or else it is easy for them to invite the infected programs to their PC and bring about lots of damages.
Friendly reminder: Fed up with Start2.me pop-up ads? Don’t know how to get rid of the malicious website from your computer completely? Follow the guide above and you can solve the problem. It is suggested that you download and install SpyHunter to fight against malware like such browser redirect viruses effectively.
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