Get Rid of My-search.com (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is My-search.com? And how does it work?

My-search.com is a questionable program that started to circulate the web in 2015. Since then, several versions of this program have emerged. It is promoted as a search engine that could give users improved search results. Once this program is installed, it makes modifications in the settings of the browser without any consent from the user. This is why it is categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP). These modifications involve changing the default search engine and homepage to mysearch.com or search.search.mysearch.com. As a result, you will be redirected to shady websites like the ones that ask you to answer an online survey or the ones who offer free software or software update.
Moreover, you will also notice dozens of intrusive ads appearing whenever you browse the internet. These ads are pop-ups, in-text links, banners, etc. that appears out of nowhere. And if you wonder why most of these ads are related to your interests, well that’s because My-search.com monitors your browsing habits so it can gather your information. The information gathered is processed and used to generate more targeted and customized ads. Thus, your privacy is not safe if you continue using My-search.com.
How is My-search.com distributed over the web?
My-search.com is distributed over the web via software bundles. This browser hijacker, along with other unwanted ones, is hidden under the Custom or Advanced setting which makes it hard for users to see them unless they select the aforementioned setup rather than the quick or standard one when they install any freeware or shareware.
Follow the given removal guide below to get rid of My-search.com successfully.
Step 1: Start the removal process by closing all the browsers infected with My-search.com. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 2: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step 3: Then close the Task Manager and open Control Panel – to do so, tap the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step 4: After pulling up Control Panel, from the list of installed programs, look for My-search.com or any suspicious program you don’t remember installing and then Uninstall it.

Step 5: Edit your Hosts File.

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the host’s file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries that contain My-search.com.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 6: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for My-search.com or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated with the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of My-search.com as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.