*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Pulpysearch
Pulpysearch is a free browser hijacking application that many people download and install on their computers with the hope to enhance their web browsing experience. Pulpysearch may also be distributed as part of a software bundle.
These types of ad-generating programs don’t need to ask for permission to attach themselves to the main Internet browser (whether it’s Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or another one) and to launch an aggressive advertising and page redirection campaign. If you install a browser hijacker on your computer, it is very likely that your browser’s settings will be totally altered. A new homepage and default search engine may be added, both of which may be connected with unfamiliar sponsored third-party websites.
Ads, banners, pop-ups and other promotional materials that have nothing to do with the page you’re now reading may also be shown by the hijacker as a side effect of it hijacking your internet searches. Because of this, some individuals have started referring to such programs as a source of web surfing disturbance, and some have even gone so far as to call them viruses. In reality, however, such software components do not represent a direct danger to the system, but they are often seen as potentially unwanted.
If you’re reading this, chances are you already have a browser hijacker, named Pulpysearch, installed on your computer that has most likely altered your homepage to Pulpysearch. Because it is not a virus or other harmful software, the hijacker poses no danger to your computer system in the same way that ransomware or Trojan horses do. Pulpysearch is an example of a browser hijacker, which is a marketing tool that alters your browser’s settings in order to display advertisements for goods, services, and websites as you surf the internet. In spite of this, there are a number of reasons why you should uninstall the application as soon as possible and remove any alterations it may have done to your system.
One of these reasons is that, despite the fact that this browser hijacker may not have been designed with the intention of collecting sensitive personal data, it, nonetheless, has the ability to reroute you to websites that may do so. For instance, you may be forced to click on advertisements, which might take you to potentially fraudulent websites. Pulpysearch may also promote items, services, and software of questionable quality as part of its marketing campaign. Randomly displayed advertisements may be hacked or infected with computer malware (such as Trojans, Ransomware, and Spyware) because of the large number of adverts. Unfortunately, these ads and sponsored links are often not checked for safety by programs like Pulpysearch and Blandcaptcha.top. In the end, the goal of browser hijackers is to encourage as many people as possible to click on the ads that are displayed, thereby transferring the responsibility for any security concerns to them. Therefore, the removal of software that generates advertisements and redirects you to random sites may prevent you from being exposed to potentially harmful content on the internet.
Unfortunately, if you are unfamiliar with the removal process or have never done it before, it may be difficult to remove a Browser Hijacker like Pulpysearch completely. You may require professional software or a detailed removal guide like the one below to effectively deal with such program. The good news is that if you use them, you’ll be able to easily uninstall any unwanted browser modifications and return your favorite browser’s settings to their default state with their assistance.
SUMMARY:
Name | Pulpysearch |
Type | Browser Hijacker |
Detection Tool |
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Remove Pulpysearch Virus
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide
Instead of going through all the steps in this article, here’s one shortcut that can help you get rid of Pulpysearch faster:
- Open the hijacked browser’s main menu (typically found in the button top right).
- After that, from the menu select More Tools/Add-ons.
- Next, click on the Extensions button/toolbar.
- The Extensions page should now be visible. If you detect an extension related to Pulpysearch, or another extension that is causing redirection or ad interruptions, remove it from your browser by clicking the “remove” or “trash bin” button.
- Begin another surfing session and see if removing the extensions that you find as problematic has made any change.
There are no more steps to take if the issue with Pulpysearch has been fixed. If the ads, redirections, and the other hijacker-induced browser modifications have not been eliminated after removing the browser extension, then you’ll need to follow our detailed step-by-step instructions below.
As a start, we need to inform you that your computer and browser will need to be restarted in the next steps. Thus, we recommend bookmarking this page in your browser before moving on to the rest of the steps. In this way, you’ll be able to quickly return to it and continue from where you left off. Alternatively, if it’s more convenient, you may access the instructions on another device.
Now, since we mentioned a computer restart, we would recommend you to follow the directions on this link to restart your computer in Safe Mode. After you do that, the browser hijacker may be much easier to spot and remove because Safe Mode allows for only the most essential programs and processes to run, making room for identifying anything unusual or additional that shouldn’t be running otherwise.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
In the second step, you need to access the Windows Task Manager, (press CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC at the same time). After that, in the Processes tab, look for processes with strange names, or processes that consume a lot of CPU or RAM, or processes that perform tasks like ad generating or page redirection. You may also look for processes that have Pulpysearch in their name.
Right-clicking on any suspicious process will allow you to select Open File Location from the quick menu.
To be sure that the files you see aren’t infected, run them via a reputable internet virus scanner. If you don’t have access to one, the free scanner provided below will save you a lot of time and effort:
If the scanner detects a danger in the scanned files, your best course of action is to delete those files from their file location folder. However, this may not be possible if the process is still running. Thus, you will need to go back to the Processes tab, right-click on the selected process and choose End Process from the quick menu. After you do that, you can go back to the files you want to delete and remove them.
Press the Windows and R keys simultaneously to launch the Run window shown below. After typing appwiz.cpl into the Run box, press the Enter key:
You should see a list of all the programs installed on your computer in a new Control Panel window. You may sort the list by date of installation to locate new programs that may be connected to the installation of Pulpysearch on your computer. Then, you should remove any hijacker-related software you find in there by selecting it and clicking the Uninstall button from the top. Once you are done with that, close the Control Panel window.
Next, go to the Windows search field, and type msconfig in it, then hit Enter. In Windows 10 the search field it is the magnifying glass icon bottom next to the Windows Start menu button.
The Startup tab in System Configurations may be used to see and disable (remove the checkmark) all items that are associated with Pulpysearch. In this way, the hijacker will not be able to start its processes as soon as the machine is turned on.
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Open a new Run window by pressing the Windows and R keys at the same time. Then, in the text field, type the following:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
Once you’ve clicked OK, a new Notepad document titled Hosts should open up in your computer’s screen. Look for the word “localhost” in the file’s content and see if any suspicious IP addresses are listed below.
Don’t be quick to delete IPs you aren’t sure about, though. The best way to get help is to write to us with a copy of any suspicious IP addresses you come across in the comments section below this page.
In order to undo any DNS modifications that Pulpysearch may have made to your settings, follow the steps listed below very carefully:
- First, open “network connections” by searching for it in the Windows search field.
- Right-click on the network adapter you are using and choose Properties.
- In the Properties box, highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP) with your cursor and click the Properties button.
- Check the box next to Obtain DNS server address automatically and click the Advanced button.
- Any rogue DNS should be deleted from the new window’s DNS tab.
- Upon pressing the OK button, your settings should be saved, and you should proceed to the next step.
Start the Registry Editor – type Regedit into the Windows search box and press Enter.
Open the Find dialog box by pressing CTRL and F at the same time.
To find the browser hijacker that is disturbing you, write its name in the Find box and click Find Next. This will start a search for Pulpysearch-related items in the registry. Right-click and delete any entries that are found. You may have to repeat the search as many times as necessary until you see no results.
When the Find function returns no more results in the Registry, utilize the left panel of the Editor to manually go through each of the locations below:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory.
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random
Note that, if done improperly, deleting Registry entries might cause problems for your computer and its apps. Thus, you should use a professional removal software, like the one listed on this page, or another reputable program of your choosing in order to prevent damaging your computer.
When dealing with Pulpysearch, a lot of users focus only on removing it from the main browser and forget to check the other browsers on their system for potential hijacker-related alternations that also need to be removed. This is a common mistake, but in this last step, we will address it and show you how to get rid of the browser hijacker from some of the most popular web browsers.
Select Properties from the drop-down menu by right-clicking on the browser shortcut icon.
Then select Shortcut in the Properties window.
No other text should be added to the Target text field after .exe, so make sure you remove everything there, and then click OK.
Remove Pulpysearch from Internet Explorer:
Click the gear symbol in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer as it opens. Next, click on Manage Add-ons and carefully disable any add-ons or extensions that are associated with Pulpysearch.
Look for a change in Internet Options by clicking the gear icon again. Any sponsored URL should be removed from your homepage if it has been added without your knowledge. When you’re ready to exit the window, click the Apply button.
Remove Pulpysearch from Firefox:
After starting Firefox, click on the main menu button, then on Add-ons, then >>Extensions.
On the Extensions tab, look for and remove Pulpysearch and any other extensions that are interfering with your browsing experience.
Remove Pulpysearch from Chrome:
For these instructions, you should shut Chrome down and manually navigate to the following system location:
C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data.
Rename the Default folder to Backup Default by right-clicking on it. After that, restart Chrome.
If you find these manual removal instructions too complicated, or you want to eliminate Pulpysearch and any associated files as quickly as possible, you can save time and effort by using the professional removal software on this page. Using our free online virus scanner is another option if you want to check individual files that look suspicious. If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Thanks! The last part did it for me… It was hiding in the defaults of chrome without showing up in the configuration.
Worse, it spread to another computer with chrome synchronization…
Seems like a serious design flaw in chrome.