Search.searchotva.com Removal Guide

Search.searchotva.com may look like a perfect tool that not only helps with your searches, but also allows you to watch TV online using only your browser. Yet, we are not convinced with this perfect duo, and you should not be either. This program is classified as a browser hijacker, and it will change your browser settings without any notice; also, it might modify your search results. Although the search window itself looks very appealing, let us assure you that using it is unsafe for your computer, and we do not advise you to leave it be. Read this article to learn more about Search.searchotva.com and later you can use our recommended steps to get rid of it.

This hijacker might enter your system with bundled downloads, meaning you can download it with some other application. Therefore, by installing one program, you install a few others together. Usually, it happens when you download software from suspicious websites that promote various free programs. Also, if you are looking for a way to watch TV for free on the Internet you might come across this hijacker’s official website onlinetvaccess.com/. This site offers you its services that should allow you to watch your favorite shows and episodes, live sports, movies, etc. Also, it states that “Online TV Access is FREE, no registration required. Click the button and get started!” However, one could feel only disappointment as it does not keep up to its promises.

After installation, it begins with changing your homepage to Search.searchotva.com. This search engine looks quite fun with colorful animated pictures above the search line. So it looks like most of the search engines, except that it adds a toolbar below the address bar that has an additional search line and few shortcut icons: TVNews, Local Weather, AMC, Netflix, ESPN GO, Hulu. At this point, users think that by clicking on these icons they can watch TV online for free, but it actually redirects them to official TV channel websites, where you can buy packages that would let you watch individual channels online. You might be confused at first and not understand why it does not work. The truth is that you installed a hijacker that does nothing more than promote Search.searchotva.com search engine that itself advertises third party websites. What’s more, this hijacker affects the most popular Internet browsers: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox. So it can infect all three different browsers if you have them installed on your computer.

Furthermore, Search.searchotva.com might modify your search results, for example, by creating false titles on some links and inserting them into results. The main reason behind is to trick you into opening particular websites that you would not open otherwise. These sites belong to third parties and Search.searchotva.com itself is paid to advertise them. If you open these links you increase the website’s traffic; also, you may click on displayed ads and for that this hijacker gets money, too. We must warn you that some of these third party websites that you might be redirected to can be dangerous for your system. For example, you can be tricked into installing rogue software that only looks like a legitimate program but in reality, it is a dangerous malware application that can do a lot of damage to your system.

In conclusion, Search.searchotva.com cannot be trusted as it tricks you into using it and then does not work like it is supposed to. Therefore, you should remove this browser hijacker from your computer. There are certain files that you should locate and edit or delete to get rid of this application. For that, you can use our instructions that will tell you what files you need to find as well as their locations. Also, check your computer for other infections either automatically with a security tool or manually if you are an experienced user.

Remove Search.searchotva.com manually

Internet Explorer

1. Press Windows Key+R.
2. Type regedit and click OK.
3. Locate the following path: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
4. Right-click on Uninstall key and select Find.
5. Type Online TV Access, select Values and click on Find Next.
6. It will find Registry Key that will look similar to this one {c2784b5b-10c4-44ea-a903-f5335430b228}.
7. Right-click on that key and select delete.
8. Navigate to: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
9. Find Value Name Start Page on the right side.
10. Right-Click on Start Page and click Modify.
11. Replace Value Data with the page you like, e.g. google.com.
12. Click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Navigate to:
   C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID}.
2. Find file named Prefs.js and open it in Notepad.
3. Locate and delete this line: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.searchotva.com/").
4. Find and erase this path: C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{Unique Mozilla user ID}\extensions|tv@jetpack.xpi.

Google Chrome

1. Locate the following path: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
2. Find and remove these files: Preferences, Secure Preferences and Web Data.