Pico-search.com Removal Guide

From the very outset, it is plain to see that Pico-search.com is an unreliable search engine. Indeed, due to its malicious dissemination methods we have classified it as a browser hijacker and recommend that you remove it as quickly as possible. The fact of the matter is that its main page is designed to display ads of questionable legitimacy. Also, it should be able to show you promotional links in its search results which can be dangerous as well. So we invite you to read this whole article which contains the most relevant information currently available about this browser hijacker.

At present, we do not know where exactly this browser hijacker comes from because it does not provide any information about its origins. All we know is that its owners have set an email address at support@pico-search.com for customer support or something along those lines, but, truth be told, we do not think that this hijacker’s developers like to get into contact with their clients because of the malicious methods that it is distributed. We would also like to point out that this hijacker has clones called Bit-search.com and Royal-search.com. The fact that it has clone hijackers shows that they all have been released by an established yet clandestine entity that specializes in making these kinds of infections to make money.

We have received information saying that this browser hijacker comes without a dedicated browser extension and is distributed via malicious installers bundled with various freeware. So when you download an application from a free software distributing website you can accidentally install this and possible other malware as well because, to our knowledge, you cannot opt out from installing it, and the installer should not provide you information about its contents. Therefore, this hijacker can enter your computer secretly, and you will notice its presence only after the infection has taken place. There is a way to avoid this, however. A reliable antimalware program can stop this hijacker from entering your PC. Now that you know a little bit about its background and distribution methods let us discuss its functions.

Officially, according to the information provided on this hijacker’s page “Pico Search aims to provide the ultimate online search experience. Our advanced technology provides you with the best of what the web has to offer, and makes it easier than ever to find exactly what you are searching for.” It is unclear, however, what “the best of what the web has to offer” means. This vague statement does not provide any useful information about what this alleged search engine is capable of doing. After analyzing this hijacker, we have concluded that its main and only purpose is to subject you to customized search results that contain links to third party websites. This is a potential security threat because we doubt that Pico-search.com’s developers are interested in keeping your computer out of harm’s way as long as the cash keeps coming in. The only way Pico-search.com can be profitable is by showing advertisements in its search results and main page. In truth, all legitimate search engines show ads as well, but they make sure to promote legitimate content while this particular hijacker is interested in doing business with anyone and that is the reason why it is so unsafe.

We recommend that you delete it from your web browser as soon as possible to avoid undesirable consequence. It must be said that some of its advertisements might redirect you to scam websites that are set to extort personal information, online banking logins, passwords, and so on. So if you want to keep your personal information safe, you have to remove Pico-search.com. Please consult the instructions provided below.

Delete Pico-search.com’s data from generic directories

1. Press Windows+E keys.
2. Go to the following locations and delete all files.

• %APPDATA%\pico-search.com
• %PROGRAMFILES%\pico-search.com
• %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\pico-search.com

Remove this hijacker from the web browser

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Press Windows+R keys.
2. Type regedit in the box and click OK.
3. Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
4. Locate Start Page and right-click it.
5. Click Modify and replace http://pico-search.com

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Windows+E keys.
2. Go to %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\{ID number}
3. Find and open prefs.js with Notepad.
4. Replace user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://pico-search.com");

Google Chrome

1. Press Windows+E keys.
2. Go to %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
3. Find Preferences, Secure Preferences and Web Data
4. Open them with Notepad.
5. Replace all strings with http://pico-search.com