Search.searchpat.com Removal Guide

There are computer users out there who would not consider Search.searchpat.com a dangerous infection. However, if you want to protect your system from malicious threats, you need to make sure that such browser hijackers do not enter your system. In this article, we will discuss the most common distribution methods for such applications, and we will also tell you how to remove Search.searchpat.com from your system. The most important thing is to not panic because browser hijackers cannot destroy your system. As long as you take care of this intruder in the early stages of the infection, everything should turn out just fine.

Truthfully, we have seen similar browser hijackers before. This also means that we know how to deal with them, and we know how they enter your computer. It will sound rather perplexing, but the reality is that users allow Search.searchpat.com and other similar browser hijackers to enter their systems willingly. Of course, most of the time, users do not know that these programs get installed on their computers, or they do not understand the potential security risks behind them. As a result, such programs manage to settle down on target systems without any difficulty.

One of the most important aspects of browser hijacker distribution is freeware. Our researchers suggest that Search.searchpat.com spreads through pop-ups that are displayed by potentially unwanted applications. These applications generate annoying pop-ups when they get installed on your computer. Thus, it means that you installed some potential threats on your PC before this browser hijacker even entered it. As such, we have to note the importance of safe web browsing habits. Very often users would be able to avoid installing dangerous programs if they were more careful about what they click on, what they download, what sites they enter. Relying on a computer security program is a good idea, but your computer will not be safe without your own input, too.

When Search.searchpat.com enters your computer, it modifies your settings on your default browser. The browser hijacker changes your homepage and your default search engine. At first, it might seem that there is nothing wrong with that because Search.searchpat.com looks like a decent search provider. However, you will soon see that most of your searches get redirected through third-party domains. What’s more, the hijacker may also display modified search results with the intention to make you click these affiliated links.

The hijacker will know what you are looking for because it will monitor your online activity, and it will be able to customize the commercial content it promotes based on your likes and preferences. Search.searchpat.com does that to make money via the pay-per-click system. Albeit there is nothing illegal about it, it is not safe, and you get nothing in return. What’s more, you may be exposed to corrupted third-party content that could be associated with malware distribution. Thus, if you want to protect your system from harm, you have to restore your browser settings and remove Search.searchpat.com immediately.

Manual hijacker removal is not complicated, although you should seriously consider scanning your PC with the SpyHunter free scanner. As mentioned, you may have more unwanted programs on-board, so you have to terminate them, too.

How to Delete Search.searchpat.com

Internet Explorer

1. Press Win+R and type regedit into the Open box.
2. Click OK and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
3. Right-click the Start page value on the right.
4. Choose Modify and change your startup address.
5. Click OK.

Firefox

1. Press Win+R and the Run prompt will open.
2. Type %AppData% into the Open box and click OK.
3. Go to Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[Unique Mozilla user ID].
4. Find and open the prefs.js file.
5. Find and delete the following string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.searchpat.com");
6. Save changes.

Chrome

1. Press Win+R and enter %AppData% into the Open box.
2. Press OK and navigate to Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
3. Delete the Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data files.