What is Webstart.me?
Finding Webstart.me in your browsers as your new homepage upon launching may give you the feeling that you accidentally pressed the Windows key on your keyboard and ended up on the Metro UI screen. This questionable browser extension practically imitates that screen and offers resembling thumbnail links that are organized around a search box. So this is indeed a search page with features. However, due to certain questionable traits, our malware experts at Anti-Spyware-101.com concluded that this is a potentially unwanted program, or PUP, even though some may call it a browser hijacker. This PUP can actually change your browser settings to appear in them as your homepage and new tab page but it may also modify your default search engine settings. Although this featured search page looks innocent and we cannot really call it a dangerous threat, it can still pose as an indirect threat to your system security. Apart from the fact that this PUP may bring other PUPs and even malware infections onto your system, it may also provide you with potentially unreliable third-party content. But let us explain in more details why we suggest that you remove Webstart.me from your computer.
Where does Webstart.me come from?
It seems that this PUP comes from a family that has already "given birth" to almost 50 similarly questionable tools; at least, that is the impression you get if you visit the promotional page of RCPmedia at rcpmedia.net. Practically, all you find there is a long list of browser extensions whose promotional pages you can visit one by one and download the tools wherever it is possible. In this case, you would end up on Webstart.me and you would have to click on the Downloads menu at the top of the page. But you can also install this tool directly through the Chrome web store, chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/webstartme/kknfknopchencmhfckpmgmjcidmnpocd. Nevertheless, we do not believe that this is how most people have this PUP in their browsers. Hopefully, the next paragraph will give you enough reasons to make up your mind and delete Webstart.me.
The real problem with this browser extension is that it can also be found spreading in deceptive ways, i.e., via free software bundles. Such a software package can hold a number of PUPs and malware infections alongside a probably legitimate and working free program; although, even this may not be so in many cases. Of course, the quality or threat of a bundle mainly depends on how or where you download it from. For example, you may use a totally shady torrent or freeware page to download a free program or a crack, and this is how you may end up with a malicious bundle on board. But you can also infect your system with such a bunch if you click on unsafe third-party advertisements on suspicious pages, or even worse, when your PC is infected and, in that case, you can never be safe even on reputable pages with your clicks. No wonder why we suggest that you scan your PC with a reliable online malware scanner right after you delete Webstart.me.
How does Webstart.me work?
As we have said, this PUP can appear in your browsers as your homepage, new tab, and even your default search provider. Of course, if you find this tool useful for you, you may even think that it is good to have it. At first sight, it resembles your Metro UI screen with its thumbnail quick links to popular websites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. These links are organized around a search field. Although it seems that the search itself, in this case, is not yet used as a platform to promote affiliates, i.e., this PUP does not seem to modify the search results, this can change in the future. You are shown Google search results, which for the time being may be reliable. However, we have found that this tool may be able to download and install other PUPs or even infections in the background, without your knowledge. You may also notice more and more third-party ads and redirections to potentially harmful websites while using this PUP. Therefore, we recommend that you remove Webstart.me as soon as possible.
How can I delete Webstart.me?
If you want to put an end to this potential threat, you can do so by removing this browser extension using your browser menus. If you have never done this before, you may find our guide below quite helpful. Please follow these steps and free up your computer from this PUP in a matter of a few minutes. But do not forget about the other threats that may be endangering your system right now. If you do not know how to detect or eliminate them, you should install an up-to-date anti-malware program like SpyHunter to take care of all possible security issues automatically.
Remove Webstart.me from your browsers
Internet Explorer
- Press Alt+T and go to Internet Options.
- Choose the Advanced tab and click Reset.
- Select Delete personal settings and press Reset.
- Click Close.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Alt+H and navigate to Troubleshooting Information.
- Click Refresh Firefox.
- Click Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window.
Google Chrome
- Press Alt+F and open Settings.
- Scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and click Reset.
- In the confirmation window, press Reset.
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