What is Search.watchtvnow.co?
Search.watchtvnow.co is a browser hijacker that will look like a decent search engine when it arrives at your computer. However, you probably know that something is off because you did not plan to change your homepage. This modification was performed behind your back, and you should not tolerate it.
It is important that you remove Search.watchtvnow.co from your computer as soon as possible. Browser hijacker might eventually expose you to potentially corrupted websites, and you most certainly need to avoid that. For more information on this intruder, please continue reading this description. As far as such computer threats are concerned, prevention is just as important as removal, so you need to know when to expect such things.
Where does Search.watchtvnow.co come from?
Unfortunately, we cannot pin point the exact websites that would be responsible for the browser hijacker distribution. That is very common when it comes to such computer intruders. Browser hijackers have a very broad distribution network, and they do not even need a direct download link to pass for a reliable application.
From our research, we can see that Search.watchtvnow.co is a direct clone of Search.searchlttrn.com, Search.yourpackagesnow.com, Search.yourmapscenter.com, and a series of other browser hijackers that come with the same features and behavioral patterns. Browser hijackers are often released like that seemingly right off the conveyor belt because it is a lot easier to simply change the cover and keep the main mechanism the same. They rely on the number of installations, without even bothering that the programs themselves are quite basic.
So how does Search.watchtvnow.co get installed on your PC? This browser hijacker clearly arrives in a software package, together with some freeware application. If you download programs from file-sharing websites, you are always at a risk of installing some unnecessary and potentially harmful application. If you must have a particular program, be sure to download it from its official website. However, even so, you should be attentive because sometimes even official installers bundle several applications together.
What does Search.watchtvnow.co do?
Now that you have Search.watchtvnow.co on your PC, you must have noticed that your main homepage has been changed. This browser hijacker is compatible with the Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer browsers, so it is very likely that you will experience the infection effects no matter which browser you may use.
At first, it will look as though Search.watchtvnow.co is there to provide you with accurate search results. However, at a closer inspection, you will see there is no original search service there, and all of your searches are redirected via Yahoo! Search. What’s more, the search results on your screen are not objective. They will be modified according to your likes and preferences.
How does the program know that? One the hijacker is installed on your PC, it starts collecting information on your web browsing habits, and after a while, it is able to generate custom commercial content that would be related to it. For the most part, it should help you find the content you want faster, but we cannot rule the possibility that this program could also be exploited by cyber criminals to display their malicious content.
In other words, if Search.watchtvnow.co is misused by a malevolent third-party, you could end up getting infected with malware, and that is definitely something no one wants. Hence, it would be for the best to remove Search.watchtvnow.co from your computer before any of that happens.
How do I remove Search.watchtvnow.co?
Thankfully, it is not that hard to delete the browser hijacker manually. All you have to do is follow the manual removal instructions right below this description. On the other hand, you might find the instructions a bit too overwhelming if you have never had to delete something like that before on your own.
Therefore, to make the task easier, you can use a powerful antispyware tool that would remove the hijacker for you automatically. At the same time, you would protect your computer from various intruders that might enter it in the future.
If you need more tips on computer security, you can always leave us a comment. Our team is ready to assist you, but you have to understand that a lot of depends on you, too.
Manual Search.watchtvnow.co Removal
Internet Explorer
- Press Win+R and enter regedit. Press OK.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
- On the right pane, right-click the Start Page value.
- Choose Modify and edit your homepage address. Press OK.
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
- Change these values:
FaviconURL
FaviconURLFallback
TopResultURL
URL
Chrome
- Press Win+R and enter %LocalAppData%. Click OK.
- Go to Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
- Remove the Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data files.
Firefox
- Press Win+R and type %AppData% into the Open box.
- Click OK and go to Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[User ID].
- Open the prefs.js file with Notepad.
- Delete the following string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://search.watchtvnow.co);
- Exit the file.
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