Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
This article aims to help you with the removal of Search.htv-now.co redirect from affected browser and system. Follow the detailed guide at the end to get rid of this annoying website in full.
Search.htv-now.co is a redirect that appears in the browser due to an undesired program installed on the PC. An infection with this redirect leads to modifications of browser homepage, new tab page and default search engine. Its aim is to force you to use its questionable services during each browsing session. As long as it is running on the system it is able to obtain certain details from affected browser and send them to its servers. It usually lands on the system with the help of shady distribution techniques.
Threat Summary
Name
Search.htv-now.co
Type
Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP
Short Description
Search.htv-now.co is a questionable website that appears in commonly used web browsers without asking for permission. Its main page may replace the homepage and new tab page of an affected browser. Its doubtful search engine may hijack the default one.
Symptoms
Search.htv-now.co redirect may be set as homepage and new tab page of affected browser. Many advertisements flood the browser and make it sluggish.
Distribution Method
Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Search.htv-now.co
Search.htv-now.co is browser redirect pushed by an undesired program installed on the PC. Such a program could land on your system with the help of some shady techniques of distribution. Software bundling is the primary one known to deliver potentially unwanted programs like this one. With its help, the PUP lands on the system along with another desired freeware. Once set to install by default the PUP starts the moment when you click the Finish button. An efficient way to prevent the installation of PUPs is to choose the Advanced or Custom configuration options each time you decide to install a new app on your PC. By accessing them you could find them and reject their installation.
Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, Opera and Safari could be affected by Search.htv-now.co redirect.
Search.htv-now.co – More About Its Impact
Once the files associated with Search.htv-now.co redirect are running on your system they alter essential browser settings including those of the homepage, new tab page and default search engine. The undesired program is set to perform all modifications without the need of your prior permission. After these changes, the main page of the redirect is the first thing you see each time you open the affected browser.
The main page of the redirect presents several buttons for quick access to popular news and movies websites as well as a search field. Right after you enter a search query it gets clear that Search.htv-now.co is hoax search engine as all what it does is a redirect to Yahoo search results in a new browser tab.
The primary purpose of undesired programs like this one is data collection. Once certain details are obtained from your browser they can be used for targeted advertising campaigns. So in case of infection with this redirect, you may notice a considerable number of annoying ads that appear all over the browser. All these ads are likely to slow down your browser which in turn diminishes your browsing experience.
Search.htv-now.co – Privacy Policy
The policy associated with Search.htv-now.co hijacker is situated at the bottom of its main page. This section provides information about the owners of this website, the kind of data collected from users’ browser as well as how this information is going to be used. As found there this website is owned by a company called Polarity Technologies. All their products including Search.htv-now.co are designed to collect both personally and non-personally identifiable information from all affected users.
Eventually, as long as this hijacker is running in your browser it is able to obtain and record the following details:
Visited URLs and websites
Browser’s home page
Search queries
Search queries on the visited web pages
Type of used browser
Operating system type
Internet protocol (IP) address
Geographic location
The domain name of current Internet service provider (ISP)
Diagnostic information which describes how their Services are operating on the system
Further, the policy reveals that the owners of Search.htv-now.co can use the records of your data for their advertising purposes or even disclose them to third-parties of unknown origin. Unfortunately, it is not clear how these third-parties plan to use your data. Chances are that they are going to send yet another wave of intrusive ads in your browser or cause serious privacy-related issues.
How to Remove Search.htv-now.co Redirect
In order to remove Search.htv-now.co from your PC make sure to complete all the steps listed in the removal that follows. It presents both manual and automatic removal instructions that combined will help you to remove this nasty program in full. The automatic approach guarantees maximum efficiency as after a scan with an advanced anti-malware tool you can see the exact location of all malicious files and objects created by Search.htv-now.co and remove them from the infected PC. In case that you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Search.htv-now.co may remain persistent on your system and may re-infect it. We recommend you to download SpyHunter and run free scan to remove all virus files on your PC. This saves you hours of time and effort compared to doing the removal yourself.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Search.htv-now.co
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria
1. Hold Windows key()+ R
2. The “Run” Window will appear. In it, type “msconfig” and click OK.
3. Go to the “Boot” tab. There select “Safe Boot”, tick “Network” and then click “Apply” and “OK”.
Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.
4. When prompted, click on “Restart” to go into Safe Mode.
5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Search.htv-now.co on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Search.htv-now.co there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type “regedit” and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Step 3: Find files created by Search.htv-now.co
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
IMPORTANT! Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode. This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Search.htv-now.co with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Search.htv-now.co.
Ransomware infections and Search.htv-now.co aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
1. Download the reccomended Data Recovery software by clicking on the link underneath:
2. On the download page, click on the “Download” button:
3. Click on “Save File” button:
4. Accept all agreements and click “Next”:
5. After all the “Next” steps, click on “Install” and then wait for the installation to complete:
6.Run the software. Click on the location to scan for missing or deleted files and click on “Scan”:
7. Wait for the scan to complete, it may take some time. Be advised that this scan is not 100% guaranteed to recover all files, but it does have some chance to get your data back:
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Search.htv-now.co may remain persistent on your system and may re-infect it. We recommend you to download SpyHunter and run free scan to remove all virus files on your PC. This saves you hours of time and effort compared to doing the removal yourself.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Search.htv-now.co
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria
1. Hold Windows key()+ R
2. The “Run” Window will appear. In it, type “msconfig” and click OK.
3. Go to the “Boot” tab. There select “Safe Boot” and then click “Apply” and “OK”.
Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.
4. When prompted, click on “Restart” to go into Safe Mode.
5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Search.htv-now.co on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Search.htv-now.co there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type “regedit” and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Step 3: Find files created by Search.htv-now.co
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
IMPORTANT! Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode. This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Search.htv-now.co with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Search.htv-now.co may remain persistent on your system and may re-infect it. We recommend you to download SpyHunter and run free scan to remove all virus files on your PC. This saves you hours of time and effort compared to doing the removal yourself.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Uninstall Search.htv-now.co and related software from Windows
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs.No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and “R” on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.
2. In the field type in “appwiz.cpl” and press ENTER.
3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall”
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 2: Clean your Browsers from Search.htv-now.co.
Remove an extension from Mozilla FirefoxRemove an extension from Google Chrome Remove an extension from Internet Explorer Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge
1. Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
2. Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
3. Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“
4. After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.
1. Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
2. Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
3. From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.
4. After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.
1. Start Internet Explorer: 2. Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’
3. In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.
4. Select the extension you want to remove and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.
5. After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ button located at the top right corner and start it again.
1. Start Edge
2. Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
3. From the drop menu select “Extensions”.
4. Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
5. Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Search.htv-now.co on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Search.htv-now.co there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type “regedit” and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
IMPORTANT! Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode. This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Search.htv-now.co with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Search.htv-now.co may remain persistent on your system and may re-infect it. We recommend you to download Combo Cleaner and run free scan to remove all virus files on your Mac. This saves you hours of time and effort compared to doing the removal yourself.
Combo Cleaner’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read Combo Cleaner’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Preparation Phase:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
Backup your files in case the worst happens.
Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
Arm yourself with patience.
Step 1: Uninstall Search.htv-now.co and remove related files and objects
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with Combo Cleaner
Keep in mind, that Combo Cleaner needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check Combo Cleaner’s EULA and Privacy Policy
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Search.htv-now.co:
Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.
4. Click on the “Go” button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Search.htv-now.co. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Search.htv-now.co. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“–“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
Go to Finder.
In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Search.htv-now.co via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!
1. Click on “Go” and Then “Go to Folder” as shown underneath:
2. Type in “/Library/LauchAgents/” and click Ok:
3. Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Search.htv-now.co. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Remove Search.htv-now.co – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
1. Start Safari
2. After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
3. From the menu, click on “Preferences“
4. After that, select the ‘Extensions’ Tab
5. Click once on the extension you want to remove.
6. Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Search.htv-now.co will be removed.
How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.
Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.
Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.
1. Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
2. Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
3. From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the add-on and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.
4. After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
1. Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
2. Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
3. Select the Extension and click “Remove“
4. After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Step 3: Scan for and remove Search.htv-now.co files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Search.htv-now.co, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
Remove an extension from Mozilla Firefox
Remove an extension from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Internet Explorer
Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
