How to Remove Searchgol.com Redirect Virus? (Removal Guide)

Details of Searchgol.com 

Searchgol.com is classified as a browser hijacker, which is used by hackers to generate website traffic and it can interfere with Internet user’s regular activity online. It pretends to be a legitimate website similar to search providers like Yahoo, Google or Bing by appearing as concise. Most people will treat it as a legitimate site but the fact is that it is a browser threat which is used by malicious hackers so as to make money. Usually, Searchgol.com is distributed to different PCs via phishing websites, unsecure pop-ups and bogus ads. Once infected, it can automatically get installed on your computer without consent and even spread additional parasites on your PC to make your system chaos. As soon as the net users click on any recourses which contain its activation it gets chance to invade into the machine automatically.
As Searchgol.com completed the installation on the computer, it usually duplicates malicious code and registry files to blow default system settings of the computer. The symptoms of being infected with this redirect virus are easy to recognize. That is to say, the default settings as homepage or start page on the browser will be changed by this virus without permission. Therefore, this redirect site will come up and take over the infected browser once PC users run the infected browser or open a new tab on it. Sometimes, the malware can even block some websites like antivirus software download sites in order to prevent users from removing it and also displays a plenty of ads on the web pages.
The redirect virus should be removed from the infected computers without any delay. If this redirect virus could not be removed timely, many malicious add-ons, toolbars or extensions will be installed onto the browsers to track user’s online activities. How dangerous it is that this infection may record use’s browser history and cookies on the computer to help remote hackers steal money from victims. On the one hand, large consumption of system resources will be performed by this infection which may lead to system crash or blue screen. It is a great threat to your computer and privacy. With the help of backdoor loophole, remote hackers will be able to access compromised machine and do whatever they want to the infected computer.

What Does Searchgol.com Get into Your Computer? 

Searchgol.com is a tricky Redirect virus that can be widely distributed though many different channels. It significantly affects the regular activities of computer users as long as the infected computer is connected to the Internet. To get rid of this redirect completely we have to uninstall all applications that have relationship with it on the infected computer. This is because that not every antivirus program is powerful enough to detect and remove all malware, especially those are written by highly advanced cyber hackers. With the high level technology of invention, Searchgol.com is capable to bypass the detection and scan as well as automatic removal of security functional programs. In this situation, victims are advised to eliminate Searchgol.com redirect virus in manual removal way.
It should be mentioned that the manual removal is a task of high complexity and risk, and should not be attempted by every user. victims are required to have certain computer knowledge and skills to deal with registry editor, program files, dll. files, processes. Otherwise, any mistake may make your situation worse.

How to Manually Remove Searchgol.com

Step one: set the default homepage back

For Internet Explorer:

1. Click on Browser Tools

2. Select Manage Add-Ons on the tools window

3. Click Search Provider

4. Here you can see many kinds of search engine option as Bing and Google, select your favorite one to be a default homepage.

5. Choose Search Results and click on Remove icon to eliminate it

6. Click Tools, select Internet Options and then the General tab. Here you can option a website you like and save it.

c. Select ‘Search Results’ and click ‘Remove’ to remove it;

For Google Chrome:

1. Open Customize and control

2. Click on Settings

3. Select on Basic Options icon

4. Here you can reset your homepage (e.g.Google.com）

5. Once you choose a default homepage, click on Manage Search Engines and then click Google to be your default search engine.

6. Remove it from the browser by clicking Search Result and then the X’ mark

For Mozilla Firefox:

1. Click Manage Search Engine

2. Select Search Results and then click Remove option, click OK

3. Open Tools, under the General tab, set Google.com as default homepage

Step two: locate related files of Searchgol.com and remove them from the computer

%AllUsersProfile%

%AllUsersProfile%\Programs\{random letters}\

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\~r

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\~dll

Step three: Remove Cookies on all Browsers

Internet Explorer:

a. Click options on the browser and then choose Internet Options

b. Open General tab, click Delete Browsing History to remove all related cookies

c. Select cookies and click Delete

Firefox:

a. Click option

b. Select Privacy and then click on Remove Individual Cookies icon

c. Delete relevant cookies list on the box

Google Chrome:

a. Click option

b. Open Under the Bonnet tab

c. Select Privacy and then click Clear browsing data

d. Delete all cookies

Step four: Remove Malicious Registry

a. Open Registry Editor on the start menu

b. Type in Regedit and click OK

c. Remove all the following registry entries

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings “CertificateRevocation” = ‘1’

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments “SaveZoneInformation” = ‘0’

Conclusion: 

Remove the browser hijack virus from affected computer. Or the infected browser and computer will face a very complicate situation caused by it. Many computer users try their installed antivirus programs to delete the infection but without success. With the help of random files, it can bypass the detection and uninstall by removal tools. The manual removal is helpful in removing the browser hijack virus.
As mention above, the manual removal way refers to deletion of system DLL files and registry, hence, certain level computer skills are needed during the removal process. If you are not skilled at computer, it is highly recommended to search for and download a powerful removal tool to remove the redirect virus instead.