Can't Uninstall Search Protect - How Can I Totally Delete Search Protect from Windows 8 for Free

Are you supposed to manually remove Search Protect Toolbar from Windows 8.1 but you can't uninstall Search Protect from Control Panel?

Is it depressing that you are unable to totally remove Search Protect Toolbar from your browsers when you installed it by accident?

Are you searching for the Search Protect Toolbar removal guides so that you could delete it from your browsers such as Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer?

To avoid the annoying problem, you could learn how to fully get rid of Search Protect Toolbar step by step in this article to protect and free up your PC.

What do you know about Search Protect Toolbar?

Search Protect Toolbar virus is a term used to identify a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) or potential malware that is categorized as adware, a browser hijacker, and spyware, and is primarily used to display pop-up advertisements on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer without user consent. Search Protect Toolbar is essentially a cross-browser browser add-on, browser helper object (BHO), and extension that installs to a Windows PC and attaches to affected internet browsers.

Once Search Protect Toolbar malware is installed, the adware program may create additional privacy related issues as it will being to collect user information and will use the collected information to display target advertisements, deals, and offers.

Information collected by adware often includes your complete browsing activity, such as your bookmarks, history, tabs, stored information, downloads, and manually submitted information.

Search Protect Toolbar advertisements are displayed in a variety of forms. Some are pop-under ads that take up an entire browser window or computer screen, in-text ads that say something alike “Ads by Search Protect Toolbar” on them, or pop-up advertisements that appear in images and say “brought by Search Protect Toolbar” on them.

Is Search Protect Toolbar a Threat?

Search Protect Toolbar may be regarded as suspicious browser extension even browser hijacker. To think carefully, users can find that all its features are based on simple searching activity which assists you to find related information about history events. The free application is just like a search blank added on your browser toolbar. To think of Search Protect Toolbar carefully, the games and trivia are supported by the search engine Ask Search, which has been considered as malicious search provider. And Search Protect Toolbar explains that it offers convenient web homepage, which is associated with home.tb.ask.com in deed. Once users install this toolbar in browser, it may become browser hijacker tempering with the default settings without your permission. Users should know that Search Protect Toolbar disguise as a friendly extension, but it actually a potential threat prompting you to using malicious search engine Ask Search. The offered games search results and other related information may be sponsored links and ad-supporting programs. Once hijacked by Ask.com, the infected browser may suffer from various pop-ups and banners. Ask.com is able to start with its spy though collect personal data like password, search query, phone number, banking account and more.

How Can You Remove History Toolbar Completely Step by Step?

Some users think it is easy to uninstall Search Protect Toolbar. Is that really so? Search Protect Toolbar may have hijacked your browser and search engine, which cannot be reset by automatic antispyware, and there must be some leftovers of Search Protect Toolbar such as hidden files and registries. The invalid and redundant files will occupy available system space and cause poor performance. You could follow the Search Protect Toolbar removal guide as below to totally get rid of the trouble.

There are two Search Protect Toolbar removal ways for you to choose.

Tips 1: Manually remove Search Protect Toolbar with a normal way

Tips 2: Automatically uninstall Search Protect Toolbar with program removal tool Perfect Uninstaller

Tips 1: How to Manually Remove Search Protect Toolbar from Windows?

You should reboot your PC and press F8 key on your keyboard. This will open up the Advanced Boot Options screen, in Windows 7 or Vista, or the Windows Advanced Options Menu in Windows XP. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, highlight the option labeled Safe Mode with Networking. Once it is highlighted, click on the Enter key on your keyboard. And then follow the instructions below:

Uninstall Program

1.Enter Search filed and type in “uninstall a program”.

2.In Programs and Features window, select Search Protect Toolbar and click on Uninstall/Change.
(Windows XP/7: Enter Control Panel from Start menu, and then choose Add/Change programs or Uninstall a program. Select Search Protect Toolbar and uninstall it.)

Remove Leftovers

1.Enter File Explorer from Start screen. And then choose “hidden items” and “file name extensions” in File tab. (Windows Xp/7: Enter Control Panel and choose Folder Options. Select “show hidden files and folders” in View tab.)

2. You should go back and click “Start menu” button and click “Run” option > Type “regedit” into the box and click “OK” to open Registry Editor or Press Windows+ R to open Registry Editor. Navigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and delete keys and values related to Search Protect Toolbar as following.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

%AppData%\.exe

%CommonAppData%\.exe

C:\Windows\Temp\.exe

%temp%\.exe

C:\Program Files\

Delete all the related registries as below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msconfig.exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msmpeng.exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msseces.exe

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon "Shell" = "%AppData%\.exe"

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\.exe

What Can You Do to Get Rid of Search Protect Toolbar from Your Browsers?

Step One: Remove Search Protect Toolbar from Browser

Firefox:

Click on orange button of Firefox customized menu, and choose Add-ons. In showing window, click on Extension tab. Select Search Protect Toolbar and click on Remove button.

Chrome:

Open Chrome menu and choose Extension. Select Search Protect Toolbar and click on bin image then click “Remove”.

Internet Explorer:

Open Tools menu and choose Manage Add-ons. Choose Toolbars and Extension tad, and select Search Protect Toolbar then click on Disable.

Step Two: Reset Homepage and Search Engine

If your browser has been changed by Search Protect Toolbar, please follow the steps below.

Firefox:

1.Find of Firefox search blank on toolbar. There is a dropdown button, and click on it. Next, Choose Manage Search Engine to remove unwanted search engine and set new search engine.

2.Click on Firefox button and choose Options. Type new address for homepage.

Chrome:

Open Chrome menu and choose Settings. Click on Show Advanced Settings. In showing window, check New Tab page in Appearance section and then change homepage. Then, click on Manage Search Engine button. Remove unwanted search and set one as default.

IE:

1.Open Tools menu and choose Manage Add-ons. In Search Providers tab, remove unwanted Search and set one as default.

2.Open Tools menu again and choose Internet Options, and then click on General in showing window. Type in new address for homepage.

Tips 2: How to delete Search Protect Toolbar with Perfect Uninstaller?

If you can not follow the removal guides above, it is advised you to get rid of Search Protect Toolbar with Perfect Uninstaller as following.

1.    Click here to download Search Protect Toolbar removal tool

2.    Close all running processes including programs and browsers in the Task Manager before you run Perfect Uninstaller

3.    Find and locate the program on the currently installed programs list

4.    Click “Uninstall” button on the right side to remove Search Protect Toolbar.

Alternatively, you could right-click the folder of the unwanted program (normally, in C:\Program Files) or C:\Program Files (x86) in Windows 7 system 64 bits and then select “Force Uninstall with PU” to apply the “Force Uninstall” utility.

5.    Follow the prompt “Next” steps to delete Search Protect Toolbar.

After you finish the onscreen removal steps, Search Protect Toolbar has been deleted from your PC.

Conclusion

As the increasingly browser application today, users need to be cautious about the cyber threats such as browser hijacker and spyware, most of which are commonly bundled with free applications. Hijackers like Search Protect Toolbar seems to have no malicious traits but it is supported by unfriendly search engine showing related search results by pushing sponsored links and ads. The default homepage and favorite startup page will redirect to another domain. Keeping using the modified browser, infected computer is likely to be attacked by malware and monitored by spyware. Therefore, users should keep an eye to the suspicious applications, and never install without hesitation. Read the privacy and install options seriously, and you can avoid many trouble resulting from unconsciously clicking. If you are not clear about how to fully remove Search Protect Toolbar from your PC, just carefully follow the program removal instructions step by step above.