Remove Startme.today (Browser Hijacker)

What is Startme.today? And how does it function?

Startme.today is a new search engine that can appear as your new home page and search provider. It is identical to startme.online and launchpage.org which are both browser hijackers and Startme.today is no different. Startme.today is nothing but a browser hijacker that claims to improve browser experience by providing quick access to popular websites like eBay, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
When Startme.today gets installed on a computer, these are the common symptoms:

Altering browser’s default home page and search provider to Startme.today
Ability to modify the new tab functionality to open the modified search engine page
Loads into the browser using an extension or an add-on

Startme.today is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and other browsers. Following its successful browser modification, it stealthily installs a number of so called “helper objects”. These helper objects are third party applications or plug-ins that reassigns web browser options when users made attempts to change them. As a result, you won’t be able to reverse the browser alterations and will still continue to get redirected to Startme.today. Take note that this browser hijacker can also monitor each and every move you make online to gather personal information such as email address, IP address, search queries, browsing history and so on. Browser hijacker developers generate revenue by selling this information to third parties who also generate their own revenue by misusing the information gathered. This can lead to serious privacy issues and worse, identity theft.

How does Startme.today spread online?

Startme.today often spread online using a deceptive distribution method “bundling”. Developers of browser hijackers take advantage of the fact the many users tend to overlook the installation method and simply install them using the quick method instead of the recommended Custom or Advanced setup. This recommended setup is where you can discard the add-ons added in the bundle. All you have to do is uncheck them and proceed with the installation.
Follow the removal guide below to remove Startme.today.
Step 1: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for Startme.today or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Step 2: Open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step 3: Look for any suspicious program that is affiliated with Startme.today and then Uninstall it.

Step 4: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 5: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to Startme.today and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 6: Empty your Recycle Bin.

Follow the continued advanced steps below to ensure the removal of Startme.today:
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro.

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in Apollolocker http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between Apollolocker and http. Click OK.

A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Apollolocker. Click Run to begin downloading SpyRemover Pro. Installation will start automatically once download is done.