Uninstalling Search Manager (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Search Manager? And how does it work?

Search Manager is a shady browser extension for Google Chrome browser. It is promoted as a program that could provide users with a custom search experience by changing the start page URL address to http://searchmgr.com and also the search engine to Yahoo. It also boasts its feature that offers exclusive terms of design like the background image, colors, start page preference and so on. It may look like a useful program and easy on the eyes but don’t let its seeming usefulness and design fool you for it is actually categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP).
Once Search Manager is installed, it will quickly make changes to the settings of the Google Chrome browser. So when you use it, you’ll be forced to use the newly modified settings and use Search Manager every time you browse the web. Bear in mind that this browser hijacker has the ability to keep track of your activities online so it can collect several information like the websites you often visit, as you click, search queries, browsing history and much other information related to your browsing habits. It does this so it can increase the production of customized and personalized ads to entice users to click them. This kind of strategy is referred to as pay-per-click revenue which leads to the fact that this program is only after your clicks to increase its profit. And if you think displaying tons of ads is the worse that it can get, you’re very wrong as some of these ads, though they may seem harmless, could lead you to highly suspicious websites that could inject malware into your system so you need to be careful and think before you click as you might be allowing the installation of some malware.
How is Search Manager distributed online?
Search Manager is distributed in the Chrome Web Store but that doesn’t mean that it can be trusted since there are several other unwanted programs that are also found in there. Aside from that, you can also found Search Manager being distributed among software bundles where it is added as an extra component along with other unwanted programs. Just a tip, if you want to stir clear of browser hijackers and other unwanted programs, every time you install software from these kinds of packages, you need to use the Custom or Advanced installation setting instead of the quick one.
Make sure to follow each one of the removal steps below to successfully uninstall Search Manager from your computer.
Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Control Panel to uninstall any suspicious program related to the adware.
Step 2: Look for Search Manager under the list of installed programs. Once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

Step 3: Close the Control Panel and tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer. Navigate to the following directories and look for the hijacker’s installer like the software package it came with as well as other suspicious files and delete them.

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

Step 4: Close the File Explorer.
Step 5: Edit your Hosts File

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the host’s file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries containing Search Manager.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 6: Launch the Google Chrome browser and click the wrench icon. Afterward, click on Tools from the drop-down menu and select Extensions.

Step 7: Under the Extensions tab, select Search Manager extension and other suspicious browser extensions related to it and then click on the Trash icon.

Step 8: Click on Remove button from the confirmation dialog box.

Step 9: Reset Google Chrome. To do that, click the three stripes icon located at the upper-right corner of your screen. And then select Settings.

Step 10: under Settings, look for Show advanced settings at the bottom of the page and click on it.

Step 11: Then click on the Reset browser settings button.

Step 12: After that, a dialog box pops up, click the Reset button to Reset Chrome.

Step 13: After you reset Chrome, enable the Phishing and Malware Protection in Chrome to prevent ad-supported programs like Search Manager from infecting your computer again in the future. To do that, click Settings once again.

Step 14: Select the Show advanced settings again.

Step 15: Go to the Privacy section and check the Enable phishing and malware protection option.

Step 16: Restart Google Chrome.
Step 17: Don’t forget to empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
To completely get rid of Search Manager and any files it may have created in your computer upon installation, you need to use [product-name] – simply follow the steps below on how to use it.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen ill 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 SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.