What is SevereWeatherCheck? And how does it function?
SevereWeatherCheck, also known as Severe Weather Check, is a browser extension that functions as a search engine. Aside from being a search engine, it is promoted as a tool that can track weather changes in a specific location when users enter a city or input their zip codes. It may seem like a useful application especially if you always want to keep track of the weather but it’s actually categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program by security experts.
Once installed, SevereWeatherCheck will modify the default settings in the browser such as the search provider, homepage, and new tab page. This kind of behavior is common in browser hijackers which usually results in redirects to tons of suspicious sites. You will also notice the sudden appearance of various sponsored content from the affiliated sites of this browser hijacker. Clearly, the developers of SevereWeatherCheck gain revenue from displaying these ads. However, not all of the ads it delivers are safe for some are misleading ones that could reroute you to unknown websites.
Another alarming thing about SevereWeatherCheck is it monitors all your browsing activities in order to collect information related to your browsing habits. This includes your browsing history, websites you often visit, IP address, browser type, OS version, and many more. The harvested data is used and processed and might even be shared with its affiliated third parties to produce more sponsored content.
How does SevereWeatherCheck spread over the web?
SevereWeatherCheck spreads over the web using freeware or shareware packages that can be found on websites that offer programs for free. However, just like things that are too good to be true, there’s a catch – when you install software bundles, you will install not just a single program but multiple programs all at once. To prevent this from happening, you should always opt for the Advanced or Custom setup instead of just the quick one.
Delete SevereWeatherCheck from your browser using the removal instructions laid out below.
Step_1: You need to flush the DNS cache first. To do that, just, right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator). From there, type the “ipconfig /flushdns” command and hit Enter to flush the DNS.
Step_2: Next, close the browser infected with SevereWeatherCheck but if you are unable to do so, you can close it via Task Manager. Tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager and from there, end the browser’s process.
Step_3: After that, restart your computer and then open all the browsers infected by SevereWeatherCheck. Reset all the affected browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
- After that, click on Settings.
- Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
- After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
- Now restart Google Chrome.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox 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.
- Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
- Then click Internet Options.
- After that, go to the Advanced tab.
- From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
- Now click OK to save the changes made.
- Restart your computer.
Step_4: Next, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and press Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
Step_5: From the list of programs installed, look for SevereWeatherCheck or any unfamiliar program that could be related to it under the list of installed programs, and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
Step_6: 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 hosts file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries that contain SevereWeatherCheck.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step_7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step_8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated with the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- %TEMP%
Step_9: Close the File Explorer.
Step_10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Congratulations, you have just removed SevereWeatherCheck Browser Hijacker in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit fixmypcfree.com daily.
Now that’s how you remove SevereWeatherCheck Browser Hijacker in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
