What is Search.watchtvnow.co? And how does it work?
Search.watchtvnow.co, also called Watch Tv Now extension, is a browser extension that supposedly works as a search engine. It is created by Polarity Technologies Ltd – a shady company known to develop unwanted programs. Search.watchtvnow.co claims to allow users to watch TV online. It provides quick links to TVNews, Netflix, ESPN GO, Hulu, as well as links to News, Local Weather, and many more.
Once installed, Search.watchtvnow.co will change the default home page, search provider, and new tab page of the browser. Note that these changes are done without your consent which is why security experts categorize it as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program. This useless search tool is also capable of altering shortcuts, adding other shady toolbars and add-ons as well as creating Registry entries that allow it to control the affected browser more. This browser hijacker will also cause redirects from time to time to some unknown websites. It also generates and injects sponsored content like banners, pop-ups, in-text links, etc.
This only shows that Search.watchtvnow.co is getting revenue from the sponsored content it displays. Moreover, it also spies on all your browsing activities in order to obtain browsing-related data such as search queries, the websites you often visit, IP address, browser type, OS version, ISP, and so on. The harvested data may be used and shared with third parties, allowing this browser hijacker and affiliated sites to bring in more pesky advertisements.
How is Search.watchtvnow.co distributed online?
Search.watchtvnow.co is distributed using several methods but its developers mostly use software bundling. It is added as one of the optional programs in software bundles together with other unknown programs. It could end up getting installed on your computer along with the other programs in the package if you’re not careful. Thus, you must use the Advanced or Custom setup when installing software bundles, else you will have to deal with browser hijackers and unwanted programs like Search.watchtvnow.co.
Refer to the removal instructions given below to delete Search.watchtvnow.co from your browser and computer.
Step_1: You need to close the browser infected with the browser hijacker. And if you can’t close it manually, you can close it using the Task Manager instead. Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys and open the Task Manager.
Step_2: Next, look for the process of your browser, right-click on it and select End task or End process to close it.
Step_3: Afterwards, 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_4: From the list of programs installed, look for any programs that could be related to Search.watchtvnow.co or any suspicious program you don’t remember installing under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
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 hosts file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries that contain Search.watchtvnow.co.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step_6: Now you have to flush the DNS cache of your computer. To do so, 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_7: After that, restart your computer and then open your browsers and reset them back 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_8: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step_9: 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_10: Close the File Explorer and empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Congratulations, you have just removed Search.watchtvnow.co extension 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 Search.watchtvnow.co extension 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.
