HomeTab hijacker - How to remove

HomeTab is a hijacker that changes your home and new tab pages in all of your browsers. This page is changed into metro-like layout of popular sites with a search box. The offers there are controlled by HomeTab makers, Simply Tech Ltd. The installer changes your search provider to Conduit search as well, which is a well known browser search hijacker. Some time ago HomeTab used a different search domain (search.newhometab.com ), though it might be Conduit powered as well. It uses domains newhometab.com and hometab.widdit.com.

HomeTab includes multiple well known semi-malicious programs in its bundle. For example, it has a Dealply module and a SuperFish module. Both of them will show various advertisements while browsing shopping sites. You won’t be able to remove these adware directly from Control Panel as it will either require a HomeTab removal or disabling of this hijacker from Control Panel.

I rank HomeTab as moderately dangerous. There are no positive arguments to change search engine to Conduit as it is well known to cause problems. And there is absolutely no reason for DealPly and SuperFish to be added to your PC. Thus I would recommend removing this hijacker and using your regular search tool instead.

HomeTab can be removed from Control Panel or from all of the browsers separately.

Using Control Panel to remove the main HomeTab hijacker components and installers

1. Go to Control Panel. On Windows XP/Vista/7 open Start -> Control Panel , Add/Remove Programs or Uninstall . On Windows 8 enter Control Panel in the search box, then look for Uninstall a program. You may need to confirm that you are the administrator on this PC, in both cases.
2. Look for HomeTab and /or similar looking items on the list of programs. By default, I recommend removing Yontoo, WebCake, anything “savings” or “coupon” related. Scanning with Anti-Malware programs like Spyhunter or Stopzilla might give a good idea of what programs you should remove from there as well.
3. Close Control Panel.

Removing HomeTab hijacker from Internet Explorer

1. Press gear icon->Manage Add-ons.
2. Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to HomeTab and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
3. Close the Options.

Removing HomeTab from Firefox

1. Enter about:addons in URL field.
2. Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything HomeTab hijacker related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe probably you do not need it.
3. Optionally, reset Firefox: go to Firefox ->Help (Help in menu for OSX users) -> Troubleshooting Information. Then Reset Firefox.

Removing HomeTab virus from Chrome

1. Enter chrome://extensions in url field.
2. Go through extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to HomeTab. If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
3. Restart Chrome.
4. Optionally, you can enter chrome://settings in URL bar, press Advanced settings, scroll to the bottom of the list and press Reset browser settings.

NOTE:

If you found an extension that can’t be removed from the browser, it has either to be removed from Control Panel or with antimalware programs (like Spyhunter, malwarebytes) or program uninstallers (like RevoUninstaller).

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