Startfenster.de virus - How to remove

Startfenster.de is a search-hijacking virus. It is focused on German-speaking users, just like the earlier Euro-search.net browser hijacker. The interface of the Startfenster.de search virus contains more than one search box and shortcuts to sites for different fields of interests. But it is missing is customization and, importantly, user choice. The Startfenster.de virus gets installed without your permission and then hijacks your web search so that it can inject ads in the results. It should be removed as soon as possible. If you would rather read the removal instructions and analysis in the German language, we can recommend another article (SicherPC).

Problems with the Startfenster.de virus:

Type of threat	Adware Browser hijacker
Startfenster.de distribution	Malicious ads Bundling with free programs
Harm caused by the virus	Startfenster.de offers potentially unwanted programs Low-quality ads expose you to dangerous content
Remove Startfenster.de	Delete malware from your computer (SpyHunter) Uninstall Startfenster.de manually

Symptoms of the Startfenster.de virus

When it’s installed, Startfenster.de appears as your new tab page in your browser. It has a search box and a bunch of links to popular websites. Keywords that are typed into the search box will trigger results in the Sm.de – a website that is related to Startfenster. Visitors can also notice a proposition to download the start page icon on their desktops, but the setup.exe file turned out to be labeled as Win32.Application.Gnilohb.A, a potentially unwanted program (VirusTotal).

The Startfenster.de software will create files in Cookies, Local Settings folders, and create new folders of VLC-Updater. Furthermore, some registry entries are also going to be modified, presumably to make sure that this Startfenster.de browser hijacker will continue to influence the operating system. Additionally, the downloaded tool was discovered to send HTTP requests for Vlc-updater.de website (Avira).

The software promoted in this domain is only posing as an updater for the VLC program. The setup.exe file turned out to be PUP.Optional.VLCUpdaterDE, Malware.Heuristic!ET#84% (rdm+), Suspicious_GEN.F47V0529 and Trojan.IGENERIC (VirusTotal). This software will cause evident security issues. Similar tactics to distribute rogue updaters for VLC have been noticed before, like this malicious Vlcplayer.blupak.com pop-up.

The Startfenster.de virus is generated by a company called Aller Media e.K marketing agency located in Germany. Its reputation is bad as these developers are blamed for generating a computer virus, obtaining control over browsers. According to the reviews we found, many users blame this developing unit for security problems that they had to deal with:

“Should be charged for a VIRUS. Unbelievable.”
“Installation of Startfenser.de home is carried clearly against my wish. I understand this as a browser hijack!”

The Startfenster.de redirect virus is one of the most visited domains in Germany (the 1,699th top-visited domain in the country). Additionally, it has affected people from Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. If you are from any of these countries, it could be that your browsers’ preferences have been featuring this unknown search platform for quite some time now. And Startfenster.de isn’t the only virus that targets German-speaking users – recently, Mystart.space virus has also been noticed doing that.

Since the Startfenster.de virus can come into operating systems as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) (BitDefender) and start objectionable modifications, it might be difficult to defeat this browser hijacker.

Not to mention that Startfenster.de presents a lot of content from unknown third-parties, vendors, and advertisers in search results. That’s the search virus business – Radiofanatics, HeadlineAlley, Cr447.xyz, and hundreds of other sites are doing it, too. And as we doubt the respectability of the developers of the Startfenster.de platform, we do not think it’s wise to trust the ads they show. Which means that you were likely exposed to some unsafe content, including malware and phishing sites.

Startfenster.com malware, a global version of this German search engine

Startfenster.de is targeted to German speakers, but there is another version of this domain that is focused on targeting people from all over the globe. Startfenster.com virus is the browser hijacker that infects people worldwide, not only users from German-speaking countries. Nevertheless, the Startfenster.com search engine is less popular and does not receive as much web traffic as the German version.

It’s no less dangerous, though, and if either of these rogue search platforms have become users’ home pages, default search providers and new tab pages, we hope that they will decide to complete an appropriate removal.

How to permanently remove this malware infection?

As we have mentioned, people might face some difficulties during the removal of the Startfenster.de virus. First of all, since your operating system will undergo modifications in Windows Registry Key and will have additional folders supporting the browser hijacker, you will have to initiate a more thorough removal method than just manually uninstalling it. The best thing to do is to run a scan with an anti-malware tool like Spyhunter and become informed of every malicious file in your system. We have also provided instructions for manual removal. For best results, you can combine both methods.

In order to avoid similar infections, we advise surfers to never visit unknown websites as they might be hosting exploit kits. Furthermore, online advertisements can also lead to unfortunate infections of malware. Lastly, for installations of programs, select advanced/custom modes, as search viruses like Startfenster.de often hide in the installers of free programs.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Complete removal of Startfenster.de virus

How to remove Startfenster.de virus using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Startfenster.de virus install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to Startfenster.de virus . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Startfenster.de virus easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove Startfenster.de virus from macOS

Delete Startfenster.de virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Startfenster.de virus app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopHow To remove Startfenster.de virus from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startfenster.de virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove Startfenster.de virus from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Startfenster.de virus 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 then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startfenster.de virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove Startfenster.de virus from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startfenster.de virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove Startfenster.de virus from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Startfenster.de virus and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startfenster.de virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.