How to remove Start.wow.com [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

The Start.wow.com hijacker infection can also modify the default search engine that will virtually block the possibility of finding information on the Internet. The reason for this is that the Start.wow.com search results can open a large count of advertisements, links to unwanted and ad sites. Only the remaining part is the result of your search request, loaded from the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing.

The Start.wow.com browser hijacker is not a virus, but the virus behaves similarly. As a rootkit hides in the system, makes changes to settings of internet browsers, and blocks them from changing. Also this browser hijacker can install additional web browser addons, extensions and modules that will open advertisements and pop ups. And finally, the Start.wow.com browser hijacker infection may collect personal information such as what web sites you’re opening, what you are looking for the Net and so on. This information, in the future, can be sold to third parties.

We strongly suggest that you perform the steps below that will assist you to get rid of Start.wow.com using the standard features of Windows and some proven free applications.

Start.wow.com redirect removal guide

The answer is right here on this web-page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily to clean your PC of hijacker. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal method. If you are familiar with the computer then use manual removal, otherwise run the free anti-malware tool created specifically to remove browser hijacker like Start.wow.com. Of course, you can combine both methods. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to exit your browser or restart your system.

How to manually remove Start.wow.com

The steps will help you get rid of Start.wow.com redirect. These Start.wow.com removal steps work for the Google Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge and IE, as well as every version of Microsoft Windows operating system.

Delete Start.wow.com related software through the Control Panel of your computer

The best way to begin the machine cleanup is to remove unknown and suspicious software. Using the MS Windows Control Panel you can do this quickly and easily. This step, in spite of its simplicity, should not be ignored, because the removing of unneeded programs can clean up the Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge from pop-up ads hijackers and so on.

Press Windows button , then click Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then press “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will open the Windows Control Panel as shown on the image below.

Further, press “Uninstall a program”
It will display a list of all programs installed on your personal computer. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any suspicious and unknown applications.

Disinfect the internet browser’s shortcuts to remove Start.wow.com search

A hijacker can hijack various Windows shortcuts on your desktop (most often, all internet browsers shortcuts), so in this step you need to check and clean them by removing the argument such as http://site.address/.

Click the right mouse button to a desktop shortcut that you use to start your web browser. Next, select the “Properties” option. Important: necessary to click on the desktop shortcut for the internet browser which is redirected to the Start.wow.com or other intrusive web-site.

Further, necessary to look at the text which is written in the “Target” field. The browser hijacker can change the contents of this field, which describes the file to be start when you run your web browser. Depending on the browser you are using, there should be:

• Google Chrome: chrome.exe
• Opera: opera.exe
• Firefox: firefox.exe
• Internet Explorer: iexplore.exe

If you are seeing an unknown text such as “http://site.addres” which has been added here, then you should remove it, as shown on the image below.

Next, press the “OK” button to save the changes. Now, when you launch the internet browser from this desktop shortcut, it does not occur automatically redirect on the Start.wow.com web site or any other undesired web pages. Once the step is finished, we recommend to go to the next step.

Remove Start.wow.com search from Google Chrome

If your Chrome internet browser is re-directed to annoying Start.wow.com page, it may be necessary to completely reset your browser application to its default settings.

1. First, start the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
2. It will display the Chrome main menu, click the “Settings” menu.
3. Next, click “Show advanced settings” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
4. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, press the “Reset settings” button.
5. The Google Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
6. Confirm the web-browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
7. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Get rid of Start.wow.com redirect from IE

First, open the Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as shown in the figure below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.

You will now need to reboot your PC system for the changes to take effect.

Get rid of Start.wow.com from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings

The Firefox reset will keep your personal information such as bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill data and remove unwanted search engine and startpage such as Start.wow.com, modified preferences, extensions and security settings.

Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as shown in the figure below.

A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, press “Refresh Firefox” button like below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to return your FF internet browser settings to its original state.

Scan your computer and get rid of Start.wow.com with free tools

After completing the manually removal guide above all unwanted software and browser’s extensions that causes web browser redirects to the Start.wow.com web site should be removed. If the problem with Start.wow.com browser hijacker infection is still remained, then we suggest to scan your personal computer for any remaining malicious components. Run recommended free browser hijacker infection removal software below.

Use Zemana Anti-malware to remove browser hijacker

We suggest you to run the Zemana Anti-malware which are completely clean your PC. Moreover, the utility will help you to remove potentially unwanted programs, malicious software, toolbars and adware that your machine may be infected too.

Download Zemana antimalware by clicking on the link below.

When the download is done, launch it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana anti malware will try to update itself and when this procedure is done, click the “Scan” button . This will start scanning the whole machine to find out Start.wow.com hijacker that reroutes your web browser to the Start.wow.com undesired web-page.

A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your computer and the speed of your system. While the tool is scanning, you can see how many objects and files has already scanned. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.

The Zemana anti-malware will start removing all detected folders, files, services and registry entries.

How to remove Start.wow.com with Malwarebytes

You can remove Start.wow.com home page automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We suggest this free malicious software removal tool because it may easily remove hijacker infections, adware, potentially unwanted programs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.

1. Please download Malwarebytes to your desktop from the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326388 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your internet browser will show the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once the download is complete, please close all applications and open windows on your computer. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
4. This will open the “Setup wizard” of Malwarebytes onto your personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Malwarebytes will start and display the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the browser hijacker and other malware and adware. This task can take some time, so please be patient. While the utility is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
7. Once the scan is complete, a list of all items found is produced.
8. Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and press the “Quarantine Selected” button to start cleaning your system. Once the task is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the personal computer.
9. Close the Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Scan and clean your PC system of hijacker with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free removal tool that can be downloaded and run to remove hijackers, adware, malware, PUPs, toolbars and other threats from your computer. You may run this utility to scan for threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security program.

Download AdwCleaner tool by clicking on the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

After the download is finished, open the file location and double-click the AdwCleaner icon. It will start the AdwCleaner tool and you will see a screen as shown below. If the User Account Control dialog box will ask you want to show the program, click Yes button to continue.

Next, click “Scan” to perform a system scan with this utility for the Start.wow.com browser hijacker that cause a redirect to Start.wow.com. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the tool is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.

Once the system scan is finished is finished, it will show a list of detected threats as shown below.

When you are ready, click “Clean” button. It will display a dialog box. Click “OK” to begin the cleaning process. When the cleaning process is complete, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your PC system. After reboot, the AdwCleaner will open the log file.

All the above steps are shown in detail in the following video instructions.

Stop Start.wow.com homepage and other undesired pages

In order to increase your security and protect your machine against new intrusive ads and dangerous web pages, you need to run ad-blocking program that blocks an access to harmful advertisements and web-pages. Moreover, the program may block the show of intrusive advertising, that also leads to faster loading of sites and reduce the consumption of web traffic.

Installing the AdGuard ad-blocking program is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link.

When the download is finished, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown below.

Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick instructions as shown below.

Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick instructions that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you run your system, AdGuard will run automatically and block ads, web pages such Start.wow.com, as well as other malicious or misleading web pages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that can be found on your desktop.

How can you prevent your computer from the attack of Start.wow.com browser hijacker

The browser hijacker infection is usually gets onto PC system by being attached to free applications and install themselves, with or without your knowledge, on your PC system. This happens especially when you are installing a freeware. The program setup package tricks you into accepting the installation of third party applications, which you don’t really want. Moreover, some paid software may also install additional software that you do not want! Therefore, always download free programs and paid software from reputable download web-sites. Use ONLY custom or manual install mode and never blindly click Next button.

To sum up

Once you have done the steps outlined above, your personal computer should be clean from malware and browser hijackers. The Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, FF and MS Edge will no longer display Start.wow.com undesired start page on startup. Unfortunately, if the step by step tutorial does not help you, then you have caught a new browser hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help.

1. Download HijackThis by clicking on the link below and save it to your Desktop.
   
   

   HijackThis download
   4692 downloads
   Version: 2.0.5
   Author: OpenSource
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 7, 2015
   
2. Double-click on the HijackThis icon. Next click “Do a system scan only” button.
3. Once the system scan is complete, the scan button will read “Save log”, click it. Save this log to your desktop.
4. Create a Myantispyware account here. Once you’ve registered, check your e-mail for a confirmation link, and confirm your account. After that, login.
5. Copy and paste the contents of the HijackThis log into your post. If you are posting for the first time, please start a new thread by using the “New Topic” button in the Spyware Removal forum. When posting your HJT log, try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately.
6. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the undesired Start.wow.com homepage.