The Search.searchfstn2.com is categorized as browser hijacker (sometimes named hijackware). It affects web browsers and introduces various changes to its settings like home page, search provider by default and newtab page. It is currently active spreading on the Internet. Many users have problems with cleaning a personal computer from Search.searchfstn2.com and restoring the Google Chrome, IE, Mozilla Firefox and MS Edge settings.
If your PC is affected by Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker you will be forced to use its own search provider. It could seem not to be dangerous, but you still should be very careful, since it may display unwanted and harmful ads created to mislead you into buying certain questionable apps or products, provide search results which may redirect your web browser to some deceptive, misleading or malicious pages. We recommend that you use only the reliable search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing.
Also, adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software) can be installed on the computer together with Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker infection. It will insert a large count of advertisements directly to the web-pages which you view, creating a sense that ads has been added by the developers of the page. Moreover, legal advertisements can be replaced on fake ads that will offer to download and install various unnecessary and malicious software. Moreover, the Search.searchfstn2.com hijacker infection can be used to gather a wide variety of confidential information which can be later transferred to third parties.
We suggest you to free your PC of hijacker infection as quickly as possible. Use the steps below that will help to remove Search.searchfstn2.com and malicious program, which can be installed onto your PC system along with it.
Remove Search.searchfstn2.com from Windows 10 (8, 7, XP)
Fortunately, it is not hard to remove the Search.searchfstn2.com hijacker infection. In the following guide, we will provide two methods to free your PC of this hijacker. One is the manual removal way and the other is automatic removal method. You can select the solution that best fits you. Please follow the removal instructions below to get rid of Search.searchfstn2.com right now!
To remove Search.searchfstn2.com, execute the following steps:
- Delete Search.searchfstn2.com startpage without any utilities
- How to remove Search.searchfstn2.com with free programs
- Use AdBlocker to stop Search.searchfstn2.com and stay safe online
- How did you get infected with Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker infection
- To sum up
Delete Search.searchfstn2.com startpage without any utilities
To remove Search.searchfstn2.com hijacker, ad-supported software and other unwanted programs you can try to do so manually. Unfortunately some of the hijackers won’t show up in your program list, but some hijackers may. In this case, you may be able to remove it through the uninstall function of your Windows computer. You can do this by completing the steps below.
Remove dubious applications using MS Windows Control Panel
Some PUPs, browser hijacking apps and adware can be removed by uninstalling the free programs they came with. If this way does not succeed, then looking them up in the list of installed software in Windows Control Panel. Use the “Uninstall” command in order to remove them.
- If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then press Windows button, next press Search. Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
- If you are using Windows XP, Vista, 7, then click “Start” button and press “Control Panel”.
- It will display the Windows Control Panel.
- Further, press “Uninstall a program” under Programs category.
- It will display a list of all software installed on the computer.
- Scroll through the all list, and remove suspicious and unknown software. To quickly find the latest installed applications, we recommend sort software by date.
See more details in the video tutorial below.
Delete Search.searchfstn2.com homepage from Firefox
Resetting your Mozilla Firefox is basic troubleshooting step for any issues with your web-browser application, including the redirect to Search.searchfstn2.com site. It will save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, auto-fill data and open tabs.
Launch the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the internet browser screen. Next, click the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will show the slide-out menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you are unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown in the figure below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the hijacker responsible for redirecting your internet browser to Search.searchfstn2.com web page. Once, it is complete, click the “Finish” button.
Get rid of Search.searchfstn2.com from Microsoft Internet Explorer
If you find that Internet Explorer web browser settings such as newtab, homepage and default search engine had been hijacked, then you may revert back your settings, via the reset web-browser procedure.
First, launch the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown on the screen below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button as shown on the screen below.
When the procedure is finished, press “Close” button. Close the Microsoft Internet Explorer and restart your personal computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web-browser’s search provider by default, newtab and startpage to default state.
Remove Search.searchfstn2.com from Chrome
Reset Chrome settings is a easy way to get rid of the browser hijacker, harmful and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to recover the web browser’s new tab, default search engine and homepage that have been changed by Search.searchfstn2.com hijacker infection.
First launch the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots ().
It will display the Google Chrome menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the extension signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option called “Settings”.
The browser will show the settings screen. Another way to display the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web-browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as on the image below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will open the confirmation dialog box as on the image below.
You need to confirm your action, press the “Reset” button. The browser will start the process of cleaning. When it’s complete, the web-browser’s settings including newtab page, default search provider and start page back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your PC system.
How to remove Search.searchfstn2.com with free programs
Anti Malware apps differ from each other by many features such as performance, scheduled scans, automatic updates, virus signature database, technical support, compatibility with other antivirus programs and so on. We suggest you use the following free apps: Zemana, MalwareBytes AntiMalware and Hitman Pro. Each of these programs has all of needed features, but most importantly, they can find out the hijacker and remove Search.searchfstn2.com from the Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Automatically remove Search.searchfstn2.com startpage with Zemana Free
Zemana Anti-Malware highly recommended, because it can detect security threats such adware and hijackers that most ‘classic’ antivirus programs fail to pick up on. Moreover, if you have any Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker removal problems which cannot be fixed by this tool automatically, then Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) provides 24X7 online assistance from the highly experienced support staff.
- Installing the Zemana Anti Malware is simple. First you’ll need to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) on your PC by clicking on the following link.
Zemana AntiMalware
164027 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
- At the download page, click on the Download button. Your browser will show the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
- When the download is finished, please close all applications and open windows on your computer. Next, start a file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
- This will start the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Anti-Malware onto your personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
- When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will start and show the main window.
- Further, click the “Scan” button to detect browser hijacker infection which reroutes your web-browser to intrusive Search.searchfstn2.com page. While the Zemana is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malware.
- After the scanning is complete, you’ll be shown the list of all found threats on your personal computer.
- When you are ready, click the “Next” button. The utility will get rid of hijacker responsible for modifying your browser settings to Search.searchfstn2.com and move threats to the program’s quarantine. When finished, you may be prompted to restart the PC.
- Close the Zemana Free and continue with the next step.
Use Hitman Pro to get rid of Search.searchfstn2.com
HitmanPro is a portable application which requires no hard setup to identify and delete Search.searchfstn2.com hijacker infection and other browser’s malicious extensions. The program itself is small in size (only a few Mb). Hitman Pro does not need any drivers and special dlls. It’s probably easier to use than any alternative malicious software removal utilities you have ever tried. Hitman Pro works on 64 and 32-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7 and XP. It proves that removal tool can be just as effective as the widely known antivirus applications.
Click the link below to download the latest version of Hitman Pro for Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
Download and run HitmanPro on your personal computer. Once started, click “Next” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the hijacker responsible for Search.searchfstn2.com search. This process can take some time, so please be patient. When a malware, ad supported software or PUPs are detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished..
When the scanning is complete, HitmanPro will display a scan report.
Review the report and then click Next button.
It will display a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malicious software found.
Scan and clean your personal computer of hijacker with Malwarebytes
You can delete Search.searchfstn2.com automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We recommend this free malicious software removal tool because it can easily get rid of hijackers, ad-supported software, PUPs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.
Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Free for Microsoft Windows. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
326379 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the download is done, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will try to update itself and when this task is finished, click the “Scan Now” button to scan for browser hijacker responsible for redirecting your web browser to Search.searchfstn2.com site. While the MalwareBytes AntiMalware utility is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software. When you’re ready, click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes is a free program that you can use to get rid of all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malicious software removal tool, we recommend you to read and follow the step-by-step instructions or the video guide below.
Use AdBlocker to stop Search.searchfstn2.com and stay safe online
It is also critical to protect your web browsers from malicious web sites and advertisements by using an adblocker application such as AdGuard. Security experts says that it will greatly reduce the risk of malware, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.
Download AdGuard on your Microsoft Windows Desktop from the following link.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once the downloading process is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown on the screen below.
Follow the prompts. After the install is finished, you will see a window as displayed in the figure below.
You can click “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your system, AdGuard will start automatically and stop popups, Search.searchfstn2.com redirect, as well as other malicious or misleading 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, which is located on your desktop.
How did you get infected with Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker infection
In many cases Search.searchfstn2.com browser hijacker infection is bundled within freeware. So, think back, have you ever download and run any free software? Because most users, in the Setup Wizard, simply press the Next button and don’t read any information such as ‘Terms of use’ and ‘Software license’. This leads to the fact that the PC system is infected, the web browser’s settings are changed and your’s default search engine, home page and newtab page set to the Search.searchfstn2.com. Even removing the freeware that contains this browser hijacker, your browser’s settings will not be restored. Therefore, you must follow the step-by-step instructions above to revert back the Mozilla Firefox, IE, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge’s search engine by default, newtab and start page.
To sum up
After completing the step-by-step guidance above, your computer should be free from hijacker infection responsible for redirects to Search.searchfstn2.com and other malicious software. The Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox will no longer display unwanted Search.searchfstn2.com web-page on startup. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step instructions does not help you, then you have caught a new browser hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help here.