I wrote this article to help you remove Search.starttab.co. This Search.starttab.co removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Search.starttab.co is a search engine which has a set of extra features. There is a links bar embedded below the search field. It includes quick access buttons to a selection of popular websites: Amazon, Gmail, Yahoo, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. The other main feature of Search.starttab.co is an embedded toolbar. It includes a second search field, a local weather report and links to another set of websites. Apart from My News Wire and Facebook, the others are the same as in the other links bar. This makes sense, as the intention is to make the services of Search.starttab.co accessible from other websites. The platform may be convenient, but it involves hidden security risks. Search.starttab.co is linked to a browser hijacker.

Upon penetrating your system, the sinister program will render your DNS settings. This gives it the ability to interfere with your browser’s work. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and other common browsing clients are vulnerable to the attacks of the hijacker. The first thing you will notice is that your homepage and default search provider have been reset to Search.starttab.co. The website has a malicious code which enables the rogue program to interfere with the user’s browsing sessions. It will insert supported websites in your search result pages. There will be no signs to help you distinguish the sponsored content. You could easily be mislead.

Editing the search results is just the first intervention. The more prominent activity is displaying ads. The Search.starttab.co hijacker can open new browser windows and tabs at will. It generates ads in various formats, such as banners, in-text links, coupon boxes, freebies, transitional, inline, floating, contextual, interstitial and full-screen windows. You will be bombarded by an influx of promotional content every time you go online. The furtive program applies marketing techniques to attract users’ attention and garner their interest. It focuses on bargain deals for high quality goods. You can expect offers for diverse commodities, like clothes, technological devices, accessories, furniture, gardening equipment, sports gear, decorations, books, toys, games and others. The content will be highlighted with colorful schemes, cursive fonts, flash animations and other special effects.

The owners of the Search.starttab.co hijacker receive commissions for directing users to sponsored platforms. The amount they make depends on the number of links people follow. This technique is called the pay-per-click system. Promoting third party websites is a legitimate advertising service. However, we need to note that it is subject to certain rules and regulations. The people behind the Search.starttab.co hijacker do not guarantee the reliability of the content they present. Any given ad could redirect you to a malicious domain and cause you to contact malware. Even if you avoid the advertisements, you will still be exposed to a security threat. The covert program has the ability to collect information from the web browser. It will record the data you enter online and the input your browser stores per default. The gathered information will subsequently be sold on darknet markets.

The Search.starttab.co hijacker can enter your computer without you realizing it. The shady program takes advantage of people’s distraction and negligence. It travels in a couple of ways, using different hosts for the purpose. The predominant propagation vector is bundling. The hijacker can latch onto pirated applications, freeware and shareware. The download client is set to conduct the install of the additional program in parallel with its own. To prevent this from happening, you have to render the settings. If you skip through the installation steps in haste and accept the defaults, the unwanted tool will get the green light. This is why we advice users to read the terms and conditions of the software they add to their computers.

The other distribution technique is just as deceptive. Text documents, images, compressed archives, zipped folders and other files can carry the payload of the Search.starttab.co hijacker. The secluded program will be merged with an attachment to a spam email. The sender will try to make the fake message seem reliable. He can write on behalf of a reputable organization and list its contacts in the letter. Spammers often misrepresent public and private entities, like the national post, courier firms, banks, government branches, institutions, social networks and the local police department. To check whether a given message is genuine, proof the email address it was sent from. You can consult the official website of the corresponding organization.

Search.starttab.co Uninstall

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you are familiar with this task, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:

For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.

For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.‌

Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.

While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.

Here are the steps you must perform to remove the hijacker from the browser:

Remove From Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.

Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.

Remove From Chrome:

Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).

Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.

Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.

Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.

Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.

Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.

Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.

Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.

Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.

Still can not remove Search.starttab.co from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.