Recently, you may have come across numerous posts on forums implying that "7search has infected my computer!". While we can definitely appreciate the frustration web surfers have experienced, 7search.com does not condone nor participate in any type of activity related to browser hijacking. The causes of these occurrences are likely being initiated by a 3rd party source that is attempting to utilize our listings in an unauthorized manner.
If you are the victim of a browser hijacking resulting in your normal search queries being redirected to 7search, please help us to help you! Please provide any information regarding the last website that was visited prior to this browser redirect occurring, as well as any other issues experienced due to this occurence, by submitting a support ticket at http://7search.com/scripts/support/index.asp. This information will be invaluable in assisting our Network Security department in removing the offending source and resolving this issue.
The following five tips may also help restore your browser's settings (via Microsoft.com):
- Suggestion #1 - If endless pop-up windows are appearing on your screen, you'll probably want to stop them first. To do this in Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 while using Internet Explorer (IE):
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, click Task Manager, and then click the Processes tab.
Click IEXPLORE.EXE, and then click the End Process button.
This closes all instances of Internet Explorer. Then you can re-open the program to continue browsing as usual. To help prevent future attacks, you should also have a pop-up blocker turned on.
To turn on the Pop-Up blocker in IE8 - click the Tools button (the gear icon), point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Turn On Pop-Up Blocker.
To turn on the pop-up blocker in IE7 - click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab. Then, in the Pop-up Blocker box, select the Block pop-ups check box. Click OK. - Suggestion #2 – If you are still experiencing the effects of the hijacked browser, consider installing Microsoft Security Essentials or another antivirus/antispyware program. Microsoft Security Essentials is free software that will help protect your computer from malicious software such as viruses or spyware. Many browser hijacking programs can be identified and removed by downloading, installing, and running Microsoft Security Essentials or a similar tool.
- Suggestion #3 - Run the Malicious Software Removal tool (http://bit.ly/UurV3). This tool is useful for catching most forms of hijacking software.
- Suggestion #4 - If you are using IE and your home page has been modified, you can often reset it yourself.
Note If you use Microsoft Security Essentials, Forefront Client Security, Windows Defender, or the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and these tools have detected and removed hijacking software from your computer, these tools might change your home page and your search page to help protect against the malicious software.
For more information and step-by-step instructions, see "How to restore your Internet Explorer home page and search page preferences". (http://bit.ly/bLb7oP) - Suggestion #5 - Many browser hijackings come from add-ons, also known as ActiveX controls, browser extensions, browser helper objects, or toolbars. Consider disabling these add-ons. These items can improve your experience on a website by providing multimedia or interactive content, such as animations. However, some add-ons can cause your computer to stop responding or display content that you don't want, such as pop-up ads.
To learn how to disable add-ons in Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), read "How do browser add-ons affect my computer?" (http://bit.ly/gqYAaR)
Get more help. If these solutions don't work for your specific problem, you can get help through Microsoft support.
