Start.qone8.com Removal Guide

When it comes to browser hijackers users probably would never think that such website as start.qone8.com is part of a wide scam network devised to infect innocent users and to collect their web browsing data. Therefore, should your browser default home page get modified to start.qone8.com, it means that you have been infected with a browser hijacker. At first users problem do not even understand that they are infected, because start.qone8.com looks like a genuine search engine and some users might even be compelled to use it for their search queries. However, it is necessary to remove start.qone8.com from your computer ASAP, because the longer this infection remains in your PC the more you get exposed to other dangerous threats.

It has been mentioned in the previous paragraph that start.qone8.com appears to look like a genuine search engine. What is more, in some cases the browser hijacker may even ask users for permission to get installed on their computers. It happens, because start.qone8.com and similar applications often travel bundled with freeware programs. Freeware programs are free of charge software applications that are often available for download not an official website but at a third party website which usually bundles it with some additional software application. Once of these additional applications might be start.qone8.com.

The main issue related with start.qone8.com is that although it looks (and functions!) like a decent search engine, it still has a hidden agenda which you cannot ignore. Even though this website does seem to provide you with relevant search results, it still works behind your back by displaying a list of commercial advertisements. It goes without saying that clicking on any of these ads eventually leads you to websites affiliated with start.qone8.com. This is the real face of a browser hijacker, as you will constantly be redirected in order to generate traffic for affiliated websites.

Generating traffic allows third party websites to make financial profit, because they are part of pay-per-click system. Also, whenever to use start.qone8.com to search for something online, all of your search data is collected in order to provide you with customized commercial advertisements. Step by step, such intrusive behavior can lead to a malware infection, as a malevolent third party could make use of start.qone8.com to distribute itself to unsuspecting computer users.

We are lucky in a way that start.qone8.com is not the first browser hijacker from the same group. Before that computer users have often been terrorized by Qone8 Virus, Qvo6 Virus, PortaldoSites, Delta-Homes and similar infections. All of them exhibit the same infection symptoms and start.qone8.com is of no exception. Unlike a Trojan or worm, a browser hijacker does not hide itself – you will notice that you are infected immediately, once your home page and default search engine get changed to start.qone8.com.

At the home page you will encounter shortcuts to such popular websites as Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, eBay and others. This way start.qone8.com may want to convince you that there is nothing malicious about, but you should also take note of commercial advertisement just below the search box. There you are exposed to commercial ads from Crossrider platform, and these ads are one of the reasons why start.qone8.com exposes you to potential system security threats – the ads can easily be exploited by malevolent third parties.

Once a malicious third party content is embedded into the pop-up advertisements, in case you click any of them, you will obviously be redirected to a corrupted website that hosts malware. All in all, it should be clear that start.qone8.com is a dangerous infection and you need to remove this browser hijacker from your computer right now.

If you know how to terminate start.qone8.com you should run a full system scan with SpyHunter free scanner. The full system scan will detect all the malicious files currently present in your system and you will be able to remove them automatically. Investing in a powerful antimalware tool is also a good idea, because then your system would always be protected from various threats.

It is also possible to remove start.qone8.com from your browser and restore its settings to default, but that does not offer a 100% guarantee that the infection will be removed for good. However, in order to reset your browser settings, you would need to modify Target shortcut, and then reset all the settings one by one.

Manual start.qone8.com Removal

Internet Explorer

1. Press Alt+T and go to Internet options.
2. Open Advanced tab and click Reset.
3. Mark Delete personal settings and press Reset.
4. Click Close when the reset is complete.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Alt+H and click Troubleshooting information.
2. Press Reset Firefox at the top right of the new tab.
3. Click Reset Firefox on a pop-up dialog box.
4. Press Finish when reset is complete.

Change Google Chrome Settings

1. Press Alt+F and select Settings.
2. Mark Open a specific page or set of pages and click Set pages.
3. Remove start.qone8.com, enter a new home page address and click OK.
4. Select Manage search engines under Search.
5. Set a new default search engine, remove start.qone8.com and click Done.

In case you encounter any problem while removing start.qone8.com from your computer, do let us know about it by leaving a comment in the box below.