Spellso is a browser hijacker developed by APmedia Limited company. The alternative name for this hijacker is ISTsearch. If your browser has been hijacked by it, you will see istsearch.com to be set in its home page. Whether you use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer – all of them may become infected by it. As a result, you will be truly annoyed to be offered to start your search from istsearch.com, because this is exactly what you will see when you open your browser. In this tutorial we will help you to remove Spellso (a.k.a. ISTsearch) from your computer.
Note that when you look for anything through istsearch.com, your queries will be redirected through search.atajitos.com. You may also notice that these so-called search results are delivered to you from css.infospace.com. You will see a lot of sponsored links and ads displayed above these pseudo search results redirected through search.atajitos.com. Obviously, this is so far the only purpose of Spellso or ISTsearch browser hijacker – to earn money through displaying various ads and sponsored links together with the redirected search results. When you click on such ads or sponsored links, then owners and the developers of this hijackers get paid per each single click.
You may easily come to understanding that this Spellso or ISTsearch browser hijacker doesn’t represent any value for you when it comes to obtaining any decent or relevant search results. They are most often absolutely irrelevant to your queries. Is there anything better then Google Search? So far, we’ve not seen any other search engine which could provide users with more relevant information then that delivered by Google. So, obviously, there is no point of keeping Spellso or ISTsearch in your browser.
All these search engine redirections through Spellso browser hijackers aren’t only annoying but also dangerous. You might see some misleading ads displayed in the home page of your browser hijacked by istsearch.com, or those many sponsored links shown together with the search results redirected through this hijacker. Clicking on such ads and sponsored links delivered by means of this particular hijacker can be dangerous, since you may be brought to a lot of third-party websites, which may infect your system with thousands of other adware, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted applications.
Keep in mind that ISTsearch hijacker is actively spread in the world wide web today along with many other free applications downloaded by users from various freeware download websites. You must carefully read their End User’s License Agreements, making sure you know what exactly you’re suggested to install into your system in addition to the main application of your choice. Finally, while you’re in the process of installing such free applications, please select the option of advanced installation where you will have a chance to uncheck all unwanted extra programs from being installed into your PC. This is the way of avoiding Spellso hijacker from being brought into your system.
Once again, ISTsearch hijacker brings no value to you at all. We recommend that you get rid of it immediately as soon as you find its presence inside of your computer. It isn’t that difficult to get rid of it from your system. We’ve even published a special video guide explaining its manual and obviously free removal. In case you can’t do it on your own, you may always get in touch with us for further assistance. Finally, you have another option to get rid of it automatically by following the automatic removal guidelines set forth below.
Software necessary for Spellso automatic removal:
Important milestones for Spellso hijack automatic removal:
- Download Plumbytes Anti-Malware through the download button above.
- Install the program and scan your computer with it.
- At the end of scan click “Apply” to remove all infections associated with this browser hijacker.
- Important! It is also necessary that you reset your browsers with Plumbytes Anti-Malware after Spellso hijack removal. Shut down all your available browsers now.
- In Plumbytes Anti-Malware click “Tools” tab and select “Reset browser settings“:
- Select which particular browsers you want to be reset and choose the reset options.
- Click on “Reset” button:
- You will receive the confirmation windows about browser settings reset successfully.
- Reboot your computer now.
Spellso hijack detailed manual (free) removal instructions
Step 1. Uninstalling ISTsearch hijack from the Control Panel of your computer.
Instructions for Windows XP, Vista and 7 operating systems:
- Make sure that all your browsers infected with ISTsearch hijack are shut down (closed).
- Click “Start” and go to the “Control Panel“:
- In Windows XP click “Add or remove programs“:
- In Windows Vista and 7 click “Uninstall a program“:
- Uninstall ISTsearch hijack and related software. To do it, in Windows XP click “Remove” button related to it. In Windows Vista and 7 right-click on the item related to ISTsearch hijacker with the PC mouse and click “Uninstall / Change“.
Instructions for Windows 8 operating system:
- Move the PC mouse towards the top right hot corner of Windows 8 screen, click “Search“:
- Type “Uninstall a program“, then click “Settings“:
- In the left menu that has come up select “Uninstall a program“:
- Uninstall Spellso hijack. To do it, in Windows 8 right-click on ISTsearch with the PC mouse and click “Uninstall / Change“.
Step 2. Removing ISTsearch hijack from the list of add-ons and extensions of your browser (optional).
In addition to removal of ISTsearch hijack from the Control Panel of your PC as explained above, you also need to remove ISTsearch hijack from the add-ons or extensions of your browser. Please follow this guide for managing browser add-ons and extensions for more detailed information. Remove any items related to ISTsearch hijack and other unwanted adware and potentially unwanted programs installed on your PC.
