With advances in digitalization, we are becoming increasingly dependent on technologies to carry out most of our tasks. From the food industry to constructions, high-end computer technologies and AI are playing a massive role these days. Unfortunately, with development in all sectors, things are also getting more comfortable for hackers as more attack surfaces are available now. In this regard, Search Protect is a special mention. The Search Protect virus, developed by the company Conduit is a highly doubtful application which is recognized as a potentially harmful program and a browser hijacker. In case you come across this unwanted application on your system, you need to remove it as soon as possible. If you are looking for easy ways on how to remove Search Protection, we encourage you to keep reading this article to know more about the issue.
What Exactly Is Search Protect And Why Do You Need To Remove It?
As stated earlier, Search Protect, also addressed as SearchProtect is a questionable application developed by Conduit Ltd. Experts categorize it as a virus or browser hijacker because the company itself is doubtful and is responsible for launching several applications. These include Conduit and Search.conduit.com which are labeled and known as browser hijackers. This is the reason why you should definitely consider removing Search Protect at the earliest.
The application generally presents itself as a search engine. However, you must never use it as it is capable of altering Google Chrome, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer settings, thereby giving you strange results. Not only is SearchProtect useless but it can also trick you into visiting illegal or suspicious websites.
Hence, as soon as you encounter this application, you need to uninstall it without any further delay.
Excellent Ways For Uninstalling Search Protect
Although SearchProtect is a pretty annoying application which is potentially harmful as well, you can still fix it. In fact, there is more than one easy procedure by which you can remove SearchProtect.
Method 1: Run Norton Power Eraser
- First of all, you need to download Norton Power Eraser and double-click the NPE.exe file to run it.
- Click Yes when the User Account Control prompts you to do so.
- Next, after accepting the license agreement, you need to click the Unwanted Application Scan icon.
- Once the scan completes, you will see a list of the questionable applications. Navigate to the unwanted application, which is the Search Protect in this case, and select the Uninstall option.
- After that, just follow all the on-screen instructions and restart your computer.
This particular method is highly effective and works for most of the users. In case it doesn’t work for you, move on to the next alternative.
Method 2: Remove Search Protect Manually
You can also try uninstalling Search Protect manually from the Control Panel. For that, execute the following steps correctly:
- To begin with, you need ot press Win+R together to open the Run dialog box.
- Next, type the command ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the blank field and press Enter.
- Now, a list of all the currently installed programs will be displayed. From there, select the Search Protect option and then click on Remove/Uninstall.
- Finish the process by following the on-screen instructions and then, restart the computer.
Method 3: Backup Windows Registry
If you have basic knowledge regarding the Windows OS, you should be able to apply this process without any hassle. Try this alternative and see if it removes the Search Protect.
- After invoking the Run dialog box by pressing Windows and R keys together, type regedit and click on Enter.
- From the File menu, you need to locate and click on Export.
- Now, in the ‘File name’ box, type an easy-to-remember name and then select a location to save the Registration Entries,
- Finally, click on Save and keep the backup for at least a week until you are sure that these changes are not problematic.
You can also try to delete the Conduit related registry keys for removing Search Protect. Alternatively, you can also remove the Conduit image files and folders. But make sure you are confident in carrying out these methods as any wrong step can lead to further problems for you.