Get Rid of Prosearchtip.com (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Prosearchtip.com? And how does it function?

Prosearchtip.com is a dubious browser extension that allegedly functions as a search engine. It claims to provide users with improved search results to enhance browsing experience. It may look like a legitimate search engine with its plain-looking interface but it’s actually not. This dubious site does not have a secure connection which means that it is not safe to use it. In fact it is categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program or PUP.
If installed, Prosearchtip.com will alter the default settings in the browser such as the default homepage, search engine and new tab page. The malicious plug-ins and code associated with this browser hijacker also imposes data collection technology such as cookies and other scripts that will hijack your browsing-related information which are categorized into two namely private user information and system metrics such as:

Operating system type and version
Installed browser’s type and version’s language
Access timestamp
Submitted search terms
Search queries
Browsing data
IP address
Country
Language
Cookie Data
Other information you provide online

The information this browser hijacker obtains is used to produce customized and personalized ads to lure you into clicking them. However, not all ads displayed by Prosearchtip.com can be trusted since some of them could redirect you to shady websites that might contain harmful content. Thus, you cannot browse safely unless you uninstall this browser hijacker from your computer.
How does Prosearchtip.com spread over the web?
Prosearchtip.com could spread the web using several distribution techniques but it mostly spread using software bundles that are distributed on free sharing sites or peer-to-peer networks. This shady program is added as one of the optional programs in a software bundle. And if you happen to install a software bundle with Prosearchtip.com in it using only the standard setup, then you will most likely end up installing this browser hijacker in your computer. Thus, the next time you install such packages, make sure that you use the Advanced or Custom setup instead of the standard one.
To get rid of Prosearchtip.com from your computer, refer to the removal guide laid out below.
Step 1: First, you have to close the browser infected with the browser hijacker. And if you can’t close it manually, you can close it using the Task Manager instead. Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys and open the Task Manager.
Step 2: Next, look for the process of your browser, right click on it and select End task or End process to close it.
Step 3: Afterwards, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and press Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.

Step 4: From the list of programs installed, look for any programs that could be related to Prosearchtip.com or any suspicious program you don’t remember installing under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
Step 5: After that, restart your computer and then open your browsers and reset them back to their default state.
Google Chrome

Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
After that, click on Settings.
Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
Now restart Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

Open Mozilla Firefox and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
Then click Internet Options.
After that, go to the Advanced tab.
From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
Now click OK to save the changes made.
Restart your computer.

Step 6: Edit your Hosts File.

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the hosts file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries that contain Prosearchtip.com.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 7: Now you have to flush the DNS cache of your computer. To do so, right click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator). From there, type the “ipconfig /flushdns” command and hit Enter to flush the DNS.
Step 8: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 9: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 10: Close the File Explorer and empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of this browser hijacker from your computer as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot it.
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.