How to Get Rid of Your Online Speed Test (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Your Online Speed Test? And how does it work?

Your Online Speed Test also known as Search.hyouronlinespeedtest.com, is a browser extension that claims to allow users to test the speed of their internet connection online. This may seem like a useful tool in checking your internet speed but you have to be careful for it is actually a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program.
If you install the dubious Your Online Speed Test browser extension, every time you browse the internet, you start getting redirected to Search.hyouronlinespeedtest.com. This is because, the moment you install it, it will change the default settings of your browser without your permission. Thus, your browser’s New tab page, home page and search provider are now set to Search.hyouronlinespeedtest.com. Because of such trait, security experts dubbed this browser extension as a browser hijacker.
What’s more is that, you will also start seeing all kinds of sponsored content – from pop-ups, in-text links, banners, and so on. These sponsored contents are shown on every website you visit, some of which can get pretty intrusive as you will have a hard time getting rid of them. As a result, it will overload your CPU and RAM and you’ll be forced to restart your computer. And note that some of these ads could also redirect you to suspicious websites that might be harmful to your computer – as if that doesn’t enough, this browser hijacker is also known to collect information about its users which include browsing history, search queries, ads clicked, websites visited and many more. The information obtained may be shared to its affiliated sites and may be used to generate more customized and personalized content to increase its profit via pay-per-click marketing.
How does Your Online Speed Test travel the web?
Your Online Speed Test travels the web in software bundles which are distributed in free sharing sites or peer to peer networks. This is why you need to opt for the recommended installation setup – Custom or Advanced setup – when installing any kind of freeware or shareware. This recommended setting will allow you to remove any unwanted program attached in the software package. Moreover, it is also essential to read legal documents like Privacy Policy, EULA, etc. before you install any program in your computer.
Get rid of Your Online Speed Test from your browser and computer by following the removal instructions provided below.
Step 1: Close the browser infected with Your Online Speed Test but if you are unable to do so, you can close it via Task Manager. Tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager and from there, end the browser’s process.
Step 2: Afterwards, you have to flush the DNS cache. To do that, just, 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 3: After that, restart your computer and then open all the browsers infected by Your Online Speed Test. Reset all the affected browsers to default 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 4: Next, 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 5: From the list of programs installed, look for Your Online Speed Test or any unfamiliar program that could be related to it under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

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 Your Online Speed Test.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: 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 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of Your Online Speed Test as well as all its related files.
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.