SearchFort

If you noticed that your default browser settings were altered without your knowledge, it is more than likely that a browser hijacker is running on your system. If suddenly your default home paged was changed to torcho.com, it is very likely that your system was infected by the SearchFort browser hijacker. It is advised to remove SearchFort ASAP because oftentimes such infections might be used by malware distributors as a backdoor to insert additional infections onto your operating system. Furthermore, browser hijackers often come bundled with adware programs or some potentially unwanted applications; thus, it is a good idea to check your system for any other dubious applications running on your system.

As soon as SearchFort gets onto your operating system it changes your default browser settings. It hijacks the default home page and search engine. SearchFort will be set as your default search engine. It might seem like a legitimate search tool but in reality it provides results that cannot be trusted entirely. This is because developers of SearchFort allow anyone to buy a spot on their search results page. What is worse is that publishers of this annoying application do not review any of their so-called partners. Therefore, it is likely that some search results might contain redirect links to potentially malicious websites setup by cybercriminals. Websites setup by malware distributors might contain potentially harmful applications within, or could be implemented with an arbitrary code execution exploit meaning that just by landing on such a website your system is likely to get infected by some unknown internet-based infection.

Just like any other browser hijacker SearchFort is mostly distributed via bundled software. In most cases, users acquire dubious installers that are filled with various applications from suspicious third-party download websites. Website like that tends to inform users poorly about the provided download. Thus, unsuspecting users often fall prey. First step that you can take to prevent infecting your system in this manner is to avoid any suspicious download websites. It is firmly advised to acquire programs only from official websites. Furthermore, it is advised to install a professional malware detection and removal tool as it can detect potentially malicious websites and dubious installers. If by any chance you would download a potentially harmful installer an antimalware tool would warn you before letting the installation process to take place and would likely remove it instantly.

Removal of SearchFort is not that tricky as you can uninstall it via Control Panel. Even though, removal like that will restore your browsers default settings it is very likely that some traces of the infection might still remain. Traces of various infections could pile up and make your system run significantly slower, not to mention that some infections are capable of restoring themselves if only a few files are present on the PC. The complete list of registry entries, files and folder that are associated with SearchFort is provided below. After manual removal, it is advised to check your system for those files to make sure that your PC is clean and secure.

How to remove SearchFort from your PC

Remove from Windows 7 and Windows Vista

1. Click the Windows button and then select Control Panel.
2. Now select Uninstall a program.
3. Then select SearchFort and click Uninstall.

Remove from Windows 8

1. Move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. In the Charm bar select Settings.
3. Now click Control Panel.
4. Select Uninstall a program.
5. Locate and uninstall SearchFort.

Remove from Windows XP

1. Tap the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Now select Add or Remove Programs.
4. Then select and remove SearchFort from your operating system.