How to remove Pristine Search [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

Do you got Pristine Search on your web browsers instead of your home page or search provider? If yes, then you should known that most probably a hijacker (sometimes called hijackware) is active on your computer causing the intrusive Pristine Search web-site to appear. You should delete this hijacker sooner. Here, in this post below, you can found the helpful steps on How to get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker from your PC for free.

If your system is affected with Pristine Search hijacker, every time you start your web-browser you will see an unwanted web-site. Of course you may setup your home page or search provider again, but next time you start a web-browser you will see that Pristine Search hijacker return. As mentioned above, the browser hijacker infection can modify the default search engine on this intrusive web-page too, so all your search queries will be re-directed to Pristine Search. Thus the authors of the browser hijacker can gather the search terms of your queries, and redirect you to intrusive web-sites.

It is not a good idea to have an unwanted application like Pristine Search browser hijacker on your system. The reason for this is simple, it doing things you don’t know about. The hijacker infection can collect a wide variety of personal data about you that can be later sold to third party companies. You don’t know if your home address, account names and passwords are safe. And of course you completely don’t know what will happen when you click on any ads on the Pristine Search site.

The Pristine Search browser hijacker commonly affects only the Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. However, possible situations, when any other web browsers will be affected too. The hijacker infection will perform a scan of the PC for web browser shortcuts and change them without your permission. When it infects the web browser shortcuts, it will add the argument such as ‘http://site.address’ into Target property. So, each time you open the web browser, you will see the Pristine Search unwanted web site.

In order to get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker infection and other malicious software and adware from your PC system, clean the infected browsers and return the Google Chrome, FF, Internet Explorer and MS Edge settings to its default state, please use the Pristine Search removal guide below.

How to remove Pristine Search from PC

In the instructions below we will have a look at the hijacker infection and how to get rid of Pristine Search from Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge internet browsers for MS Windows OS, natively or by using a few free removal tools. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to shut down your browser or reboot your PC system.

To remove Pristine Search, use the following steps:

1. Manual Pristine Search hijacker infection removal
   • Remove Pristine Search related applications through the Control Panel of your PC
   • Disinfect the web browser’s shortcuts to delete Pristine Search redirect
   • Get rid of Pristine Search hijacker infection from Chrome
   • Get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker infection from Firefox
   • Get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker from Internet Explorer
2. Scan your computer and remove Pristine Search with free utilities
   • How to automatically remove Pristine Search with Zemana
   • Remove Pristine Search browser hijacker with Malwarebytes
   • Double-check for potentially unwanted apps with AdwCleaner
3. Block Pristine Search redirect and other annoying web-sites
4. How does your PC system get infected with Pristine Search hijacker infection
5. Finish words

Manual Pristine Search hijacker infection removal

Steps to remove Pristine Search browser hijacker without any applications are presented below. Be sure to carry out the step-by-step guide completely to fully delete this undesired Pristine Search hijacker.

Remove Pristine Search related applications through the Control Panel of your PC

Some of potentially unwanted programs, adware and hijacker can be removed using the Add/Remove programs tool which can be found in the Windows Control Panel. So, if you are using any version of Microsoft Windows and you have noticed an unwanted program, then first try to remove it through Add/Remove programs.

Make sure you have closed all internet browsers and other applications. Press CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together to open the Windows Task Manager.

Click on the “Processes” tab, look for something questionable that is the Pristine Search browser hijacker and other kinds of potential threats such as malicious software and adware then right-click it and select “End Task” or “End Process” option. Most often, malware masks itself to avoid detection by imitating legitimate MS Windows processes. A process is particularly suspicious: it is taking up a lot of memory (despite the fact that you closed all of your programs), its name is not familiar to you (if you are in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for its name in Google, Yahoo or Bing).

Next, remove any unknown and suspicious applications from your Control panel.

Windows 10, 8.1, 8

Now, click the Windows button, type “Control panel” in search and press Enter. Select “Programs and Features”, then “Uninstall a program”.

Look around the entire list of programs installed on your personal computer. Most likely, one of them is the Pristine Search hijacker which redirects your web browser to annoying pages. Choose the questionable application or the application that name is not familiar to you and delete it.

Windows Vista, 7

From the “Start” menu in MS Windows, select “Control Panel”. Under the “Programs” icon, choose “Uninstall a program”.

Select the questionable or any unknown applications, then press “Uninstall/Change” button to remove this undesired program from your PC system.

Windows XP

Click the “Start” button, select “Control Panel” option. Click on “Add/Remove Programs”.

Select an undesired program, then click “Change/Remove” button. Follow the prompts.

Disinfect the web browser’s shortcuts to delete Pristine Search redirect

Unfortunately, the Pristine Search browser hijacker that cause an undesired web-site to appear, can also hijack Windows shortcut files (mostly, your web browsers shortcuts), so that an unwanted start page will be shown when you open the Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and IE or another internet browser.

To clear the internet browser shortcut, right-click to it and select Properties. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target field. Click inside, you will see a vertical line – arrow pointer, move it (using -> arrow key on your keyboard) to the right as possible. You will see a text like “http://site.address” which has been added here. You need to delete it.

When the text is removed, click the OK button. You need to clean all shortcuts of all your browsers, as they may be hijacked too.

Get rid of Pristine Search hijacker infection from Chrome

Like other modern browsers, the Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby restore the web browser newtab, start page and search provider by default that have been replaced by the Pristine Search hijacker.

1. First, run the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
2. It will display the Google Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then press Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed extensions. If the list has the add-on labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Chrome menu once again, press the “Settings” menu.
5. Next, click “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
6. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
7. The Google Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as on the image above.
8. Confirm the web browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
9. To learn more, read the post How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker infection from Firefox

Resetting your FF is good initial troubleshooting step for any issues with your web-browser program, including the reroute to Pristine Search web-page.

First, start the Firefox and click button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button () as displayed in the following example

.

In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as displayed in the figure below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, press the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will display the confirmation prompt. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will start a task to fix your problems that caused by the Pristine Search hijacker infection and other malware and adware. After, it’s done, press the “Finish” button.

Get rid of Pristine Search browser hijacker from Internet Explorer

In order to restore all web browser newtab page, start page and search engine by default you need to reset the IE to the state, that was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your PC system.

First, open the IE, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then press the “Internet Options” like below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button as displayed in the following example.

After the procedure is complete, click “Close” button. Close the IE and restart your personal computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s start page, newtab page and search provider by default to default state.

Scan your computer and remove Pristine Search with free utilities

The browser hijacker can hide its components which are difficult for you to find out and get rid of completely. This can lead to the fact that after some time, the browser hijacker once again infect your machine and alter certain settings of installed browsers to Pristine Search. Moreover, I want to note that it’s not always safe to remove browser hijacker manually, if you don’t have much experience in setting up and configuring the Microsoft Windows operating system. The best solution to find and remove browser hijackers is to use free malware removal software.

How to automatically remove Pristine Search with Zemana

We suggest you to run the Zemana which are completely clean your PC system. Moreover, the tool will allow you to remove potentially unwanted software, malware, toolbars and ad supported software that your PC system can be infected too.

Now you can set up and run Zemana AntiMalware to delete Pristine Search browser hijacker from your web browser by following the steps below:

Visit the following page to download Zemana Free installation package called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC. Save it to your Desktop.

Start the installer after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this tool on your PC.

During install you can change some settings, but we advise you do not make any changes to default settings.

When installation is complete, this malware removal utility will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as shown on the image below.

Now click the “Scan” button .Zemana Free program will scan through the whole computer for the Pristine Search browser hijacker infection that cause an annoying web-site to appear. During the scan Zemana Free will detect threats exist on your personal computer.

As the scanning ends, you’ll be shown the list of all found items on your computer. All found items will be marked. You can remove them all by simply click “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will get rid of Pristine Search hijacker infection related files, folders and registry keys and move threats to the program’s quarantine. When the cleaning process is complete, you can be prompted to restart your machine to make the change take effect.

Remove Pristine Search browser hijacker with Malwarebytes

Delete Pristine Search browser hijacker manually is difficult and often the browser hijacker infection is not completely removed. Therefore, we recommend you to run the Malwarebytes Free which are completely clean your PC. Moreover, the free program will allow you to get rid of malware, PUPs, toolbars and adware that your PC may be infected too.

1. Download MalwareBytes by clicking on the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326464 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will open the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. When downloading is done, please close all applications and open windows on your computer. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
4. This will open the “Setup wizard” of MalwareBytes onto your machine. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the MalwareBytes Anti Malware will start and display the main window.
6. Further, press the “Scan Now” button for checking your computer for the Pristine Search browser hijacker infection that modifies web browser settings to replace your home page, new tab and default search engine. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour.
7. After MalwareBytes Free completes the scan, MalwareBytes will open a screen that contains a list of malware that has been detected.
8. Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and click the “Quarantine Selected” button. After finished, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.
9. Close the Anti Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Double-check for potentially unwanted apps with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free removal tool that can check your personal computer for a wide range of security threats such as adware, malicious software, PUPs as well as Pristine Search hijacker which alters your homepage and search engine. It will perform a deep scan of your personal computer including hard drives and Windows registry. After a malicious software is detected, it will help you to remove all detected threats from your computer with a simple click.

Visit the following page to download the latest version of AdwCleaner for Windows. Save it to your Desktop.

Once the downloading process is finished, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the AdwCleaner desktop icon. When the tool is started, you will see a screen as on the image below.

Further, click “Scan” button for checking your computer for the Pristine Search hijacker infection related files, folders and registry keys. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your computer and the speed of your computer. When that process is done, AdwCleaner will open a screen that contains a list of malware that has been detected as displayed on the image below.

Next, you need to click “Clean” button. It will display a prompt as on the image below.

You need to click “OK”. Once finished, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your personal computer. When your PC is started, you will see an AdwCleaner log.

These steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.

Block Pristine Search redirect and other annoying web-sites

Enabling an ad-blocking application like AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, ad blocker apps will also protect you from harmful advertisements and web-sites, and, of course, block redirection chain to Pristine Search and similar web-sites.

1. Download AdGuard application by clicking on the following link. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
   

   Adguard download
   26659 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. After downloading is complete, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. Once the installation is complete, click “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your PC system, AdGuard will start automatically and block popup advertisements, web sites such Pristine Search, as well as other malicious or misleading web-pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon named AdGuard, that can be found on your desktop.

How does your PC system get infected with Pristine Search hijacker infection

Many hijackers such as Pristine Search are included in the free programs installation package. In most cases, a user have a chance to disable all included “offers”, but some installers are made to confuse the average users, in order to trick them into installing an adware or potentially unwanted applications. Anyway, easier to prevent the hijacker rather than clean up your computer after one. So, keep the browser updated (turn on automatic updates), run a good antivirus apps, double check a free applications before you open it (do a google search, scan a downloaded file with VirusTotal), avoid harmful and unknown web pages.

Finish words

Now your machine should be clean of the Pristine Search browser hijacker and other security threats. Uninstall AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted popup ads and undesired malicious pages) and Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) (to periodically scan your PC system for new malware, browser hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new hijackers, harmful software and ad supported software are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove Pristine Search browser hijacker from your web-browser, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.