If unwanted webpage called Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com keeps showing up as your startpage or search engine then it means that hijackware (also known as browser hijacker) was installed on your machine. It is able to hijack your internet browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Edge to its site. Please read this post below for more troubleshooting info. Here’s the complete steps that would help get rid of Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com from your web browser.
Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com
You’ll notice that the internet browser homepage, default search provider and newtab page have modified without your permission to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com. Whenever you search for anything in Google (Bing or Yahoo) you will get redirected to other search engines that are 100% commercial.
Another reason why you need to remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com is its online data-tracking activity. It can gather personal data, including:
- IP addresses;
- URLs visited;
- search queries/terms;
- clicks on links and ads;
- internet browser version information.
The instructions below explaining steps to delete Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com problem. Feel free to use it for removal of the hijacker infection that may attack Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, MS Edge and Internet Explorer and other popular browsers. The guidance will help you revert back your settings of all your typical browsers that previously replaced by hijacker infection.
How to remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
As with removing adware software, malicious software or potentially unwanted programs, there are few steps you may do. We suggest trying them all. If you do only one part of the guidance, then it should be use malicious software removal tool, because it should remove hijacker and block any further infection. But to completely remove the Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com you’ll have to at least reset your internet browser settings such as default search provider, home page and new tab to default state, disinfect web-browsers shortcuts, delete all unwanted and suspicious apps, and delete browser hijacker with malicious software removal tools. Read it once, after doing so, please print this page as you may need to shut down your web-browser or reboot your system.
To remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com, follow the steps below:
- Manual Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com removal
- How to automatically remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com
- How to stop Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com redirect
- How to browser hijacker get installed onto machine
- Finish words
Manual Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com removal
Most common hijacker infections may be removed without any antivirus programs. The manual browser hijacker removal is step-by-step tutorial that will teach you how to get rid of Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com search. If you do not want to get rid of Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com in the manually due to the fact that you are not skilled at computer, then you can use free removal tools listed below.
Delete potentially unwanted apps using MS Windows Control Panel
First method for manual hijacker removal is to go into the MS Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of applications on your computer and see if there are any suspicious and unknown apps. If you see any, you need to remove them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Internet search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted program, adware software or malware, you will likely find information that says so.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Click the Microsoft Windows logo, and then click Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.
Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed on the image below.
Windows 7, Vista, XP
Open Start menu and choose the ‘Control Panel’ at right as shown in the following example.
Then go to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista) as displayed on the screen below.
Carefully browse through the list of installed apps and remove all suspicious and unknown software. We recommend to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed software by date. After you have found anything questionable that may be the browser hijacker which redirects your internet browser to intrusive Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com web-site or other PUP (potentially unwanted program), then choose this application and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the questionable program blocked from removal, then run Revo Uninstaller Freeware to completely remove it from your PC.
Remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com startpage from Mozilla Firefox
If the Mozilla Firefox settings such as new tab page, search engine and home page have been modified by the browser hijacker infection, then resetting it to the default state can help. When using the reset feature, your personal information like passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
First, launch the Firefox and click 
button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button (
) like below.
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 open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the screen below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will display the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com browser hijacker infection. Once, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com from Chrome
If you have hijacker problem or the Google Chrome is running slow, then reset Google Chrome settings can help you. In the steps below we will show you a solution to reset your Chrome settings to original state without reinstall. This will also help to remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com from new tab, start page and search engine by default.
- First, start the Chrome and press the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
- It will display the Google Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You’ll see the list of installed plugins. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- Next, press “Advanced” link, which located at the bottom of the Settings page.
- On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
- The Google Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
- Confirm the browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Get rid of Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com redirect from Microsoft Internet Explorer
In order to restore all web-browser search provider by default, home page and new tab page you need to reset the Microsoft Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Windows was installed on your system.
First, start the Microsoft Internet Explorer, click 
) button. Next, click “Internet Options” like below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, press Reset button. The IE will open the Reset Internet Explorer settings dialog box. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to restart your PC system for the changes to take effect. It will get rid of browser hijacker responsible for redirecting user searches to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com, disable malicious and ad-supported web browser’s extensions and restore the Microsoft Internet Explorer’s settings like homepage, default search engine and newtab to default state.
How to automatically remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com
After completing the manual removal tutorial above all unwanted software and browser’s extensions that causes internet browser redirects to the Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com site should be uninstalled. If the problem with Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com hijacker infection is still remained, then we recommend to check your machine for any remaining malicious components. Use recommended free hijacker removal apps below.
How to automatically remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com with Zemana
Zemana is an ultra light weight tool to remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com redirect from your web browser. It also deletes malware and adware from your computer. It improves your system’s performance by uninstalling PUPs.
Download Zemana Free on your PC system by clicking on the link below.
164112 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
After the download is finished, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana will try to update itself and when this procedure is complete, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the browser hijacker infection that cause a reroute to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com web-page.
This task can take some time, so please be patient. While the Zemana program is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as threat. Once you’ve selected what you want to remove from your personal computer click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti-Malware will remove browser hijacker responsible for redirecting your web browser to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com webpage.
Run HitmanPro to delete Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com from the computer
All-in-all, Hitman Pro is a fantastic utility to free your system from any unwanted programs like hijacker responsible for redirecting user searches to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com. The HitmanPro is portable program that meaning, you do not need to install it to use it. Hitman Pro is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Windows operating system from MS Windows XP to Windows 10. Both 64-bit and 32-bit systems are supported.
- Please go to the link below to download the latest version of HitmanPro for Microsoft Windows. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
- After the downloading process is complete, launch the HitmanPro, double-click the HitmanPro.exe file.
- If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
- In the Hitman Pro window, click the “Next” . HitmanPro utility will start scanning the whole machine to find out Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com browser hijacker and other internet browser’s harmful addons. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your system. When a malicious software, adware or potentially unwanted applications are found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.
- After the scan is done, Hitman Pro will show a list of all threats detected by the scan. In order to remove all items, simply click “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to delete all malicious software found.
How to automatically remove Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com with MalwareBytes AntiMalware
If you’re still having problems with the Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com — or just wish to scan your PC occasionally for hijacker infection and other malicious software — download MalwareBytes Anti Malware. It’s free for home use, and detects and deletes various unwanted software that attacks your machine or degrades computer performance. MalwareBytes Free can get rid of adware, PUPs as well as malicious software, including ransomware and trojans.
Download MalwareBytes on your personal computer from the following link.
326462 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After downloading is done, close all applications and windows on your PC. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup like below.
When the installation begins, you’ll see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Malwarebytes on your computer.
Once installation is done, you will see window as displayed on the screen below.
Now click the “Scan Now” button to locate hijacker responsible for changing your web-browser settings to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com. Depending on your PC, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted applications are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
When MalwareBytes has finished scanning your system, MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will create a list of undesired programs adware. Once you’ve selected what you wish to delete from your personal computer click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The Malwarebytes will now remove browser hijacker which cause a redirect to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com site. When the process is done, you may be prompted to restart your personal computer.
The following video explains instructions on how to remove browser hijacker infection, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware.
How to stop Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com redirect
It’s also critical to protect your internet browsers from harmful web sites and ads by using an ad blocker program like AdGuard. Security experts says that it will greatly reduce the risk of malicious software, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.
Visit the page linked below to download AdGuard. Save it to your Desktop.
26657 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown on the screen below.
Follow the prompts. Once the installation is complete, you will see a window as on the image below.
You can press “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com, as well as other harmful or misleading webpages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
How to browser hijacker get installed onto machine
It’s very important to pay attention to additional checkboxes during the installation of free programs to avoid installing of potentially unwanted programs, adware, hijackers or other undesired programs. Never install the optional software that the program wants to set up with it. Inattentive free programs download can result in installation of unwanted program like this hijacker responsible for redirecting your browser to Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com web-page.
Finish words
Once you have finished the step-by-step tutorial above, your computer should be free from browser hijacker infection which created to redirect your internet browser to the Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com webpage and other malicious software. The Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox will no longer open unwanted Search.hfastmapsanddirections.com web page on startup. Unfortunately, if the steps does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help here.
