What is Streaming Madness?
The security specialists have determined that Streaming Madness is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) from the family of Browser hijackers. A browser hijacker is a form of software that is designed to take over the browser and control user’s surfing preferences. It commonly aims at Google Chrome web browser, but it’s possible that it can hijack other browser too. The browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs can sneak into the PC unnoticed due to the fact that it’s actively being promoted in freeware. We suggest that you uninstall Streaming Madness as soon as you notice the changes it has made to your new tab, search provider by default and homepage.
Most often, hijackers promote fake search engines by setting their address as the default search provider. In this case, the Streaming Madness hijacker installs info-search.page as a search provider. This means that users whose web-browser is infected with the browser hijacker are forced to visit info-search.page each time they search in the Web, open a new window or tab. And since info-search.page is not a real search provider and does not have the ability to find the information users need, this web site redirects the user’s web browser to the Yahoo search engine.
The IT security specialists do not recommend having PUPs like Streaming Madness on the personal computer, as it is not known exactly what it does. In addition to the above, it is able to collect user data about you that can be later transferred to third parties. You don’t know if your home address, account names and passwords are safe. And of course you completely do not know what will happen when you click on any ads on the Streaming Madness web page.
To find out how to remove Streaming Madness, we recommend to read the step-by-step guide added to this blog post below. The tutorial was prepared by cyber security professionals who discovered a method to remove the browser hijacker out of the computer.
How can a browser hijacker get on your computer
Potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers usually are bundled within free applications that downloaded from the Net. Which means that you need to be proactive and carefully read the Terms of use and the License agreement properly. For the most part, a browser hijacker will be clearly described, so take the time to carefully read all the information about the software that you downloaded and want to install on your computer. In the Setup wizard, you should select the Advanced, Custom or Manual setup method to control what components and bundled programs to be installed, otherwise you run the risk of infecting your personal computer with an unwanted program such as the Streaming Madness browser hijacker.
Threat Summary
Name | Streaming Madness |
Type | redirect virus, search engine hijacker, PUP, start page hijacker, browser hijacker |
Associated domains | info-search.page |
Affected Browser Settings | start page, search engine, new tab page URL |
Distribution | misleading popup advertisements, fake update tools, free applications setup files |
Symptoms | Advertising banners appear in places they shouldn’t be. Your web-browser is redirected to webpages you did not want. Unwanted application installed without your consent. Unwanted internet browser toolbar(s) Your personal computer settings are being altered without your request. |
Removal | Streaming Madness removal guide |
How to remove Streaming Madness from Google Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
In the step-by-step tutorial below, we will try to cover the Firefox, IE, Chrome and Edge and provide general help to remove Streaming Madness hijacker. You may find some minor differences in your Windows install. No matter, you should be okay if you follow the steps outlined below: delete all suspicious and unknown programs, reset web browsers settings, fix web-browsers shortcuts, run free malware removal tools. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to close your browser or restart your computer.
To remove Streaming Madness, execute the following steps:
- How to manually delete Streaming Madness
- Automatic Removal of Streaming Madness
- How to stop Streaming Madness redirects
- Finish words
How to manually delete Streaming Madness
The useful removal guide for Streaming Madness. The detailed procedure can be followed by anyone as it really does take you step-by-step. If you follow this process to get rid of browser hijacker let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.
Uninstall Streaming Madness related apps through the Control Panel of your PC
The process of hijacker removal is generally the same across all versions of Microsoft Windows OS from 10 to XP. To start with, it is necessary to check the list of installed applications on your computer and remove all unused, unknown and questionable programs.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, press Windows button , then press Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown in the following example.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed in the following example.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as displayed on the image below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the Streaming Madness browser hijacker. If you’ve many software installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful programs by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as displayed in the figure below.
After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown in the figure below.
You will see a list of software installed on your computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the apps that were installed last. Most likely, it’s the Streaming Madness hijacker. If you’re in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. After the program which you need to delete is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as displayed in the following example.
Get rid of Streaming Madness from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
If the Firefox browser search provider by default, new tab and startpage are changed by Streaming Madness and you want to restore the settings back to their default state, then you should follow the tutorial below. Essential information such as bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, cookies, auto-fill data and personal dictionaries will not be removed.
First, open the Mozilla Firefox and click button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the internet browser. Further, click the Help button () as shown on the screen 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 display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the Streaming Madness browser hijacker. When, it’s complete, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Streaming Madness hijacker from IE
By resetting Internet Explorer internet browser you revert back your web browser settings to its default state. This is first when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by hijacker such as Streaming Madness.
First, run the Internet Explorer. Next, press the button in the form of gear (). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as shown in the following example.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as on the image below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.
You will now need to reboot your PC system for the changes to take effect.
Remove Streaming Madness from Google Chrome
In order to be sure that there is nothing left behind, we suggest you to reset Google Chrome browser. It’ll return Chrome settings including new tab page, home page and default search provider to defaults.
Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will display the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through 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 steps: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, such as the one below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, press the “Reset” button.
Automatic Removal of Streaming Madness
It’s not enough to delete Streaming Madness from your web-browser by completing the manual steps above to solve all problems. Some Streaming Madness related files may remain on your device and they will restore the browser hijacker even after you delete it. For that reason we suggest to run free anti malware tool like Zemana, MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) and HitmanPro. Either of those programs should can look for and remove Streaming Madness browser hijacker.
How to get rid of Streaming Madness with Zemana
Zemana Free is a free program for Microsoft Windows operating system to search for and get rid of PUPs, adware, malicious web-browser extensions, browser toolbars, and other unwanted apps such as Streaming Madness hijacker.
Click the following link to download Zemana Anti-Malware. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.
164112 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When the downloading process is done, start it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will try to update itself and when this task is finished, press the “Scan” button . Zemana tool will start scanning the whole PC to find out Streaming Madness browser hijacker.
This task can take some time, so please be patient. When a malicious software, adware software or potentially unwanted applications are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. You may remove items (move to Quarantine) by simply click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti-Malware will remove Streaming Madness hijacker.
Delete Streaming Madness browser hijacker from web-browsers with Hitman Pro
Hitman Pro is a free utility that can search for Streaming Madness browser hijacker. It is not always easy to locate all the unwanted software that your device might have picked up on the Net. HitmanPro will search for the adware, hijackers and other malware you need to uninstall.
First, visit the page linked below, then press the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of Hitman Pro.
Download and use Hitman Pro on your computer. Once started, click “Next” button . Hitman Pro program will scan through the whole device for the Streaming Madness hijacker. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan Hitman Pro will scan for threats exist on your device..
Once the system scan is complete, Hitman Pro will show a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been found.
Once you have selected what you want to remove from your computer click Next button.
It will show a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malware found.
Run MalwareBytes Free to delete Streaming Madness browser hijacker
You can get rid of Streaming Madness hijacker automatically through the use of MalwareBytes Free. We recommend this free malware removal tool because it can easily remove hijacker, adware, potentially unwanted software and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.
- Please go to the following link to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Free for MS Windows. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326462 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- After the downloading process is done, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named MBsetup.
- Select “Personal computer” option and click Install button. Follow the prompts.
- Once setup is done, press the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) tool will start scanning the whole device to find out Streaming Madness browser hijacker. This task may take some time, so please be patient. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted programs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.
- When finished, a list of all threats found is produced. Next, you need to click “Quarantine”. After the task is complete, you can be prompted to reboot your personal computer.
The following video offers a few simple steps on how to remove hijackers, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes.
How to stop Streaming Madness redirects
If you want to remove undesired ads, browser redirections and pop-ups, then install an ad-blocking program like AdGuard. It can stop Streaming Madness redirects, ads, pop-ups and block websites from tracking your online activities when using the Edge, Firefox, IE and Google Chrome. So, if you like surf the Web, but you don’t like unwanted ads and want to protect your computer from harmful websites, then the AdGuard is your best choice.
Download AdGuard by clicking on the link below.
26658 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
When the download is complete, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as displayed in the following example.
Follow the prompts. Once the install is complete, you will see a window as on the image below.
You can click “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you run your device, AdGuard will run automatically and stop undesired ads, block Streaming Madness redirects, as well as other malicious or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which can be found on your desktop.
Finish words
Once you’ve complete the step-by-step guidance above, your PC should be clean from theStreaming Madness hijacker and other unwanted software. The Mozilla Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer and Chrome will no longer display the info-search.page website on startup. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step guide does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help here.