Do you know what i.search.metacrawler.com is?
It may seem that i.search.metacrawler.com is a decent web search engine, but the sad truth is that this website is nothing but a browser hijacker that modifies your browser settings and then assaults you with commercial pup-up advertisements. The reason why users think i.search.metacrawler.com is a genuine search is its layout and design which resembles other popular search engines, such as Google or Bing. However, there is nothing real about it, and you must remove i.search.metacrawler.com from your computer, before it evolves into a more serious infection that might seriously jeopardize your system’s security.
The toolbar that is at the top of the website surely only adds up to the overall impression that i.search.metacrawler.com is a legal search engine, but if you were to click the Applications button you see what programs i.search.metacrawler.com is related with. When the Applications button is clicked, you are offered to install Safemoods and Greetingmoods on your computer. These are potentially unwanted applications from Funmoods group.
i.search.metacrawler.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
This allows us to presuppose that i.search.metacrawler.com is also related with Funmoods. Funmoods is a potentially unwanted program that provides users with various emoticons, and even has its own toolbar, but it sometimes also considered a browser hijacker, because it changes user’s home page, and then resists being removed.
If you were to search for information on Metacrawler on the Internet, you would find a lot of articles which say that it is a meta-search engine which is absolutely legal. However, one cannot rule out the possibility that a simple search engine could be exploited by malicious third parties to distribute their content. After all, i.search.metacrawler.com comes with a lot of commercial advertisements that are displayed on its homepage. They are so flashy it is basically impossible to skip them, and if users click these ads, they are usually redirected to affiliated website where they are asked to fill out various surveys in order to win “really good” prizes.
However, such application behavior only means that i.search.metacrawler.com is a potential threat to your system’s security. That is so because i.search.metacrawler.com does not review the third party content displayed in its advertisements and those pop-ups might get embedded with dangerous links to corrupted websites. If anything like that happens, it is only a matter of time before you get infected with malware.
Therefore, follow the instructions below to restore your browser settings and then run a full system scan with SpyHunter free scanner. Do not hesitate to invest in a licensed antimalware tool to remove all the potential malware threats from your system. Only this way will you be able to ensure that your system is protected from any possible intrusion.
How to remove i.search.metacrawler.com from browser
Internet Explorer
- Press Alt+X and click Internet options.
- Click Use default button under General tab and click OK.
- Press Alt+X again and click Manage add-ons.
- Select Search providers on the left.
- Set a new default search engine and remove unwanted search provider.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Firefox button and click Options.
- Click Restore to default under General tab and press OK.
- Click search engine icon on the left of Firefox search box.
- Select Manage search engines from drop-down menu.
- Remove i.search.metacrawler.com from the list and click OK.
Google Chrome
- Press Alt+F and click Settings.
- Mark Open a specific page or set of pages and click Set pages.
- Delete i.search.metacrawler.com, enter a new home page address and click OK.
- Select Manage search engines under Search.
- Set a new default search engine, remove i.search.metacrawler.com and press Done.
Do leave a question below if you need any assistance with removing i.search.metacrawler.com.
In non-techie terms:
i.search.metacrawler.com is a browser hijacker that usually comes with freeware applications and changes your browser settings. You need to remove i.search.metacrawler.com immediately in order to protect your PC from more serious threats.
Aliases: