Remove SearchSettings.exe by Spigot (Virus Removal Guide)

SearchSettings.exe or SearchSettings.exe*32 is a potentially unwanted program that is designed to protect its bundled programs and make sure they remain installed or unchanged by other third party programs.
The SearchSettings.exe program is a part of the “Widgi Toolbar” program, and is developed by Spigot, a company known for their malicious programs.

There are 6 versions of SearchSettings.exe in the wild, the latest version being 3.26.5.0. It is started as a Windows Service with the name ‘SProtection’. The average file size is about 2.58 MB. The file is a digitally signed and issued to Iminent by GlobalSign. During the process’s lifecycle, the typical CPU resource utilization is about 0.0001% including both foreground and background operations, the average private memory consumption is about 3.55 MB with the maximum memory reaching around 6.96 MB. Additionally, typically read and write I/O disk operations is about 0 Bytes per minute for reads and 0 Bytes per minute for writes.
If you have SearchSettings.exe program on your system, you will typically see two “SearchSettings.exe” processes running in the Windows Task Manager.

SearchSettings.exe is typically added when you install another free software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation this program. Very often users have no idea where did it come from, so it’s not surprising at all that most of them assume that SearchSettings.exe is a virus.
This program is also bundled within the custom installer on many reputable download sites, so if you have downloaded a software from these websites, chances are that SearchSettings.exe was installed during the software setup process.
SearchSettings.exe it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such as rootkit capabilities to hook deep into the operating system, browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.

Once installed, SearchSettings.exe will change the default search engine and home pages in all major web browsers, and if you try to revert to their default settings, this program will not allow you to perform these changes.

SearchSettings.exe is bundled within the installer of many toolbars, adware and other potentially unwanted programs, with the sole purpose of making the removal process of this programs more difficult.
Some examples of infections that will install the SearchSettings.exe program are: Widgi Toolbar, Widgi Toolbar Platform, PDF Forge Toolbar, Dealio Toolbar and many more programs.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this SearchSettings.exe hijacker. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove SearchSettings.exe (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove SearchSettings.exe pop-ups from your computer, and any other adware program that may have been installed during the setup process.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Uninstall SearchSettings.exe programs from your computer
STEP 2: Remove SearchSettings.exe adware with AdwCleaner
STEP 3: Remove SearchSettings.exe browser hijackers with Junkware Removal Tool
STEP 4: Remove SearchSettings.exe virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 5: Double-check for the SearchSettings.exe infection with HitmanPro

STEP 1 : Uninstall SearchSettings.exe program from your computer

SearchSettings.exe was installed with adware or browser hijacker program that you have recently installed on your computer. In our case SearchSettings.exe infection was installed with the Iminent toolbar.
In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. To uninstall the SearchSettings.exe program from your computer, click the Start button, then select Control Panel, and click on Uninstall a program.
   If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for “control panel“. Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control Panel from there, then select Uninstall a program.
   
2. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall Search Settings, Widgi Toolbar Platform, PDF Forge Toolbar, Dealio Toolbar and any other recently installed or unknown programs from your computer.
   

If you are having issues while trying to uninstall the SearchSettings.exe malicious programs, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completly remove the unwated programs from your machine.

Depending on what program has installed the SearchSettings.exe infection, the above program may have a different name or not be installed on your computer. If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

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STEP 2: Remove SearchSettings.exe adware from your computer with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer for SearchSettings.exe adware, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

1. You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download AdwCleaner on your computer)
2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the Scan button as shown below.
   
   AdwCleaner will now start to search for SearchSettings.exe malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
4. To remove the SearchSettings.exe malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the Clean button.
   
   AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.

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STEP 3: Remove SearchSettings.exe browser hijackers with Junkware Removal Tool

Junkware Removal Tool is a powerful utility, which will remove SearchSettings.exe browser hijacker from Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome.

1. You can download the Junkware Removal Tool utility from the below link:
   JUNKWARE REMOVAL TOOL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download the Junkware Removal Tool utility on your computer)
2. Once Junkware Removal Tool has finished downloading, please double-click on the JRT.exe icon as seen below.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Junkware Removal Tool, please allow it to run.
3. Junkware Removal Tool will now start, and at the Command Prompt, you’ll need to press any key to perform a scan for the SearchSettings.exe virus.
   
   Please be patient as this can take a while to complete (up to 10 minutes) depending on your system’s specifications.
4. When the scan Junkware Removal Tool will be completed, this utility will display a log with the malicious files and registry keys that were removed from your computer.
   

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STEP 4: Remove SearchSettings.exe virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free utilizes Malwarebytes powerful technology to detect and remove all traces of malware including worms, trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware and more.

1. You can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free from the below link, then double-click on the icon named mbam-setup.exe to install this program.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the setup process, then at the last screen click on the Finish button.
   
3. On the Scanner tab, select Perform quick scan, and then click on the Scan button to start searching for the SearchSettings.exe malicious files.
   
4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for SearchSettings.exe as shown below.
   
5. When the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scan has finished, click on the Show Results button.
   
6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the computer infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked), then click on the Remove Selected button.
   

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STEP 5: Double-check for the SearchSettings.exe infection with HitmanPro

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. Double-click on the file named HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the Next button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for SearchSettings.exe malicious files.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the Next button, to remove SearchSettings.exe adware.
   
5. Click on the Activate free license button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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Your computer should now be free of the SearchSettings.exe infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with HitmanPro.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove SearchSettings.exe virus from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance