Remove “Settings Manager” by Aztec Media Inc (Virus Removal Guide)

Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc is a potentially unwanted program that is designed to protect its own search engine (default-search.net) and make sure this program remains installed and unchanged by other third party programs.

The Settings Manager program is a part of the “Search Protect” program, and is developed by Aztec Media Inc, a company known for their malicious programs.
Settings Manager 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 Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc 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 Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc was installed during the software setup process.
Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.

Settings Manager (by Aztec Media Inc) is a web browser extension that will integrate itself into Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. The extension/toolbar will modify the browser’s search and home pages as well as various other features such as 404 erros and DNS redirections, etc as well as may change some browser settings that might cause lessen its security levels. This is a potentially unwanted program and may interfere with the functions of some of the browser’s normal features and web search behaviors. In many cases in addition to modify the search provider and default home pages, the toolbar will push additional advertisements to the browser.

When installed, the Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc program will change the default search engine and home page to default-search.net in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome, and if you try to revert to their default settings, this program will not allow you to perform these changes.
The message of the Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc pop-up is:

New Add-on or Extension Notification

Settings Manager has blocked an attempt to add a new add-on to Internet Explorer.

Click here to change your settings

Distributed by Aztec Media Inc.

Settings Manager is bundled within the installer of many free programs, with the sole purpose of install Yahoo Search on your computer and making the removal process of this program more difficult.

How to remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc redirect (Removal Guide)

• To remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc browser hijacker, follow these steps:
• STEP 1: Uninstall Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc from Windows
• STEP 2: Use Zemana AntiMalware Portable to remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc browser hijacker
• STEP 3: Scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc malware
• STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with HitmanPro
• (OPTIONAL) STEP 5: Reset your browser to the default settings

STEP 1 : Uninstall Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc from Windows

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. Go to the uninstall menu.
   

   Windows 10 or Windows 8

   1. To uninstall a program on Windows 10 or Windows 8, right-click on the Windows Start button and choose “Control Panel” from the pop-up menu.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      

   Windows 7 or Windows Vista

   1. If you are using Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category.
      
2. When the “Programs and Features” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall “Settings Manager”” by Aztec Media Inc.
   To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your program by the installation date. Scroll through the list, and uninstall any unwanted programs.
   The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. If you cannot find any unwanted programs on your computer, then you can proceed with the next step.
   If you are having issues while trying to uninstall the Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

   

STEP 2: Use Zemana AntiMalware Portable to remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc browser hijacker

Zemana AntiMalware Portable is a free malware scanner which can detect malicious programs that your antivirus has failed to find.

1. You can download Zemana AntiMalware Portable from the below link:
   ZEMANA ANTIMALWARE PORTABLE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will start the download of “Zemana AntiMalware PORTABLE”)
2. Double-click on the file named “Zemana.AntiMalware.Portable” to perform a system scan with Zemana AntiMalware.
   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Zemana to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   
3. When Zemana AntiMalware will start, click on the “Scan” button to perform a system scan.
   
4. Zemana AntiMalware will now scan your computer for malicious programs. This process can take up to 10 minutes.
   
5. When Zemana has finished finished scanning it will show a screen that displays any malware that has been detected. To remove all the malicious files, click on the “Next” button.
   
   Zemana AntiMalware will now start to remove all the malicious programs from your computer.

STEP 3: Scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a powerful on-demand scanner which will remove the Settings Manager by Aztec Media Inc redirect from your machine. It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link open a new page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware”)
2. When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the “mb3-setup-consumer” file to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your computer.
   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   
3. When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for malicious programs.
   This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   
6. When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected.
   To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.
   
7. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found.
   To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 4: Double-check for malicious programs with HitmanPro

HitmanPro finds and removes malware, adware, bots, and other threats that even the best antivirus suite can oftentimes miss. It’s designed to run alongside your antivirus suite, firewall, and other security tools.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)
2. When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on the “hitmanpro” file to install this program on your computer.
   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   
3. When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Now click on the Next button to continue with the scan process.
   
4. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.
   
5. 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 malware.
   
6. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

(Optional) STEP 5: Reset your browser to the default settings