Viceice.com hijack. How to delete? (Removal tutorial)
Everything you have to know about Viceice.com virus
Viceice.com virus is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that is categorised as a browser hijacker. The virus is not harmful itself; however, it still can cause unpleasant modifications to your web browsers. Once it finds a way to your computer, it takes full control of the browsers. Soon you will realise that something has changed. When you launch your browser, you won’t see your old homepage and default search engine. When you try using a corrupted browser, you will be attacked by hundreds of pop-ups and unexpected redirects to questionable websites. However, it’s not the only way how Viceice.com will deliver you a sponsored content. Lots of sponsored sites are included in the search results. Irrelevant search results are not the biggest problem. The problem is that sponsored third-party content might be harmful and cause further computer infections. It’s better to remove Viceice.com virus as soon as you recognise it than dealing with serious issues in the future. For virus removal and further computer’s protection, we recommend using Reimage.
The virus delivers lots advertisements that will slow down computer’s performance and might make you go insane. Lots of pop-ups, banners, and in-text ads offer you to purchase various products or services, suggest updating or downloading software, and might find other different ways to trick you into clicking the ad. But you have to be careful and avoid these ads. They might include malicious content and redirect you to websites that are created for spreading malware. Viceice.com browser hijacker has another suspicious feature. It can monitor users’ online activity. Indeed, it seems like not a big deal that someone gathers information about your visited websites, search queries, and other non-private information related to your browsing habits. But the creators of the Viceice.com virus are willing to know your e-mail address. Once they got it, you might receive lots of unwanted newsletters and your spam folder will be filled with infected emails. Probably, you have heard that serious cyber threats are spread via malicious email campaigns. Moreover, you can never know what other information the authors of the virus can gather. What if they can see your credit card’s number? It might lead to money loss. Keep your identity and money safe, and initiate Viceice.com removal immediately.
How does the virus spread?
The most common way for PUPs to spread and infiltrate computers’ systems is bundling. That means the program is spread as ‘optional install’ with various software. Many computer users claim that Viceice.com hijack has occurred when they installed the latest version of Sims 4. So, if you are planning to install this game, be careful and choose ‘Advanced’ or ‘Custom’ installation method. Actually, you have to choose this installation mode every time you download and install programs from the Internet. This method allows seeing a full list of ‘optional installs’ and stopping their installation. Therefore, if you pay proper attention to freeware downloads and monitor installation process, you will avoid inconveniences such as Viceice.com redirect issues, an excessive amount of ads delivered while you’re browsing, browser’s modifications, etc.
How to get rid of Viceice.com virus?
The best way to get rid of the virus is automatic removal. This method requires using a reputable anti-malware program. All you have to do is to run a full system scan and wait while the program finishes Viceice.com removal. However, this method is not acceptable for all computer users. Usually, advanced computer users are willing to remove Viceice.com manually. For this reason, our IT specialists have prepared detailed instructions how to eliminate the virus without additional software.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Viceice.com hijack, follow these steps:
Uninstall Viceice.com in Windows systems
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Go to Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, open Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, click on Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen to open Quick Access Menu. Then click Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
- Remove Viceice.com and programs related to it
Now, take a look at the list of programs and find Viceice.com or other programs that you do not remember installing. -
Right-click on these programs and select "Uninstall." Then click OK to save changes.
- Delete Viceice.com from Windows shortcuts
Right-click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and click Properties.
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Now, go to Shortcut tab and find Target field. Then delete the URL that is associated with your virus.
Follow the same steps as explained above with all other shortcuts of Internet browsers, including Google Chrome and Internet Explorer. Please check Start Menu, Desktop, and taskbar to find all shortcuts.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariUninstall Viceice.com in Mac OS X system
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Users who use OS X should click on Go button, which can be found at the top left corner of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Viceice.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete Viceice.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Delete suspicious browser add-ons
Launch Internet Explorer, and then open IE by clicking on the Gear icon, which is located at the top right corner of the Internet browser. Then, click Manage Add-ons.
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Manage Add-ons window will appear on your screen. Now, search for Viceice.com and other questionable browser add-ons. Right-click them on each of them and select Disable.
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If virus altered your homepage, change it:
Click the Gear icon at the top right corner of the Internet browser and then click Internet Options. Stay in General section. -
Now, delete malicious URL and enter
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Reset all Internet Explorer settings
Click on Gear icon and then opt for Internet options. Then go to Advanced section. - Click Reset.
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A new window appears, and then you have to tick Delete personal settings and click Reset to finalise Viceice.com removal.
Undo Viceice.com hijack from Microsoft Edge browser
Reset settings in Microsoft Edge (Technique No.1):
- Open Microsoft Edge browser, then click on More button, which is situated at the top right edge of the screen
- Select Settings from the drop down menu.
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When the Settings panel appears, find Clear browsing data section and hit Choose what to clear button.
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Then mark all components that you wish to delete and after that hit Clear.
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Right-click the Start button (that has Windows logo on it) and choose Task Manager.
- Go to Processes tab and look for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and select Go to details. If there is no Go to details option, select More details and carry out previous instructions.
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Once Details tab appears, look for entries that contain Microsoft Edge name. Right-click on such individual entries and choose End Task option to terminate them.
Reset Microsoft Edge (Technique No.2):
In case the Technique No.1 did not help you to fix the problem, use advanced Edge reset option.
- Important: you must backup your files before you use these tips
- Locate this folder on your PC:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select all items in this folder and right-click with your mouse. Select Delete.
- Click on the Start button (that has Windows Logo on it) and in Search my stuff field, type in window power.
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With the right button of your mouse, click on every entry and select Run as administrator.
- Once you get Admin's rights, Windows PowerShell window should show up shortly. Paste this line:
after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and hit Enter.Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
After completing these steps, Microsoft Edge should be Viceice.com-free.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariDelete Viceice.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Delete suspicious browser extensions
Launch Mozilla Firefox, and then open menu (click a button at the top right corner). Then, go to Add-ons → Extensions.
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Now, locate Viceice.com and other suspicious extensions. Click Remove to eliminate them.
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If virus altered your homepage, change it:
Open Firefox menu (click the button at the top right corner), and go to Options → General. - Delete malicious URL and then enter the address of the website that you want to set as your homepage.
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Click OK to save the changes.
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Reset all Mozilla Firefox settings
Click on the Firefox at the top left corner and then click the question mark. Then, select Troubleshooting Information.
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Reset Firefox to its default state message should appear then. You will see Reset Firefox button. Click this button a few times and finalise Viceice.com removal.
Delete Viceice.com from Google Chrome
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Remove malicious extensions
Launch Google Chrome, and then open menu (click a button at the top right corner). Then, go to Tools → Extensions.
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Now, look for Viceice.com and other suspicious extensions and then click the trash icon to remove them.
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If virus altered your homepage, change it:
Open menu and select Settings. -
Find Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup section and click Set pages.
- An additional window should pop-up. Here, remove dubious URLs and add a new page that you wish to set as a homepage.
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Open Chrome menu and go to Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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In Search Engines..., configure default search engine settings. Remove untrustworthy ones. We advise you to leave only Google or another reputable website of your choice.
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Reset all Google Chrome settings
Open menu by clicking the button at the top right corner of Google Chrome, and go to Settings. -
Scroll down to find Reset browser settings button. Click on it.
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Click Reset to approve this action and finish Viceice.com removal.
Delete Viceice.com from Safari
- Delete suspicious browser extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Viceice.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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If virus altered your homepage, change it:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Viceice.com, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset all Safari settings
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Viceice.com removal process.
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