How to remove Craving Explorer browser plugin?

Written by Wilbur Woodham
The Craving Explorer search hijacker is an example of a common unwanted program; such applications are spread enormously nowadays. In this article you will see the complete guidance of “Craving Explorer” hijacker elimination in different ways: using anti-malware tools and also manual removal technique.
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Removing Craving Explorer manually may take hours and may damage your PC in the process. I recommend you to download GridinSoft Anti-Malware for threats removal. Allows to complete scan and cure your PC during the trial period.
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Craving Explorer – What is it?

“Craving Explorer” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)1, that is distributed as a plugin for your internet browser. It is typically advertised as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that helps to search some particular info, for example, about sport events, make your browser a lot more safe, enable downloading of any web video, and so on.

Nevertheless, the “Craving Explorer” plugin is pretty pointless because all such features are already built-in to your web browser and/or Windows. Such advertising and marketing slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, for example, pensioners or schoolchildren. However occasionally even qualified users are getting caught on such an attraction. In certain cases, this hijacker is spread together with free apps.

Craving Explorer hijacker - Start.me

Craving Explorer Search Hijacker

Here is a short details for the Craving Explorer hijacker
SiteStart.me
HostingAS14618 Amazon.com, Inc.
United States, Virginia Beach
Infection TypeBrowser Hijacker, Unwanted Application
IP Address3.229.173.44
HostingAS14618 Amazon.com, Inc.
Virginia Beach, United States
SymptomsChanged search engine; search queries redirection
Similar behaviorPdf, Spinyon, Pdf
Fix Tool
To remove possible virus infections, try to scan your PC

How harmful is Craving Explorer hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, Craving Explorer hijacker is also quite harmful for browser usage. It modifies your search engine to its particular – Start.me, and also changes your background, adding its watermark on your background image (or, in some cases, altering it to default with the mentioned symbol).

In addition to viewable alterations done by Craving Explorer hijacker, you might see that a couple of your search inquiries are redirecting to the unfamiliar web pages, filled with links and promotions – so-called doorway sites. Such sites can consist of web links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting increases if you attempt to open Google search page forcibly.

However all these actions are a lot more annoying than truly harmful. The main hazard, particularly for people who have a great deal of secret information in their browsers, is embedded in information collecting functionalities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited websites, as well as various other activities are simply collected by Craving Explorer hijacker.

How to remove Craving Explorer search hijacker?

  • Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
  • Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
  • “Move to quarantine” all items.
  • Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
  • Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
  • Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are often fairly very easy to remove. Usually, they have an independent app that can be located in the list of installed software. Because of the particular distribution manner of Craving Explorer hijacker, it can be quickly tracked and erased manually. Nevertheless, if you got Craving Explorer in the package with a free applications, your computer can be infected with much more dangerous malwaretrojans, spyware or even ransomware. That’s why I’d suggest you utilize anti-malware tools to deal with the Craving Explorer PUA and all various other malware.

You can utilize Microsoft Defender2 – it is capable of finding and removing various malware, including mentioned hijacker. But serious malware, that might be present on your personal computer in the specified instance, can disable the Windows antivirus program by editing the Group Policies. To avoid such scenarios, it is far better to make use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and delete all unwanted programs on your computer with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to use Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the viruses, because it scans only the most popular registry entries and directories.

Main screen in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

You can spectate the detected malicious programs sorted by their possible harm during the scan process. But to perform any actions against malicious programs, you need to hold on until the scan is finished, or to stop the scan.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware during the scan

To choose the action for each spotted virus or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected virus. By default, all the viruses will be moved to quarantine.

List of the detected malware after the scan

Reverting browser settings to original ones

To reset your browser settings, you need to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action cannot be intercepted by any virus, hence, you will surely see the result. This option can be located in the Tools tab.

Tools tab in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be displayed, where you can specify, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Reset Browser Settings options

Deleteing Craving Explorer hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

To reset Edge, do the following steps :
  1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
  2. Reseting the Edge browser

  3. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :
For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :
  1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
  2. The first step to revert Mozilla Firefox

  3. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :
  4. The second step of Firefox restoration
    After choosing this option, you will see the next message :
    The last step for Firefox

If you use Google Chrome
  1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
  2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
  3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
Opera can be reset in the next way
  1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
  2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

I need your help to share this guide.

Browser hijackers are among the largest and also disruptive kinds of malware. I published this article to help you, so I wish you will help me to make the computer world completely clean of malware. Please, share this article in the social networks you use – Twitter, Reddit, Facebook – wherever.
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Wilbur Woodham
How to Remove Craving Explorer?

Name: Craving Explorer

Description: Craving Explorer - a lot of users became a victim of browser hijacker. I have a lot of friends who literally bombed me with the questions like “how to remove Craving Explorer?”. In this article we will show you how to deal with Craving Explorer (Start.me), which may corrupt your browser’s correct performance, and create a lot of troubles while you are working.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Browser Hijacker

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References

  1. More information about PUAs
  2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender

About the author

Wilbur Woodham

I was a technical writer from early in my career, and consider IT Security one of my foundational skills. I’m sharing my experience here, and I hope you find it useful.

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