MetaCrawler.com redirect

What is MetaCrawler.com?

MetaCrawler is a search engine that combines search results from major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. MetaCrawler might appear as a legitimate project, but in fact the company behind it employs some dubious methods in order to promote their websites (MetaCrawler and Infospace). Recently, we received many complaints from users reporting that they were being redirected to these websites.

Furthermore, computer users should express great caution whilst using the search services provided by MetaCrawler and Infospace - although the organic search results are legitimate (they originate from reputable search engines), the sponsored results are generated by MetaCrawler and often lead to dubious software installation methods or misleading websites.

If you fail to pay close attention to where you click, you might inadvertently install unwanted toolbars or scam software on your PC.

The latest complaints indicate that computer users are being redirected to fantastigames.metacrawler.com, one of the sub-domains of MetaCrawler.com If you notice that your Internet browsers redirect to this website, this means your PC is infected with redirect malware. In this case, you are advised to scan your computer with legitimate antivirus and anti-spyware programs.

Commonly, these 'redirect infections' infiltrate computers when users visit malicious websites. To protect your computer from such incidents, always use legitimate antivirus and antispyware programs and keep your installed programs and operating system up-to-date.

If your computer is already infected with MetaCrawler redirect virus, use the removal information provided to help you eliminate it from your PC.

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Quick menu:

• What is MetaCrawler.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall MetaCrawler.com application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove MetaCrawler add-on from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove MetaCrawler plugin from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove MetaCrawler extension from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove MetaCrawler redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove MetaCrawler manually by deleting files.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

MetaCrawler redirect removal:

Check if you have installed any software related to Metacrawler or Infospace.

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for MetaCrawler or Infospace-related entries, select them and click " Uninstall" or "Remove"

After uninstalling MetaCrawler and Infospace-related software (toolbars etc.), it is recommended to scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use a recommended anti-spyware program. Remove all entries that this software detects to ensure your PC is clean from any possible spyware and malware infections.

Check your Internet browsers for any possibly left MetaCrawler extensions:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click on the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Manage Add-ons". Look for MetaCrawler-related entries (Infospace, fantastigames, etc.) and disable them.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the metacrawler virus, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Tools" and click on "Extensions".  Locate any MetaCrawler-related entries, select them and click on the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the metacrawler virus, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click on the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and disable MetaCrawler-related entries

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with metacrawler virus removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.

In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.

Change your homepage and new tab settings:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".

Change your default Internet search engine:

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the metacrawler virus, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Manual Metacrawler removal:

If you were unable to remove MetaCrawler using the steps above, you can use this manual removal instruction. Use it at your own risk, since if you do not have strong computer knowledge, you could harm your operating system. Be careful and use it only if you are an experienced computer user. (Instructions on how to end processes, remove registry entries...)

Remove these Metacrawler files:

%UserProfile%\Desktop\Fantastigames Toolbar.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Fantastigames Toolbar\
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Fantastigames Toolbar\Uninstall Fantastigames Toolbar.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Fantastigames Toolbar\Fantastigames Toolbar.lnk

Summary:

A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.

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