Moviesearchcenter.com Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is moviesearchcenter.com?
moviesearchcenter.com is a browser hijacker and a fake search engine, which is also known as FlixTab. This search engine offers access to various movie-related websites in a single click, and a supposedly better browsing experience.
moviesearchcenter.com offers access to websites such as tmz.com, imdb.com, facebook.com, hotelscombined.com, booking.com, airbnb.com, amazon.com, aliexpress.com, and more. Judging by these links, the site is half movie-related and half travel-related. It also displays the local time and date and contains a single search box.
When a query is made, all the results are shown in the Yahoo search engine. Therefore, you are redirected to search.yahoo.com, which makes the moviesearchcenter.com search engine itself useless. Initially, this may seem to be a useful search engine, however, it takes control over browsers and modifies settings.
It also assigns the search engine, home page, and new tab URLs to moviesearchcenter.com (as most browser hijackers do). Browser hijackers also collect information about your browsing habits such as visited websites, search queries, IP addresses, etc.
Most browser hijackers have an identical purpose: to profit from users by redirecting to certain websites when using browser hijackers' search engines (in this case the moviesearchcenter.com).
Therefore, you will receive misleading and unwanted redirects to dubious websites on which you could be tricked into downloading malicious software and have your computer infected.
Name | FlixTab browser hijacker |
Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
Symptoms | Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
Damage | Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are many browser hijackers designed this way (FileCheckerApp, Free Forms, and AstrologySearcher) that claim to be legitimate.
They commonly offer various dubious 'useful' tools, however, it is likely that by having a browser hijacker installed will diminish the browsing experience and you could experience various problems such as privacy issues, computer infections, redirects to unwanted websites, pop-up ads, and so on.
How did FlixTab install on my computer?
In most cases, browser hijackers are installed through software (often free or ad-supportive). There are many cases where browser hijackers are included with software using the 'bundling' method (software is installed with other unwanted programs - in this case, a browser hijacker).
These potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are usually hidden in settings/options such as "Custom" or "Advanced". Software developers are aware that many users tend to install software without paying attention to the installation processes - this makes it convenient for them to hide unwanted programs in the settings/options.
Browser hijackers can also be installed through intrusive advertisements - these redirect to malicious websites and execute scripts that stealthily download and install software. It is possible to have your browser hijacked by software downloaders/installers.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
When installing software, pay close attention to the details, especially "Custom", "Advanced" settings and various checkboxes that are usually ticked by default. Do not click ads unless you are sure they are legitimate. Avoid clicking suspicious "Download" buttons, especially when visiting unofficial websites.
Download software from official sources only (websites) and use direct links rather than third party software downloaders/installers.
Keep your antivirus software and real-time protection enabled at all times. If your computer is already infected with FlixTab, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting FlixTab browser hijacker:
Another website promoting FlixTab browser hijacker:
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is moviesearchcenter.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall FlixTab application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove moviesearchcenter.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove FlixTab browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove moviesearchcenter.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove moviesearchcenter.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
FlixTab browser hijacker removal:
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 any recently installed suspicious applications (for example, "FlixTab"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the moviesearchcenter.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
FlixTab browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Change your homepage:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://moviesearchcenter.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.
Change your default search engine:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "moviesearchcenter".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the flixtab browser hijacker, 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 "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "FlixTab Movie Center" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.moviesearchcenter.com) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.
Change your default search engine:
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list, look for "moviesearchcenter.com", and when located, click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the flixtab browser hijacker, 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 plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "FlixTab", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins.
Change your homepage:
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://moviesearchcenter.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change your default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "moviesearchcenter.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with flixtab browser hijacker 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 flixtab browser hijacker, 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.
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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