Stopping ProductManualsGuide from hijacking your browser
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is hp.myway.com?
Developed by Mindspark Interactive Network, ProductManualsGuide is a rogue application. It is marketed as a free tool for finding printable product manuals, with a supplementary web searching tool. Since users tend to install this app inadvertently, it is classified as a PUA (potentially unwanted application).
ProductManualsGuide is also a browser hijacker, it makes changes to browser settings and redirects users to hp.myway.com - its fake search engine. As a PUA, it may also possess data tracking capabilities.
Most browser hijackers are designed to target browsers boasting the greatest popularity (e.g. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox). They make changes to browser settings, including homepage, new tab/window URL and default search engine.
Said changes affect browsers this way: every search query typed into the URL bar and every new tab/window opened - all redirect to their respectful fake search engines, or cause redirection chains ending with a legitimate search engine. In case of ProductManualsGuide, it redirects to hp.myway.com.
While these alterations may seem as not particularly difficult to undo - making the desired changes may be prevented by the browser hijacker or, if allowed, may simply be reset. Certain PUAs also gather information on users' browsing activity. By monitoring their browsing and search engine histories, they can infer users' personal details.
This must be stressed, as the gathered data is then sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), capable of using it for criminal purposes.
Therefore PUA presence within devices can affect browsers and systems (expose them to a variety of invasions and/or infections), as well as lead to severe privacy issues (even culminate in identity theft). To protect their devices and themselves, users must remove all rogue applications immediately.
| Name | ProductManualsGuide browser hijacker |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
| Browser Extension(s) | ProductManualsGuide |
| Supposed Functionality | Access to manuals of various tools. |
| Affected Browser Settings | Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine |
| Promoted Domain | hp.myway.com |
| Serving IP Address (hp.myway.com) | 23.67.240.173 |
| Detection Names (hp.myway.com) | Avast (Malware), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| 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. |
ProductManualsGuide is identical to a lot of other products that the Mindspark Interactive Network has released (e.g. TotalRecipeSearch, FreeAuctionFinder, SportsHero and etc.). While their appearance differs, their protocol of action does not.
Most PUAs offer some kind of "practical" and "beneficial" features, in order to trick users into believing their legitimacy and installing them onto their devices. However, the only goal that these applications serve is to generate revenue for their developers.
To users, they have no value whatsoever. They rarely function as promised, if the features are functional at all. Instead, they cause redirects to sale-oriented, untrustworthy and malicious sites, deliver invasive advertisement campaigns (e.g. pop-ups, banners, coupons, etc.) and some can even spy on users' browsing habits.
How did ProductManualsGuide install on my computer?
ProductManualsGuide and its kin spread through three main sources. It is offered free to download in its official site. Another way, is infiltrating systems through install pack/bundles. "Bundling" is a deceitful marketing method, by which ordinary programs are packed together with PUAs.
When installing, by ignoring terms and possible options, skipping steps and using pre-set settings - users can easily miss the presence of rogue applications or think them harmless and end up allowing them into their systems.
Intrusive advertisements (typically, found within compromised websites) can also spread PUAs, by executing scripts to autonomously download/install them. To summarize, inexperience, carelessness and haste when browsing and downloading/installing software - can result in rogue application invasions.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Users should conclude at least the base amount of research before downloading/installing programs/features/etc., in order to verify their legitimacy. Sources for downloading should always be official and trustworthy (ideally, via direct download links).
It is ill-advised to use P2P (peer-to-peer) sharing networks and other third party downloaders, as software downloaded from such is more likely to contain PUAs. Users are encouraged to read install terms, so that they could ensure that there are no unwanted apps there or find out how any of those additions operate.
They should also use "Custom/Advanced" install settings and opt-out from installing/downloading any supplementary applications/features. Browsing advices stress the importance of exercising caution with advertisements. Due to how invasive ads are designed, they often appear ordinary and utterly harmless.
However, the sites they redirect to (gambling, pornography, adult-dating and similar) - tend to be an obvious giveaway. Should users encounter such adverts/redirects, they are strongly advised to inspect their device and remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.
If your computer is already infected with ProductManualsGuide, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting ProductManualsGuide browser hijacker:
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Quick menu:
- What is hp.myway.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall ProductManualsGuide application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove hp.myway.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove ProductManualsGuide browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove hp.myway.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove hp.myway.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
ProductManualsGuide 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, "ProductManualsGuide Internet Explorer..."), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the hp.myway.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
ProductManualsGuide 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://hp.myway.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 "hp.myway".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the productmanualsguide 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 "ProductManualsGuide" 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, disable ProductManualsGuide, look for a browser hijacker URL (hp.myway.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 "Ask Web Search" 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 productmanualsguide 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 plugins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "ProductManualsGuide", 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 disable ProductManualsGuide, remove hxxp://hp.myway.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: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with productmanualsguide 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 productmanualsguide 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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