How to uninstall the ProductManualsPro browser hijacker from your system

What is hp.myway.com?

Developed by the Mindspark Interactive Network, ProductManualsPro is a browser hijacker, endorsed as a tool for quick access to various product manuals. Following successful installation, this rogue application makes modifications to browsers to promote hp.myway.com (a bogus search engine).

ProductManualsPro also collects browsing-related information. Since most users download/install ProductManualsPro unintentionally, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Browser hijackers primarily target Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and other popular browsers with large user bases. Following infiltration, these dubious apps reassign the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake search engines.

Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search made through the URL bar redirects to the promoted address. In the case of ProductManualsPro, it promotes hp.myway.com. Fake search engines are typically unable to provide unique results, and so they redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other legitimate sites.

If they can provide search results, they tend to be inaccurate and/or promote untrusted/malicious websites. Recovering a hijacked browser is impossible, without removing the software affecting it, since access to the browser settings is limited or denied, and permitted changes made are automatically reset.

As mentioned, ProductManualsPro has data tracking capabilities (which is common not just to browsers but for PUAs in general). They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

This vulnerable data is usually monetized by Mindspark through sharing with and/or selling to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). Therefore, the presence of data-tracking software on systems can lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft.

To protect device integrity and user safety, remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	ProductManualsPro browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:UnwantedSig [PUP]), Emsisoft (Application.WebToolbar (A)), ESET-NOD32 (Win32/Toolbar.MyWebSearch.BA Potentially Un), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:WebToolbar.Win32.Agent.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Browser Extension(s)	ProductManualsPro
Supposed Functionality	Easy access to product manuals.
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine.
Promoted Domain	hp.myway.com
Serving IP Address (hp.myway.com)	104.93.77.131
Symptoms	Manipulated Internet browser settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). Users are forced to visit the 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 browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

MySearch Search, OnlinePrivacyManager, and PDFConvertersSearch are some examples of other browser hijackers. They may seem legitimate and useful, and users are often enticed into download/installation with offers of a wide variety of "useful" functionalities.

In fact, the advertised features are rarely operational, and even if they do work, it is not as promised. This applies to most unwanted applications. PUAs have just one purpose: to generate revenue at users' expense. This software modifies browsers, causes redirects, delivers intrusive ad campaigns and gathers sensitive/personal information.

How did ProductManualsPro install on my computer?

Some PUAs (including ProductManualsPro) have "official" promotional web pages from which they can be downloaded. These apps are also commonly downloaded/installed together with other programs. This is called "bundling" - the term defines normal software packed with unwanted or malicious additions.

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of bundled content. Intrusive advertisements proliferate these applications as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all products before download/installation or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders are untrusted and commonly offer bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to highly dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter ads/redirects of this type, check the system and remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately removed. If your computer is already infected with ProductManualsPro, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Installation setup of ProductManualsPro browser hijacker:

ProductManualsPro browser hijacker asking for various permissions on Google Chrome:

ProductManualsPro browser hijacker asking for various permissions on Mozilla Firefox:

Website promoting ProductManualsPro browser hijacker (Google Chrome):

Website promoting ProductManualsPro browser hijacker (Mozilla Firefox):

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is hp.myway.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall ProductManualsPro application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove hp.myway.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove ProductManualsPro 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.

ProductManualsPro 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, "ProductManualsPro Internet Explorer..."), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that 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.

ProductManualsPro 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 productmanualspro 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 "ProductManualsPro" 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 ProductManualsPro, 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 productmanualspro 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 "ProductManualsPro", 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 ProductManualsPro, 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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with productmanualspro 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 productmanualspro 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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