How to remove the Streaming plus browser hijacker?
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
Streaming plus browser hijacker removal instructions
What is Streaming plus?
Streaming plus is the name of a browser hijacker that promotes the quicknewtab.com address, a fake search engine. Typically, apps of this type promote fake search engines by changing browser settings without user's permission. Also, it is common for browser hijackers to be designed to collect browsing data (and/or other information). In most cases users download and install apps like Streaming plus inadvertently, therefore, they are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).
Usually browser hijackers change the address of a default search engine, homepage and/or new tab to an address of some fake search engine. Streaming plus promotes the quicknewtab.com address, however, it does not always change browser settings for that. In some cases it leaves settings unchanged and opens quicknewtab.com when users enter search queries into URL bar. Depending on the geolocation of visitors, quicknewtab.com redirects them either to google.com or bing.com (via my-search.com and search-checker.com) - it displays results generated by Google or Bing. To be able to remove quicknewtab.com from browser settings users need to uninstall Streaming plus (or other app that promotes this address).
Another issue with apps like Streaming plus is that they can be designed to gather data related to user's browsing habits. For instance, details like geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, IP addresses and other data. It is possible for such apps to be designed to collect sensitive details as well. What is worse, that information could be monetized by selling it to third parties (potentially some cyber criminals), or it in some other ways. Therefore, users of browsers that are hijacked by apps like Streaming plus may encounter problems related to online privacy, browsing safety, or even identity theft.
| Name | Streaming plus |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
| Browser Extension(s) | Streaming plus |
| Supposed Functionality | Improved browsing experience |
| Promoted URL | quicknewtab.com |
| Serving IP Address (quicknewtab.com) | 172.67.150.185 |
| Affected Browser Settings | Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine |
| 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 Malwarebytes. |
More examples of applications like Streaming plus (browser hijackers) are All mypage, Search Lovely and Finding Pro. Most of them are useless to their users even if they are advertised as useful, legitimate apps that supposed to include various features that would improve browsing experience. As mentioned in the first paragraph, it is common for browser hijackers to be downloaded and installed by users unintentionally.
How did Streaming plus install on my computer?
Quite often browser hijackers and potentially unwanted applications of other types are distributed via download and/or installation setups of other programs. This distribution method for PUAs is called "bundling". Offers to download and/or install PUAs can be declined via "Custom", "Advanced" or other settings, or by unticking certain checkboxes that are available in setups. When users download and/or install programs without doing it, they agree with offers to download and/or install PUAs as well. Sometimes users download and/or install PUAs is by clicking deceptive advertisements that are designed to distribute such apps by executing certain scripts.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Unwanted downloads, installations can be avoided by declining unwanted offers (via "Advanced", "Custom" or other settings) before completing download sand/or installations of programs that have PUAs included in their setups. Another way to avoid unwanted downloads and/or installations is to download software (and files) only from official websites, and through direct links. In other words, Peer-to-Peer networks (like eMule, torrent clients), unofficial websites, third party downloaders, installers, etc., should not be used. Advertisements on shady sites should not be clicked as well - such ads could be designed to cause unwanted downloads, installations. If there are any unwanted, unknown, suspicious extensions, plug-ins or add-ons installed on a browser or programs of this kind installed on a computer, then they should be uninstalled right away. If your computer is already infected with Streaming plus, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Quicknewtab.com redirects to bing.com via my-search.com and search-checker.com (GIF):
Website promoting Streaming plus browser hijacker:
Notification saying that Streaming plus can read browsing history:
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Malwarebytes 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 Streaming plus?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Streaming plus application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove Streaming plus browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 3. Remove quicknewtab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 4. Remove quicknewtab.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
- STEP 6. Remove quicknewtab.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
Streaming plus browser hijacker removal:
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.
Windows XP users:
Click Start, choose Settings and click Control Panel. Locate and click Add or Remove Programs.
Windows 10 and Windows 8 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.
Mac 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, "Streaming plus"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the quicknewtab.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Streaming plus browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects:
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 "Streaming plus" 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 "Streaming plus", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.quicknewtab.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 "quicknewtab.com", 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 streaming plus redirect, 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 "Streaming plus", 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 "Streaming plus", remove hxxp://quicknewtab.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 streaming plus redirect 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 streaming plus redirect, 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.
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://quicknewtab.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 "Streaming plus".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the streaming plus redirect, 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.
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.
Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove streaming plus redirect from your Internet browsers, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.
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Outstanding!
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