On the plus side, there are simple – and free - things you can do to reduce the likelihood of becoming the victim of the Palikan Search browser hijacker.
How can I lessen the chances of being attacked by Palikan Search?
First things first - having a great, and up to date, antivirus tool installed on your PC is of paramount importance. I can't stress that enough. However, that might not be enough. And that's because while your antivirus program might be a whiz at keeping malware out, it can often let you down when it comes to browser hijackers and adware. And that's due to the gray area that browser hijackers inhabit. They're not bad enough to be considered malicious software – but trust us; you potentially DON'T want one installed on your PC regardless.
How are browser hijackers installed on computers?
Browser hijackers like Palikan Search are normally installed on your PC during the installation of another software program or application. For the most part this is when the download is free – but not always. Common sources of such programs include peer-to-peer shares of TV series, movies, music files, games, and software such as video viewers and foreign text or PDF readers. These files or programs come bundled with the Potentially Unwanted Program – meaning that more often than not, you are the one who is responsible for their presence on your PC!
How do you download something without installing a browser hijacker?
Don't panic. This doesn't mean that you have to stop downloading those freebie files and apps that we've all grown so accustomed to. (And just because I said that browser hijackers can sometimes slip past your antivirus software that definitely doesn't mean that you can forget about installing one either!)
What you do need to get into the habit of is paying closer attention to the small print – i.e. the License Agreement - when you're downloading software, files or apps. Palikan Search is usually referenced in the agreement so read it carefully to ensure you know just what you're installing before you hit OK.
Do I need to worry about Palikan Search?
As mentioned, browser hijackers are living in somewhat of a twilight zone. Being potentially unwanted, as opposed to definitely unwanted, often leads to confusion. A programmer will argue that it has a use, it often being a home page, and isn't created to cause damage. What they fail to mention is that these home pages will redirect all of your Internet searches to a website the developer wants you to visit, in this case www.palikan.com. Do YOU want to put up with that? I'm sure you don't. So, to remove it from your computer, please follow the steps in the removal guide below. If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below. Good luck and be safe online!
Written by Michael Kaur, http://delmalware.blogspot.com
Palikan Search Removal Guide:
1. First of all, download recommended anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this infection. Hopefully you won't have to do that.
2. As this infection is known to be installed by vulnerabilities in out-dated and insecure programs, it is strongly suggested that you use an automatic software update tool to scan for vulnerable programs on your computer.
3. Remove Palikan Search related programs from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).
Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.
If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".
Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.
4. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following programs:
- Palikan Search
- Go_Palikan
- Palikan
- GoSave
If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.
Remove Palikan Search from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Go_Palikan 2.0, Palikan Search, BookmarkTube extensions.
3. Then select Settings. Scroll down the page and click Show advanced settings.
4. Find the Reset browser settings section and click Reset browser settings button.
5. In the dialog that appears, click Reset.
6. Right-click Google Chrome shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
7. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.palikan.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. There should be only the path to Chrome executable file.
Remove Palikan Search from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Remove Palikan, Palikan Search, BookmarkTube browser extensions. Close Add-ons manger.
3. In the URL address bar, type about:config and hit Enter.
Click I'll be careful, I promise! to continue.
In the search filter at the top, type: palikan
Now, you should see all the preferences that were changed by www.palikan.com. Right-click on the preference and select Reset to restore default value. Reset all found preferences!
4. Right-click the Mozilla Firefox shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
5. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.palikan.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. There should be only the path to Firefox executable file.
Remove Palikan Search from Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools → Manage Add-ons.
2. Select Search Providers. First of all, choose Live Search search engine and make it your default web search provider (Set as default).
3. Select Palikan Search and click Remove to remove it. Close the window.
4. Right-click the Internet Explorer shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
5. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.palikan.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. Basically, there should be only the path to Internet Explorer executable file.