An unknown application is trying to change your default search engine

October 27th, 2008 Paul Wallbank Posted in Internet Explorer, security | 26 Comments »

I have Windows XP and I use google as my default search engine.
I recently downloaded a new version of Bear share and ever since then several times a day a window appears that says;-
DEFAULT SEARCH ENGINE PROTECTION
An unknown application is trying to change your default search engine.
Changing these settings controls the way Internet Explorer treats search queries.
What would you like to do
1. Keep my current search engine (Recommended)
2. Replace my default search engine with the one from the unknown application.

The first option is checked so I leave it that way and I just close the window. How can I stop this window appearing all the time. I have removed Bear Share.

A program is trying to change your browser’s search engine. This is known as “browser hijacking” and it’s common trick by software distributors to make a few more dollars.

The software might have been bundled with Bear Share or it’s come through the same website. Often these programs claim to be download accelerators.

You’ll need to uninstall the program trying to hijack your computer. The best thing to do would be to follow our “removing a Trojan” instructions which should pick up and remove the hijacking program.


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    26 Responses to “An unknown application is trying to change your default search engine”

    1. Shimon Z. Klein Says:
      November 12th, 2008 at 1:59 pm

      I ahd a similar problem. I found that the latest version of Imesh caused this problem. I ran a Spybot and this did not solve the problem. I decided to enter “Start” then “Search” Imesh*.*. I deleted all the files and Spybot requested changing the default and this I did. The problem was solved.

    2. Christine McCullough Says:
      November 18th, 2008 at 11:01 am

      I am having the same problem with bearshare. I just tried your suggestion of deleting the files associated with the program and there are some files that I can’t delete. I get a message saying that I cannot delete, access denied and makesure the disk is not full or write-protected or that the file is not currently in use.

      How can I fix this?

    3. Annette Says:
      December 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am

      Open the control panel and add/remove programs. Close any open internet browser, then remove MediaBar. This was installed on your machine when you upgraded Bearshare.

    4. chris butlin Says:
      January 9th, 2009 at 8:38 am

      Thanks Annette – it sorted it for me – my daughter installed Imesh and with it came the ‘mediabar’

    5. Cindy Fleet Says:
      January 17th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

      My teenage son downloaded imesh yesterday. I got the same message as others have stated, that it was trying to change my search engine. Even after he went in and deleted all the associated files, I kept getting that annoying pop-up window. (This was after we had deleted the program, emptied the reycle bin, and restarted the computer. I do not know that much about computers so I decided to go into the computer and try “accesories, tools, system restore”. I have Windows Vista. I left the first option checked on system restore. After this, my computer was back to normal!

    6. FREDDIE Says:
      January 26th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

      GO INTO CONTROL PANEL, UNINSTAL PROGRAMS FEATURE, AND UNINSTALL MEDIABAR. THAT SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM

    7. Michelle Says:
      February 12th, 2009 at 10:17 am

      After I install bearshare a default search engine box appears everytime i try to go to the internet. How can I fix this problem. It states that unknown application is try to change your search engine. The first choice is recommended original setting. and when you try to select your recommended choice it won’t allow you, so you end up exited out the default search engine request.

    8. Mike Says:
      February 20th, 2009 at 7:34 pm

      FREDDIE, thanks for the tip. Blasted mediabar! is now in the bin

    9. Kira Says:
      February 24th, 2009 at 11:16 am

      I just recently download bearshare and it is doing the same thing to my computer. It is really annoying. I do I stop it?

    10. SEVDA Says:
      February 25th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

      As many of us, I have the similar problem. I think that it is also because of BearShare. It may solve the problem if I remove it but I also need it. So, do you have any idea what I should do.

    11. ashley Says:
      March 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

      Thank you so much for the tip! it was the media bar! now that annoying thing is gone! thanks again!

    12. Peggie Hughes Says:
      March 17th, 2009 at 8:10 am

      Thank you, thank you, thank you again. I removed the Mediabar after (having removed Bearshare with no results). My computer is back to it’s normal self and so am I. This site saved me $85.00 for a techncal call. Bless you FREDDIE.

    13. Chantall Says:
      April 26th, 2009 at 8:24 am

      Thanks to all the replies. I removed Bear Share from Control Panel then went to the Registry Editor and found all Bear Share folders and keys and deleted them. I no longer get the annoying pop up!

    14. rick Says:
      May 3rd, 2009 at 7:18 am

      Don’t download iMesh. It has this trojan, and you’ll get repeated popups generated prompting you to change your default search engine.
      You will have to do a system restore if someone makes this mistake.

    15. frankie Says:
      September 5th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

      I had the same issue on a vista machine. I tried to unistall the program but it would pop up and ask why I was uninstalling. I selected something and nothing happened. Had to browse to the folder containing iMesh and right click on the uninstall file. I was able to run as administator and it successfully uninstalled the program.

    16. ryan Says:
      October 5th, 2009 at 7:29 am

      thanks, the thing trying to affect my search settings was disguised by using the google name… tricksie hobbitsies

    17. Scott Lyles Says:
      October 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm

      I was having the same problem as others with some program trying to change my browswer. I didnt even know I had Imesh ever installed on my computer. I did a search for it…and deleted ever instance of it I could find. Problem Solved! Thanks for the advice. What is strange is neither spybot or malwarebyte found these files. Thanks again!

    18. Amar Says:
      November 1st, 2009 at 2:31 am

      Imesh is the bloody culprit — Uninstall it.

    19. elmer Says:
      October 14th, 2010 at 12:10 am

      frank
      thanks bro

      bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mediabar it was deleted

    20. anonymous Says:
      December 8th, 2010 at 11:29 am

      I had the same problem caused by bearshare….i went to all these websites that recommended spybot, hijack this, buying all types of spyware protection, changing all kinds of registry entries, formatting hard drive…all types of outlandish stuff….in the end, all i did was in google chrome (since that was what was hijacked) the wrench at the top right (i guess that’s the tools menu), i clicked on options. It has a field that states your home page and beneath that there is a field that says what your default search is. It’s supposed to be google, but mine was completely blank. I clicked on “manage”, then “add” to try to add google back as the search browser. In the first two lines just put the word google in. The third line for the URL, put this in: {google:baseURL}search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s (I got this from my roommates computer that wasn’t infected. This is all one long string with no spaces). Hit Ok or whatever and then click “make default”. When you go back to options page, google will be there and you can do google toolbar searches again. BUT! for me when i closed out of chrome and opened it back up i had to all this crap again. so then i made google my default browser and uninstalled chrome (backing up my bookmarks) and when i reinstalled it the problem had disappeared. No changing registry BS, no buying spyware BS.

    21. Arsh Says:
      December 12th, 2010 at 12:29 pm

      THANK YOU FREDDIE!!! stupid mediabar

    22. Ian Hamilton Says:
      December 14th, 2010 at 8:17 pm

      Hi,
      I had the same problem due to imesh. I deleted all the files associated with imesh and deleted mediabar through the add/remove command. A few days later the pop ups started again-saying that unknown programme was trying to change search settings etc.

      I discovered there was still a file for mediabar in C/Windows/Prefetch.

      I have now deleted that file also and I am hoping that will now cure the problem.

      I hate hacking sites. I propose starting a fund to get someone to attack imesh and destroy the site

    23. rob Says:
      December 20th, 2010 at 10:35 am

      thanks,everyone listen too freddie it works perfectly…your the man…..

    24. Muhammad Jamshaid Says:
      February 18th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

      Dear Sir,
      I dont want bearshare as default, it is use full I dont want to remove from programs.
      Thanks,
      Muhammad Jamshaid

    25. rani Says:
      April 7th, 2011 at 8:29 pm

      i wana uninstall imesh.
      i have deleted all the contents from my computer->program files.but still imesh search engine coming. laso i’m unable to uninstall it using control panel. help!!!

    26. arun Says:
      August 21st, 2011 at 9:44 am

      i have windows xp.
      yesterday i download film but after download all parts i have a problem with that part “unkown application” i change to winrar but result is achieve file is damaged pls help

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