Hello barth9,

Malware is pretty invasive and doesn't just affect browsers. Doing a clean install is a good idea, but I would also try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
• TDSSKiller - AntiRootkit Utility

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

Maybe this article will help? Remove a toolbar that has taken over your Firefox search or home page

Another article that you can use as a general guide for removing unwanted software via Windows Control Panel: How to remove the Babylon toolbar, home page and search engine

For Internet Explorer and other browsers, I found:

• http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/what-is-the-story-on-searchqu-ilivid-and-bandoo/7f1272e1-1ac9-43c9-ba99-94182076f77d

...which links to:

• http://www.tweaksformypc.com/2012/04/searchqu-removal-instructions.html

Hope that helps.

See these threads and pages about searchqu/searchnu:

• [/questions/816181]
• [/questions/790833]
• [/questions/921690]

• http://bit.ly/searchqutoolbar
• http://www.ilivid.com/faq.htm#8

• http://www.beyourownit.com/forum/security-malware-issues/4758-searchnu-searchqu.html

Hello patrickmc, AliceWyman, and cor-el!! Thank you all very much for your contributions. Let me briefly fill you in on the developments---and what I fervently hope is the quick and pleasant resolution of the problem.

First, in all honesty, I should acknowledge that the villain of the piece, "search.nu", at least with me, was more of a shoplifter than a serial killer. Yes, it did prevent me from getting to my home page, and instead offered a blank screen with just a search box--its own search box, of course. Had I been foolish enough to use that search engine, quite possibly some hair-curling or hair-raising events would have befallen me. But from the very first moment I knew to ignore it and so my difficulties never amounted to more than an annoyance. And yet, even a mere annoyance should be eliminated if possible, don't you think?-- especially when I'm feeling so loving and protective towards my brand-new computer and want to keep it pristine.

So, following the extremely simple instructions of Firefox and Chrome, I deleted Search.nu as my homepage, replacing it with Yahoo, and as the unlamented Search.nu exited stage right, along with it went the potentially very mischievous search box of Search.nu. I closed and reopened both browsers several times, and it appears that that simple measure sufficed.

The reason I didn't delete the entire program was that when I went to the Windows Uninstall a Program and began the process, it turned out I had downloaded the offending search.nu as unexpected and unwanted baggage with J-zip, a piece of software I've used for years on my previous computer--and love. I certainly wanted to keep j-zip! So, at that point, I decided to try the simple maneuver described above and eliminate search.nu while retaining j-zip.

I know from reading online about search.nu that in the past it strenuously resisted eviction--you'd think that you'd killed it when suddenly it would spring up very much alive and bent on vengeance, like Glenn Close in the bathtub scene in  "Fatal Attraction"!!   But maybe all the terrible publicity over the past few years that search.nu has received (e.g. McAfee Siteadvisor puts up a big red X and obstructs access) has caused search.nu to mutate into a more benign form.  You know, in real life, viruses (biological, not computer, ones) often do exactly that--if they're too virulent, and kill off their hosts very quickly, they don't have time to replicate.  So the most successful biological viruses rapidly mutate into milder forms, making you just sick enough to cough and sneeze, etc. and spread them to others, and I think maybe search.nu, in allowing itself to be controlled so easily, has wisely done just that sort of mutating.

Anyway, patrickmc, AliceWyman, cor-el, I thank you again, and it's great that, for all the malicious elements on the internet like search.nu and worse, there are still people like you three who combine altruism with knowledge and intelligence---and really benefit people like me!!

Thanks for posting back that you fixed the problem by simply changing your home page to Yahoo in the affected browsers. I'll mark your reply as the solution.

barth9, You wrote above,
The reason I didn't delete the entire program was that when I went to the Windows Uninstall a Program and began the process, it turned out I had downloaded the offending search.nu as unexpected and unwanted baggage with J-zip, a piece of software I've used for years on my previous computer--and love. I certainly wanted to keep j-zip!

One reason I posted a link to http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/what-is-the-story-on-searchqu-ilivid-and-bandoo/7f1272e1-1ac9-43c9-ba99-94182076f77d is because of this April 12, 2012 post, which I read to mean that you don't need to have Searchqu installed to continue using the software that included it as an optional install:

Hi,
My name is John, and I'm a member of the Searchqu Support Team. I'm here to help :)

Searchqu is offered to users by our partners – developers and companies who publish free PC applications. It's offered, like many other toolbars, as an option during the installation. If the user chooses not to install Searchqu, the free software which they downloaded will work just fine.

If you have anymore questions please don't hesitate to let us know!

Thank you,
The Searchqu support team

I also found this "SearchquSupport" post dated 1/8/12 in earlier thread:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/907403#answer-295928

Hi, My name is John, and I'm a member of the Searchqu Support Team. I'm here to help :) When jZip installs onto your pc it offered two basic installs, typical installation, which lists the add-on features such as searchqu homepage, and custom installation, which allows you to select the add-ons that you wish to install. There's no need to worry if you did the typical install - this isn't a virus, nor malware, and there's no need to Perform a virus scan against it. Since Searchqu is an addon feature of jZip, there's no need to uninstall jZip http://www.jzip.com/, the jZip Download Manager will work just fine without it :-) If you prefer to change your homepage please check: http://www.jzip.com/uninstall.php We are here to answer to any further questions :) The searchqu team support

Hi, I have just had this problem too, whilst downloading iLivid. During the download process, the "nubar" search engine installed itself as an extension (as Data Manager five point something something) without my permission, and proceeded to oust Firefox as my homepage.

I eventually managed to reinstate Firefox via the "general" tab on the options page, but when I tried to disable the extension it refused to do so. Uninstalling / reinstalling my Firefox browser did not help, but thankfully I managed to delete it by following the instructions for uninstalling extensions manually.

Writing this 24 hours later, everything seems back to normal - indeed, I received a message this morning stating that an attempt to modify my internet browser had been successfully blocked.

hiding-behind-the-sofa, You wrote in part:

the "nubar" search engine installed itself as an extension (as Data Manager five point something something)
when I tried to disable the extension it refused to do so. 
I managed to delete it by following the instructions for uninstalling extensions manually. 

Thanks for adding that information. For the benefit of others, I take that to mean you were able to uninstall the Data Manager extension by following the instructions in the Uninstalling manually section of the Cannot remove an add-on (extension or theme) article.

Just wanted to add that as someone who is in no way an IT expert and is still finding their way around so to speak, I found the install / uninstall advice on Mozilla Support to be very helpful  :)