WinStartup

Overview

WinStartup, also called GoHip, will make the following changes to your system when installed:

1. GoHip! will add a search frame to the top of your DEFAULT HOMEPAGE. This means that when you open your browser your homepage will contain a frame with a search box and banner from GoHip!. The search frame is reinstalled each time you restart your computer.

2. Your SEARCH DEFAULT will take you to the GoHip! search. This means that when you click the search icon (button) within your browser interface you will be directed to GoHip!.

3. Each time you open your browser and decide to go to another destination (URL) on the World Wide Web, PROMOTIONAL CONSOLES (daughter consoles/pop-up windows) will appear on top of the new location you have chosen. This console contains a search box and also launches promotional advertising. PROMOTIONAL CONSOLES (daughter consoles/pop-up windows) may continue to be launched for the duration of time you spend online.

4. Up to eight BOOKMARKS will be added to your bookmark folder (directory) for the purposes of promoting sites other than GoHip!. The destinations (URLS) of these bookmarks may change frequently.

5. The SIGNATURE LINE on all of your outbound emails will be modified to promote the GoHip! BROWSER ENHANCEMENT, making your email recipients eligible for the GoHip! BROWSER ENHANCEMENT promotion. More specifically, an advertisement will appear in the form of a SIGNATURE LINE on the bottom of all of your emails. This advertisement will point everyone receiving your emails to this page, where they will be given the opportunity to download the GoHip! BROWSER ENHANCEMENT, which will (if downloaded) do everything to their system that is described here.

Microsoft and Symantec offers more information about the GoHip! Browser Enhancement.

Classification

Adware
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Files

winstartup.exe, WINSTA~1.EXE

If you have any of the files related to WinStartup on your system, please send them for additional analysis. Generally, I have only analysed a few versions for each software component listed at this web site. With your help I will be able to look at both old and more recent versions of the WinStartup software. Thank you very much for your time!

Log references

Log 67 Log 506 Log 566

Vendor

gohip.com

Privacy policy

No privacy policy available.

Detection

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects WinStartup. Bazooka is freeware and detects spyware, adware, foistware, trojan horses, viruses, worms and other potentially unwanted applications. Read more »

Uninstall WinStartup with FreeFixer

I'm working on a general purpose tool for removing unwanted software. The tool is called FreeFixer and can help you remove unwanted Browser Helper Objects, Internet Explorer toolbars and software that starts automatically when you reboot your computer, so it can offer some assistance while uninstalling WinStartup. The manual removal instructions listed below will help you to identify what to delete with FreeFixer.

Read more about FreeFixer.

Manual removal

Please follow the instructions below if you would like to remove WinStartup manually. Please notice that you must follow the instructions very carefully and delete everything that is mentioned. In most cases the removal will fail if one single item is not deleted. If WinStartup remains on your system after stepping through the removal instructions, please double-check by stepping through them again.

1. Start the registry editor. This is done by clicking Start then Run. (The Run dialog will appear.) Type regedit and click OK. (The registry editor will open.)
2. Browse to the key:
   'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run'
3. In the right pane, delete the value called 'WINSTA~1.EXE', if it exists.
4. Exit the registry editor.
5. Restart your computer.
6. Start Windows Explorer and delete:
   %SystemDir%\winstartup.exe
   %SystemDir%\WINSTA~1.EXE
   Note: %SystemDir% is a variable (?). By default, this is C:\Windows\System (Windows 95/98/Me), C:\WINNT\System32 (Windows NT/2000), or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows XP).
7. Start Microsoft Internet Explorer.
8. In Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options.
9. Click the Programs tab -> Reset Web Settings.
   

Problems uninstalling? Click here.

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Contact information for WinStartup's vendor

In order to provide correct, accurate and updated information about WinStartup I encourage the vendor to contact me if any part of this write-up needs a revision.