think I may need some help....

[angelisis]

hey guys...

if someone can help I will give ya a big fat kiss.....

got my computer upgraded a little while back, in short I did not have time to reload my virus/spyware stopper...well to be honest I lost the CD...ooops...
anywho have not had the money to buy another just yet (was using norton's) and well I was away for a week and my hubby got on the net and picked up a nasty little critter...

it has taken over my default home page which was tilt mill and now when ever start my internet browser my home page is about.com.
I can not get rid of it no matter what i do...
it is driving me nuts....

any help please??!!??

[tobing]

Try BHOdemon to get rid of dirty little 'helper' objects being pluggen into your browser. Then use LavaSoft's AdAware SE to find and eliminate spyware, also use SpyBot Search & Destroy to do the same, including securing your browser against some attacks and hijacking. Then install and use one of the free anti virus programs, and keep it up to date (I'm using Free AntiVir by H+B EDV). All software mentioned is freeware.

[Keith]

As tobing mentioned give Ad-Aware a try, then reset your browser homepage setting, then visit McAfee and use their online free virus scan (http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9913). Then use their free online security assessor (http://us.mcafee.com/MySecurityStatus/default.asp?cid=9915).

Rather than constantly mess with CDs and the like, I opted to get McAfee's online virus scan and personal firewall plus. All updates are sent online, and if I ever need to reinstall, I just open my account there and start the installer from there.

[NeilV]

you can also try Avast (http://www.avast.com/) and for Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoft.com/) try here and spy bot (http://www.spy-bot.net/) hope these help i use both ad-aware and spy bot as the both get what the other one misses and avast is one of the better free anti V programs out there with regular updates

[mouse]

AVG makes a very free anti-virus program and it's much less of a resource hog than Norton or McAfee :D

[David Beebe]

spybot S & D, http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/

Did cwshredder get new life breathed into it?

[Boobootifi]

I use a mix of Ad-Aware and Spybot: Search and Destroy for getting rid of spyware. It sounds to me more like you have a browser hijacker, which is usually spyware.

...Boo

[tobing]

...It sounds to me more like you have a browser hijacker, which is usually spyware...
That's why I added the hint to use BHOdemon also. This can remove some hijackers which resist both AdAware and SpyBot.

[Jacquou Le]

I very highly recommend all of you to use the very new web browser from Mozilla, Firefox, it's an anti-hijacking browser. No web site can install anything via Firefox. There's some frustrations in settings, but it's smooth when you get used to it. The best in Firefox is built-in popup blocker.

Firefox interface is very similar to Internet Explorer's.

Here the Firefox downloading page: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

[angelisis]

well here is the update....
I tried to download the things that you asked me to do and well this damn ABOUTBLANK.com kept on rediresting me to it's site...I could not even get back into the forum or do anything.....the auto blank bug- virus thingy just kept redirecting me and then all these pages popped up saying
YOU HAVE A VIRUS GET A VIRUS SCAN HERE FOR X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS.....
I felt like smashing my husband (whom got the virus in the first place) I tell you what.....!
so this morning I packed up my tower tossed it into my boot took it to the computer fixit dude and he deleted my hole hard drive then reinstalled windows/outlook/word etc etc....like magic and 45 bucks later I am back online the demons have been exercised <----is that how you spell it?!? LOL....

But now I have to reload CotN....lost all my saved games and screen shots....I swear I am going to bite my husbands ear off and poke him right in the eye ball.:mad:

thanks for your help everyone....gonna go now and reload evrything and get a virus scanner.....




thanks again everyone

p.s@ Boo....i think you were right hunny child.

[Keith]

Too bad you had to spend the money, but at least it is gone.

Too late now, but a simple Google search brought up this material on "about.com browser hijack":

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_20957633.html
http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/archive/index.php/t-20826
http://forums.techguy.org/archive/index.php/f-54-p-79.html
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_20957633.html

[angelisis]

while we are on the subject does anyone know a good popup stopper that is free, a good name and reliable??

[NeilV]

if you use firefox from above link it has one built in and its a slightly faster and more reliable Browser than IE6

[tobing]

while we are on the subject does anyone know a good popup stopper that is free, a good name and reliable??
FireFox is one way, if you want to stick with IE you could use SlimBrowser: It is free, and works as a wrapper for IE, collecting multiple IE windows in tabs, can block popups, deals with white list and black list and much more. Very comfortable.

[Keith]

Here are some popup blockers recommended by CNET (http://reviews.cnet.com/2001-1_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.navtab):



Popup Blocker Download
CNet Editor's Choice Award Winner! Surf popup free. Download now
www.stopzilla.com (http://reviews.search.com/click?xsl,reviews.54.54.1438.0.0.7.3.5.5.0.popup%2 Bblocker.e1ec6fc1a0d9923b12,http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoo gle%2Ecom%2Fpagead%2Ficlk%3Fadurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fw ww%2Estopzilla%2Ecom%2Fdirector%2F%253Ftype%253Ddo wnload%2526aid%253D10004%2526cid%253DPOPUP%252520B LOCKER%26sa%3Dl%26ai%3DBVjM43dO2Qf%2DyDay%2DOO2UgP 4OxrDbBeOd8Aj6jswG8NccEAEYASDo%2DfcBKAVIljmgAf____ _______wGqAQljbmV0LWNuZXTIAQE%26num%3D1)
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www.pctools.com (http://reviews.search.com/click?xsl,reviews.54.54.1438.0.1.7.3.5.5.0.popup%2 Bblocker.e1008d63d1aaba604d,http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoo gle%2Ecom%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dl%26q%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2E pctools%2Ecom%2Fspyware%2Ddoctor%2F%253Fref%253Dtr ial_google8%26ai%3DB6g5T3dO2Qf%2DyDay%2DOO2UgP4O8N ugCOKi9ZQB0MiY8wLgpxIQAhgCIOj59wEoBUjMOaoBCWNuZXQt Y25ldMgBAQ%26num%3D2)
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spywareremoversreview.com (http://reviews.search.com/click?xsl,reviews.54.54.1438.0.2.7.3.5.5.0.popup%2 Bblocker.e1e55272e15eb8f4da,http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoo gle%2Ecom%2Fpagead%2Ficlk%3Fadurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fw ww%2Espywareremoversreview%2Ecom%26sa%3Dl%26ai%3DB %2DSBn3dO2Qf%2DyDay%2DOO2UgP4O9raKBqDPkJMB6LD5BPD1 EhADGAMg6Pn3ASgFMAFIhjmgAaiI4P4DqgEJY25ldC1jbmV0yA EB%26num%3D3)
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www.popswatter.com (http://reviews.search.com/click?xsl,reviews.54.54.1438.0.4.7.3.5.5.0.popup%2 Bblocker.e137b5652d93e5680a,http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoo gle%2Ecom%2Fpagead%2Ficlk%3Fadurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fw ww%2Epopswatter%2Ecom%2F%253Fpartner%253DZPxdm159% 2526spu%253Dtrue%26sa%3Dl%26ai%3DBGMLN3dO2Qf%2DyDa y%2DOO2UgP4O1a2OCO2Vo5sBprDeBpChDxAFGAUg6Pn3ASgFSL 05oAGfy7X%2DA6oBCWNuZXQtY25ldMgBAQ%26num%3D5)

[angelisis]

this info is great guys....thanks *kiss* to you all.

[tobing]

Keith, most of these products are not free, only free trials. I have tried two of them, and they install BHO's themselves, or are associated with browser toolbars you don't want to install. Some sites feel like cheating, advertising a free product which turns out to be only free trial or contain adware of some sort. Sorry to say this.

Bottom line: I would not recommend any one of the popup blockers you mentioned...

[Keith]

Keith, most of these products are not free, only free trials. I have tried two of them, and they install BHO's themselves, or are associated with browser toolbars you don't want to install. Some sites feel like cheating, advertising a free product which turns out to be only free trial or contain adware of some sort. Sorry to say this.

Bottom line: I would not recommend any one of the popup blockers you mentioned...
Well, those are the recommended ones by CNET where they review and offer downloads of software. They are a professional outfit. If you want other popup blockers you just go to their downloads page and enter "popup blockers" in the search box for 3rd party freeware and shareware.

[tobing]

Well, those are the recommended ones by CNET where they review and offer downloads of software. They are a professional outfit...
Well, that's why I'm always somewhat suspicious when mags or sites recommend software. Look for where the money goes, as it is said. So for tools like we look for here, I usually test these tools on one of my PC's, and then recommend only those tools which I'm personally convinced are working fine and work stable for me on several systems for a while. Oh, and which are freeware of course, because I always prefer a freeware solution if possible.

On http://www.staedtebauen.de I have written an article (in german) about securing internet explorer and windows, with links and instructions, which is based on tools which are all freeware and which I'm using myself for months. If there is great interest I could sit down and translate that article.

[mouse]

Personally I use Panicware popup-stopper and it is free :D

[Keith]

I don't have to worry here, as AOL blocks popups for me.

One other note, while I think of it, a little while ago, someone was telling me that AOL's internal browser was changed to Netscape. True AOL bought Netscape, but I doubted that they changed to Netscape for their browser.

I was just checking out the specs on a new "security version" of AOL on AOL and right in their description it says the browser is MSIE 6.....just as I thought it was.

[Boobootifi]

I have been using Firefox exclusively for the past month and I love it. Not only did it automatically import my bookmarks from Netscape (which the other browsers are supposed to do but don't really), but it gives you a lot of options I love, including:

- you can set it so that it will only accept cookies from the *originating* website (i.e. I am on CNN, it will accept a cnn.com cookie, but not a doubleclick.net cookie attached to CNN).

- you can set it so it will block popup ads on a site unless you tell it NOT to -- I want popups on some sites, like my bank. A thing shows up under the title bar saying popups were blocked, and clicking it will set it so popups will show up for that site if you choose

You can do all the other good stuff like accept only certain cookies, or block certain sites completely, or not use any popups. It doesn't support Active X controls, which IMHO is great from a security standpoint. The degree to which you can customize your security options is really amazing.

...Boo

[Sandec]

If you use Internet Explorer and wish to continue doing so, Windows Service Pack 2 will do these same things. Blocks pop-ups unless you tell it not to, or allows a "this visit only" choice, doesn't support active x, etc. I've had this installed on both my home systems for over a month and ran search & destroy over the weekend just to see how things are working...not one spyware item on either system. Before the sp2, I was running s & d daily.

[Boobootifi]

Eww ... Windows Service Pack 2 played absolute havoc with my home network. If you have a computer that has to run on a VPN (virtual private network) because of work security, it's very difficult to manage. Apparently SP2 didn't like the VPN because whenever that machine was on the network, it would keep dropping everyone's Internet connections at random intervals, and only resetting the router would fix the connection. This is a problem when you have two people who work at home who need pretty much constant Internet access -- not to mention it makes playing Internet based games impossible. Whole problem evaporated when we deinstalled SP2 off all our machines.

...Boo

[Sandec]

Eww ... Windows Service Pack 2 played absolute havoc with my home network. If you have a computer that has to run on a VPN (virtual private network) because of work security, it's very difficult to manage. Apparently SP2 didn't like the VPN because whenever that machine was on the network, it would keep dropping everyone's Internet connections at random intervals, and only resetting the router would fix the connection. This is a problem when you have two people who work at home who need pretty much constant Internet access -- not to mention it makes playing Internet based games impossible. Whole problem evaporated when we deinstalled SP2 off all our machines.

...Boo

Ooops, sorry. I wasn't thinking that her situation was a VPN network situation. I was responding more in terms of a simple network (like mine at home) or a stand-alone situation. In simple situations, sp2 has worked fine. We do have a large VPN network here at the office and sp2 hasn't given us any problems as yet...crossing our fingers! Thanks, Boo, for bringing this up!

[Boobootifi]

It may be that our home situation has only one computer on the VPN and the other three are not. If all the computers are on the VPN, that's okay, but if they are not all on, that's fine too. Just a guess.

...Boo