Home Page Hijacked!

[WildCat]

My home page has been hijacked! And every time I reset it it gets hijacked again. I've run AdAware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Spy Sweeper. None have managed to find and zap the offending program. Spy Sweeper does manage to lock my preferred home page, but whatever program is trying to change it is still there. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to zap it for good?

And yes, I'm sure if I use Mozilla I won't have this problem. But I already know that!

[crapmike]

download hijackthis! (http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/)

scan and look for any strange registry , then delete it

[nyarltep]

what page is it directing you to?
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html
you may have the coolwebsearch trojan
browser hijack blaster may prevent this or other hijacks in the future
http://www.wilders.org/HTMLobj-1456/bhblastersetup.exe

[WildCat]

Thanks nyarltep, I think that finally got the bugger. It was the CoolWebSearch variety.

[garys_2k]

Originally posted by WildCat
Thanks nyarltep, I think that finally got the bugger. It was the CoolWebSearch variety.
Depending on the variant that can be an enormous pain in the a$$ to get rid of. New versions come out weekly. Anyone who gets this should get the LATEST version of the removal software to be sure they don't really mess up their machine.

See http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/ for important information on this nasty.

[UnrepentantSinner]

If any of you nerds wants to cull this forum for advice/solutions and put them into FAQ form - and then ad them to my FAQ thread (see the link in my sig) I personally would greatly appreciate it and I'm sure others would as well.

Otherwise I'll try and get around to it when the mood strikes me. :)

[jimlintott]

Don't you Windows, IE users ever get tired of this stuff. You seem to fix one bug or remove one virus or trojan just in time for the next one (http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5119440.html) .

When do you actually get to browse the web or do any work?

Do you realise that an OS that will allow a program to anonymously install over the internet is severely broken and should be considered unusable?

[garys_2k]

Originally posted by jimlintott
Don't you Windows, IE users ever get tired of this stuff. You seem to fix one bug or remove one virus or trojan just in time for the next one (http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5119440.html) .

When do you actually get to browse the web or do any work?

Do you realise that an OS that will allow a program to anonymously install over the internet is severely broken and should be considered unusable?
Blah blah blah...

This particualr exploit uses a security hole that was patched earlier this year, so the root cause of its success is due to users not updating their machines.

And just how often will those users update (recompile the kernel, grandma) with a less popular OS? Methinks it's more a function of the person in front of the screen rather than an inherent attibute of the OS.

[WildCat]

I do keep my OS updated and current, but this one got me before I installed the patch. Oh well, it's gone now.

The only reason I don't go to some other browser is that I can never be sure if the page is loaded correctly, not many web designers optimize for Mozilla and the others.

[jimlintott]

Blah blah blah...

This particualr exploit uses a security hole that was patched earlier this year, so the root cause of its success is due to users not updating their machines.

And just how often will those users update (recompile the kernel, grandma) with a less popular OS? Methinks it's more a function of the person in front of the screen rather than an inherent attibute of the OS.

Blah blah blah.

So it's OK for an OS to allow anonymous installation of unwanted software. Without the user's knowledge. Pardon me if I don't see how that is a user problem.

I don't think Mac OSX users are recompiling their kernels but they certainly benefit from a system with inherent security. I have always happily used stock kernels even though my OS is capable of compiling a new kernel. Can your OS offer you this level of flexibility? Do you realise that I could remotely log into Gramma's computer and recompile a new kernel for her? I'm sorry but MS Windows is a toy.

Any moron should be able to use a computer once it is set up. All they should need to know is how to turn it on and where the keyboard and mouse are.

[Soapy Sam]

Mouse?

[Ove]

So it's OK for an OS to allow anonymous installation of unwanted software. Without the user's knowledge. Pardon me if I don't see how that is a user problem.

I don't think Mac OSX users are recompiling their kernels but they certainly benefit from a system with inherent security. I have always happily used stock kernels even though my OS is capable of compiling a new kernel. Can your OS offer you this level of flexibility? Do you realise that I could remotely log into Gramma's computer and recompile a new kernel for her? I'm sorry but MS Windows is a toy.

Any moron should be able to use a computer once it is set up. All they should need to know is how to turn it on and where the keyboard and mouse are.

Ok and when you get the majority of software designers to make software that runs on your favourite OS then perhaps i would consider changing but i DO need to run more than a word processor and a spreadsheet and my kids love to play games (so do i) so your OS is out of the question for the moment.

Stop being so d*** selfrighteous. I don't like Monopoly$oft one bit more than you do but since 90% of the software on the marked is based on Windows there really isn't a choice unless off course you only use your computer for printing letters to Gramma and surfing on the net.:mad:

[jimlintott]

You know, I simply asked how windows users tolerate all the problems they have and when they get work done. I thought that was quite appropriate considering in the first post the poster stated that they actually knew the solution to the problem but wasn't interested in using it. Then I got slammed by someone and became somewhat defensive.

I am, frankly, OS agnostic. I do run a couple of Windows machines in my home and they are relatively stable and work just fine.

I'm not self righteous about computer operating systems. I really don't care. I do wonder about stupidity and why people would do something over and over with the full knowledge that alternatives exist that are less problematic.

I should add that I do a whole lot more than just run a Word processor (I don't use word processors, I hate them.) and browse the web. I do far more than I can with Windows which is why I don't use it.

[Sindai]

Originally posted by jimlintott
You know, I simply asked how windows users tolerate all the problems they have and when they get work done.

I've been using one version or another of Windows my whole life and the only really irritating one was ME, which is probably the least stable OS ever released. I still got by with it for a couple years, though, and even without antivirus or firewall software and using a broadband connection I never once had obvious virus or spyware trouble. It's possible spyware contributed to the need for a reformat/reinstallevery six months or so, but that usually just meant a day of downtime.

Now that I have XP, my computer is as stable as a rock (and just as stable as it was when I first installed back in August). And since I go to the piddling trouble of using antivirus, firewall, and antispyware software, as well as getting updates on a regular basis, I have never once had any trouble on any of those fronts either.

Also, whether you intend it or not, the question you ask either makes you look like a condescending jerk or someone genuinely ignorant of what using Windows is like.

[FFed]

I too have been using windows for a long time. I dual boot winME and winXP and both are completely stable. I have zero problems with them. My friend on the other hand gets his browser hijacked every now and then because he surfs porn way too much and keeps installing crap from those websites.
Why would I want to switch operating systems when mine works perfectly well and any software I want is available for it?

As for spyware just run adaware and spybot every now and then and things will be fine.

[Ove]

You know, I simply asked how windows users tolerate all the problems they have and when they get work done. I thought that was quite appropriate considering in the first post the poster stated that they actually knew the solution to the problem but wasn't interested in using it. Then I got slammed by someone and became somewhat defensive.

Well if you call what i did for "slamming" then i guess i did. I am simply tired of the practice of some people and i would not know if you are one of them. Basically the practice is:

Honest user: I have a problem with WIN ##???
Honest helper #1 : You can do this and that
Honest helper #2-4: or you can do ......

Irritating person: You could change to MAC-Linux-whatever is is just SO much better and works fine yada yada.

Sorry if i sound irritated but this is NOT a helpfull information. :(

Some of us live in the real world and have to use Monopoly$oft because, like i said earlier, 90% of all software in the world is Windows based and i know personally that my kids would kill me if i got a MAC and they couldn't play all their games.;)

I do wonder about stupidity and why people would do something over and over with the full knowledge that alternatives exist that are less problematic.

Which alternatives would that be? (remember they must be able to run all the most popular games on the market).

[jimlintott]

Ove, you didn't slam me someone else did. I perfectly understand what you are saying. I run Windows partitions for playing games as well, although I might argue that the PS2 handles all the great games. This thread started with a post that pretty plainly stated that while they knew about Mozilla they weren't really interested. A case of a better alternative but unwilling to try. I can't help those people. He wouldn't even have to switch operating systems.

I'm starting to find it humorous. Offer a slight criticism of Windows and people act like you called their baby ugly.

Here is an interesting technical tidbit. On the same (dual boot) machine I ran the Quake3 framerate tests. With the same settings Windows 98SE scored 54 fps - linux 87 fps. That is fairly significant. Linux certainly has great potential as a gaming platform. Time will tell.

Certainly I do understand that regardless of the choices available you have to select software and hardware based on what you want or need to do.

[Ove]

I'm starting to find it humorous. Offer a slight criticism of Windows and people act like you called their baby ugly.

Well it is probably because we are stuck with a not very good system which tends to make you touchy.:D :D

I've never tried Linux, does it run ALL Windows based programmes?