[fredsbedsnb]

Back to the Drawing board. I have 2 porn sites in my IE favorites list that
is tied to a search engine shortcut (about: blank) I downloaded Microsoft's
Beta utility AntiSpyware. It identified the offending start page. But, I ran
a program called AdAware SE and it changed the start page back to : Blank and
rewrote the porn sites into my IE Favorites. Deleted the AdAware SE program
but the Utility will not get rid of the Three shortcuts; You can reset the
browser settings in the Microsoft Utility but shut the system down and i'm at
square one. Help!

Thanks

[Malke]

fredsbedsnb wrote:

> Back to the Drawing board. I have 2 porn sites in my IE favorites list
> that is tied to a search engine shortcut (about: blank) I downloaded
> Microsoft's Beta utility AntiSpyware. It identified the offending
> start page. But, I ran a program called AdAware SE and it changed the
> start page back to : Blank and rewrote the porn sites into my IE
> Favorites. Deleted the AdAware SE program but the Utility will not get
> rid of the Three shortcuts; You can reset the browser settings in the
> Microsoft Utility but shut the system down and i'm at square one.
> Help!
>
> Thanks

Ad-aware (if you got the legitimate program from Lavasoft) will not do
this. I suspect you have more malware problems. Go through these
malware removal steps systematically, doing everything with updated
tools in Safe Mode.

First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's
Temporary Files, go to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab.
You'll see where you can delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear
its cache by going to Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows
Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr [enter]. Then follow these detailed
malware removal steps, doing everything with updated tools in Safe
Mode. You can find all the links to referenced programs and sites on
my website here:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
antivirus using updated definitions.

Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
below.

2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.

Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).

If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See the links on my
website for a HijackThis tutorial and places where you can post your
HJT log. Again, this is an expert tool and novices should get help
with it.

3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
(Run>cleanmgr).

4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.

5) Run a firewall.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[fredsbedsnb]

Thank you for your help. I was able to hijack IE back.

"Malke" wrote:

> fredsbedsnb wrote:
>
> > Back to the Drawing board. I have 2 porn sites in my IE favorites list
> > that is tied to a search engine shortcut (about: blank) I downloaded
> > Microsoft's Beta utility AntiSpyware. It identified the offending
> > start page. But, I ran a program called AdAware SE and it changed the
> > start page back to : Blank and rewrote the porn sites into my IE
> > Favorites. Deleted the AdAware SE program but the Utility will not get
> > rid of the Three shortcuts; You can reset the browser settings in the
> > Microsoft Utility but shut the system down and i'm at square one.
> > Help!
> >
> > Thanks
>
> Ad-aware (if you got the legitimate program from Lavasoft) will not do
> this. I suspect you have more malware problems. Go through these
> malware removal steps systematically, doing everything with updated
> tools in Safe Mode.
>
> First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's
> Temporary Files, go to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab.
> You'll see where you can delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear
> its cache by going to Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows
> Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr [enter]. Then follow these detailed
> malware removal steps, doing everything with updated tools in Safe
> Mode. You can find all the links to referenced programs and sites on
> my website here:
>
> http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
>
> 1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
> antivirus using updated definitions.
>
> Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
> below.
>
> 2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
> programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
> There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
> install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
> CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.
>
> Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
> to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
> all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).
>
> If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
> scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
> disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See the links on my
> website for a HijackThis tutorial and places where you can post your
> HJT log. Again, this is an expert tool and novices should get help
> with it.
>
> 3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
> Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
> Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
> With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
> System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
> (Run>cleanmgr).
>
> 4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
> patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.
>
> 5) Run a firewall.
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>

[Malke]

fredsbedsnb wrote:

> Thank you for your help. I was able to hijack IE back.
>

Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to let me
know.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User