*** read this before posting any problems with your pc ***

[FridgeMagnet]

If you are coming across strange behaviour from Windows / Internet Explorer, such as

• home page being changed all the time
• mysterious popups appearing
• constantly redirected to a particular site

it is likely that you have been infected with adware, a program designed (as the name suggests) to bombard you with adverts.

The best way of getting rid of it is to run one of the specialised programs that do this. Two popular ones are:

Ad-aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/

If those don't work, you might like to try:

Bazooka
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/index.html

(please suggest any others that are known to be good)

Please be careful when using other programs, as some of them actually install spyware/adware. There is never any need to pay money for them - ones which ask you for money are usually rip-offs of other people's work. Never use any program advertised in spam or popups, you could do more damage to your computer with these so-called "solutions".

One particularly persistent piece of adware is called CoolWebSearch. If you have a variant of this and the above programs aren't helping, you might find the following program useful: CWShredder.

Spyware and adware are installed either by other programs that you have downloaded and installed, or through security holes in Internet Explorer. You might wish to switch to another browser such as Mozilla or Opera.

Anti-virus programs and firewalls will not necessarily protect you against spyware and adware, though they are important in their own right.

ALSO:

PC Problems
Oh, No--My PC Won't Even Boot!
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,2,00.asp

Why Is My PC Behaving Strangely?
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,3,00.asp

Why Does My PC Run So Slowly?
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,4,00.asp

Support Tips From the Pros
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,6,00.asp

Tools and Tips for the Most Frustrating PC Problems
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,7,00.asp

Networking/Wi-Fi
What's Wrong With My Network?
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,125161,pg,5,00.asp

Wi Fi FAQ
http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/faq.html

TCP/IP Home Networking and File Sharing Tutorial
http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net.asp

Apple Mac
MacFixIt Tutorials
http://www.macfixit.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20031209121115375

*If these guides don't help, feel free to look through and ask questions in the info-packed thread on these boards:
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=66605

 

[miss minnie]

online parasite detection script

visit the link, while the page loads it looks for parasites attached to your browser and lists the results.

the site also has loads of information on parasites and instructions for manual removal, although spybot/ad-aware is usually the simplest route to take.

lots of useful links too.

 

[Elpenor]

All of FM's suggestions. I've also found running Hijack this to help.

It produces a logfile which the makers recommend posting at their forums (links on the page). Otherwise you could delete the wrong stuff.

I've found a combination of this, CWShredder, Adaware and Spybot sufficient to keep all the computers on the house network ad-free.

 

[JFC]

Yes, my web browser at work is infected with this (from the previous user of teh computer) I tried CW shredder which removes it and it comes back again whe nI reboot. i don;t really want to run adaware etc on the pc.

The MD of coolwebsearch needs an extemely stroppy and highly poisonous snake inserting up his arse

 

[Loki]

i don;t really want to run adaware etc on the pc.

Why not? It's harmless & safe.

 

[ion]

Good post FM. Been seeing more and more of this in Computer forum lately.

 

[tOka]

I have had Adaware running on my pootahs now for over a year, and usually do a full system scan every week or two. It amazes me how many files it detects, and deletes from each scan. It's never less than 5 and often as many as 20. I've not really been plagued by pop-ups etc but I just don't like the idea of tracking cookies etc.

Worthy post FM

 

[gnoriac]

Another scumware strategy, though not that common, is a dodgy BHO (Background Helper Object), a small program that gets run every time IE starts up. They don't always get picked up by the other programs mentioned, so if other things fail try BHO demon which, like many good things, is freeware.

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

If you don't want to install anything

can I recommend, Spyware info's spyware scanner.

http://www.spywareinfo.com/xscan.php



It scans and removes using active X. If prompted allow the command.

 

[Tom A]

Thanks for that online detection script, miss minnie, I ran it on my mum's computer, which had been attacked by such a browser hijacker, and it detected the bastard, even though it evaded the virus scanners and was thought to be eliminated. I have also installed Mozilla on her computer, which should be a lot more resistant to hijack attempts.

 

[Mab]

Hooray!!!! Finally after 12 days I finally enabled my high speed connection. I had wires everywhere. However, I don't understand this "freezing" or why my "" has switched keys with the @. Or put another way; why is the 2 key when on shift " when it should be @. @ with shift is now the " key.

Sorry, but ya know what I mean?

 

[miss minnie]

wrong thread.

 

[the scouser]

Hooray!!!! Finally after 12 days I finally enabled my high speed connection. I had wires everywhere. However, I don't understand this "freezing" or why my "" has switched keys with the @. Or put another way; why is the 2 key when on shift " when it should be @. @ with shift is now the " key.

Sorry, but ya know what I mean?

Your @ being replaced with " is due to you having U$A keyboard settings on windows - go to control panel - then keyboard - and language settings - change it to UK settings

 

[Lub]

Help!

My browser homepage has been changed to:
'http://searchexe.com/passthrough/popupbaropener.html'.

I've checked the settings and changed the homepage in internet properties, but it only stays like this during the same session. Have tried all the above spyware/adware progs but its still there along with an extremely annoying extra toolbar 'Nurb manager mode'.

Sound familiar? Any advice of how to get rid of this shite?

 

[Njustice]

Help!

My browser homepage has been changed to:
'http://searchexe.com/passthrough/popupbaropener.html'.

I've checked the settings and changed the homepage in internet properties, but it only stays like this during the same session. Have tried all the above spyware/adware progs but its still there along with an extremely annoying extra toolbar 'Nurb manager mode'.

Sound familiar? Any advice of how to get rid of this shite?

Download 'Hijack This!'. http://mjc1.com/files/merijn/HijackThis.exe
Put into a permanent folder, double click HijackThis.exe, and hit "Scan".

When the scan is finished, the "Scan" button will change into a "Save Log" button.
Press that, save the log, Ctrl-A to Select All, and paste Ctrl-V its contents in a new thread.

Ad-Aware|AVG Free Edition|CoolWeb Shredder |HijackThis|IE-SPYAD|Spybot S&D|SpywareBlaster|SpywareGuard
Caution: Do not use HiJackThis without the advice of an expert!!!

 

[Lub]

Thanks for the advice NJustice.

 

[Njustice]

Your welcome Lub.....

Here is a new link for HJT so you don't need to unzip....just double click and run.
HijackThis

 

[feyr]

i've tried the online checker, i've downloaded a couple of the spyware removal programs, i've run several virus thingys and i've tried to manuallyy remove the files, but still i'm re-directed to sodding webalize search page anyone else had this one and know how the hell to get rid of it?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Followed the steps here?
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/library/searchcentrix.webalize/index.phtml

There's a link there to a scanner that I don't think's been mentioned so far, something called Bazooka:
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/index.html

 

[feyr]

cheers fridgemagnet

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Let us know if it works and if so, I'll add that scanner to the first post on this thread.

 

[feyr]

it does indeed work

 

[LDR]

I got attacked by omegasearch.

It took me almost half a day to sort it out.

 

[walktome]

This has happened to my IE. I now use Opera most of the time, but it for some reason keeps freezing every time I try to log into u75. Anyways though, I have run Lavasoft's AdAware and I still seem to be getting popups. Maybe I'll try one of the other programs. But this one has worked for the past little while. Oh well.

 

[editor]

This is quite a handy one too:

Fed up with web adverts and dodgy tracking cookies from ad servers?

Check out Mike Skallas' Ad Blocking Hosts file.

(Naturally, I'd recommend that you use it with your anti-virus checker, Ad Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy to keep your PC free of ever increasing amounts of shite)

 

[Wintermute]

<begin rant>

CoolWebSearch. Oh, CoolWebSearch. You bunch of cunts. You parasitic fucking cunts. You leeching, malicious, conniving wankers. Watching your own entrails being wound round a hot poker several feet away would be a merciful death for you.

I KNOW it's my own fault; I use the lamest fucking browser on the lamest fucking OS on the planet, and i still don't bother running windows update. I'm a fucking web developer, ferchrissakes, and i still don't do it. Well, I've done what I should have done a long time ago and have switched to Mozilla. I ran the AdAwares and the S&D's and the CWshredders, and got the hosts file and and went through my fucking registry till my eyes went funny - and a respectful thankyou goes out to this thread; U75, a mine of useful info as usual - but CoolWebSearch: a very, very special place in Hell is reserved especially for you. And it's going to involve pain and humiliation and frustration and as much boiling tar as I can find. You Cunts.

</rant>

 

[Lord Hugh]

CWS. I will kill the motherfucker that made this. I've run Ad-aware, Spybot, CWShredder, Bazooka, Norton & Anti-Vir (all up-to-date) & it still keeps coming back I'm now in the process of trying the other progs suggested. Fuck.

 

[hovis]

CWS. I will kill the motherfucker that made this. I've run Ad-aware, Spybot, CWShredder, Bazooka, Norton & Anti-Vir (all up-to-date) & it still keeps coming back I'm now in the process of trying the other progs suggested. Fuck.

My oldies have the same problem. I ran CWshredder, adaware, they have norton internet security and anti-virus, and they got a computer bloke in. And it is still bloody there!! Arse.

If I knew what the registry entry was I would delete it. But I don't know which version of CSW it is, or what it is disguised as.

Bumholes.

 

[rorymac]

CoolWebSearch ... fuckin evil bastard!!
I haven't been on line so much the last few days and it's now it really fuckin winds me up ... before I'd just get rid of it while I did me stuff ..but now I see it like a burglar that burgles you every day... I want to catch it and torture it and it's maker til they squeel and til as Michael my Romanian mate says .. 'rory the heart it go pop .... focky pop' ..
If I can find out how to get rid of the bollix I'll post it up
But it aint gonna happen
But please post up if you suss how to zap the filthy bloody rapist !!

 

[Lord Hugh]

Ygotta turn off system restore first. I *think* it's gone now. Turn off system restore, then blast it with CWShredder, adaware & possibly spybot, just in case. I'll tell you if it comes back though