M
Mark
Hi all. I'm running Win 2K Pro. Since earlier today,
when I open I/E, instead of getting the web page I had set
to my home page in tools/internet options, I get this, "C\
WINNT\secure.html". This page is similar to the "blue
screen of death". It is DOS-like, and the text has to do
with that warning that your computer is vulnerable to
outside attack; Your IP address and ISP are....; At the
bottom of the page are three hyperlinks, which link to a
vendor of anti- spyware/adware called "Privacy Outpost".
I'm confident I have sufficient software of this type, but
the inconvenience of another advertisement is not my
problem. Since this thing attached itself to my copy of
I/E, I cannot get rid of it or change my home page to the
web site it used to be (or anything else, for that
matter). I can go into tools/internet options and change
the home page to whatever I want, then either click "OK",
or "Apply" then "OK", but as soon as I do click "OK", my
home page automatically goes back to this
new "secure.html" thing. I don't even have to do anything
else - just change the home page, click "OK", then go back
into "Internet Options" and my home page will be changed
back. I don't know what to make of this C\WINNT\
secure.html page. Normally when you click on the down
arrow at the right end of the URL line, you get your
current browse history; When I click on the URL line when
that (new home) page is loaded, I get a Windows hierarchy
tree (you know, Desktop/My Computer/C, and so forth). I
used the tree that comes up when I click on the down arrow
to figure where this file is located and I traced it to my
WINNT folder. I went to this folder using Windows
Explorer. Turns out it is an I/E-type file (with the blue
I/E "e" icon above it), called "secure.html". Another I/E-
type file was also created along with it, this one
called, "securea". When I open it, this file loads a
facsimile of the web page identifying the particulars of
my internet connection (and links to that "Privacy
Outpost" software vendor, of course). Their properties
indicated that they were both created today so it is
obviously something I just picked up on the net. I tried
deleting these icons (and their associated files, by
extension), and now when I open I/E first I get the I/E
error, "cannot open page....Make sure path...", then when
I click OK to that error message, I get a blank I/E page.
At this point it seems all but the "Favorites" tab at the
top of the page are unavailable. When I click on "Tools",
for example, instead of getting that list, which
has "Internet Options" at the bottom, nothing happens. I
can go ahead and click on a "Favorite", and that page will
load normally, then I'm in business as far as all the
other tabs are concerned (or I can manually type an
address into the URL line). I even used the I/E utility
that restores your browser to its original settings. I
have updated anti-virus software. Nothing I've tried will
allow me to get rid of this "C\WINNT\secure.html", as my
homepage. I have also blocked this "Privacy Outpost" site
suing third party privacy software. I/E cannot be be
separated from the rest of Windows (so I could delete and
subsequently re-install it), right? Anyone have an idea
about how I might be able to get rid of this thing? TIA.
Mark
when I open I/E, instead of getting the web page I had set
to my home page in tools/internet options, I get this, "C\
WINNT\secure.html". This page is similar to the "blue
screen of death". It is DOS-like, and the text has to do
with that warning that your computer is vulnerable to
outside attack; Your IP address and ISP are....; At the
bottom of the page are three hyperlinks, which link to a
vendor of anti- spyware/adware called "Privacy Outpost".
I'm confident I have sufficient software of this type, but
the inconvenience of another advertisement is not my
problem. Since this thing attached itself to my copy of
I/E, I cannot get rid of it or change my home page to the
web site it used to be (or anything else, for that
matter). I can go into tools/internet options and change
the home page to whatever I want, then either click "OK",
or "Apply" then "OK", but as soon as I do click "OK", my
home page automatically goes back to this
new "secure.html" thing. I don't even have to do anything
else - just change the home page, click "OK", then go back
into "Internet Options" and my home page will be changed
back. I don't know what to make of this C\WINNT\
secure.html page. Normally when you click on the down
arrow at the right end of the URL line, you get your
current browse history; When I click on the URL line when
that (new home) page is loaded, I get a Windows hierarchy
tree (you know, Desktop/My Computer/C, and so forth). I
used the tree that comes up when I click on the down arrow
to figure where this file is located and I traced it to my
WINNT folder. I went to this folder using Windows
Explorer. Turns out it is an I/E-type file (with the blue
I/E "e" icon above it), called "secure.html". Another I/E-
type file was also created along with it, this one
called, "securea". When I open it, this file loads a
facsimile of the web page identifying the particulars of
my internet connection (and links to that "Privacy
Outpost" software vendor, of course). Their properties
indicated that they were both created today so it is
obviously something I just picked up on the net. I tried
deleting these icons (and their associated files, by
extension), and now when I open I/E first I get the I/E
error, "cannot open page....Make sure path...", then when
I click OK to that error message, I get a blank I/E page.
At this point it seems all but the "Favorites" tab at the
top of the page are unavailable. When I click on "Tools",
for example, instead of getting that list, which
has "Internet Options" at the bottom, nothing happens. I
can go ahead and click on a "Favorite", and that page will
load normally, then I'm in business as far as all the
other tabs are concerned (or I can manually type an
address into the URL line). I even used the I/E utility
that restores your browser to its original settings. I
have updated anti-virus software. Nothing I've tried will
allow me to get rid of this "C\WINNT\secure.html", as my
homepage. I have also blocked this "Privacy Outpost" site
suing third party privacy software. I/E cannot be be
separated from the rest of Windows (so I could delete and
subsequently re-install it), right? Anyone have an idea
about how I might be able to get rid of this thing? TIA.
Mark