Changing IE home page?

[alice]

I have a XP PC and I set the home page for IE long ago. Now I want to
change it, but when I do, it won't take the change. I restart IE, and
the page is set to what it was, it just won't accept it. I've cleared
the cache and cookies,etc, scanned for adware and spyware and viruses,
but nothing will fix it. What can I do? Should I just uninstall and
reinstall IE?

 

[Ron Martell]

I have a XP PC and I set the home page for IE long ago. Now I want to
change it, but when I do, it won't take the change. I restart IE, and
the page is set to what it was, it just won't accept it. I've cleared
the cache and cookies,etc, scanned for adware and spyware and viruses,
but nothing will fix it. What can I do? Should I just uninstall and
reinstall IE?

Two possibilities:

1. Your computer is infested with a "Home Page Hijacker" that is not
being detected by your antivirus & antispyware software. Get a
second opinion by doing a free online scan at one of the following
sites:
Bit Defender http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html
Trend Micro http://housecall.trendmicro.com
Kaspersky Online Scanner http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
Panda ActiveScan http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan
WindowSecurity.com TrojanScan http://windowssecurity.com/trojanscan
Webroot http://www.webroot.com/

2. You have some sort of "Internet Security" software installed that
has locked in your Internet settings and is resisting any change.
Properly designed software of this type should provide you with an
advisory note whenever it blocks a change of this type, and give you
an opportunity to override the protective software.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[alice]

2. You have some sort of "Internet Security" software installed that
has locked in your Internet settings and is resisting any change.
Properly designed software of this type should provide you with an
advisory note whenever it blocks a change of this type, and give you
an opportunity to override the protective software.

I'm using Adware, but in my experience, that should still allow me to
change it in the browser with no problem.

 

[Ron Martell]

I'm using Adware, but in my experience, that should still allow me to
change it in the browser with no problem.

I assume that you mean AdAware, from Lavasoft.

Have you updated it lately? When you start the program the
definitions file line should say SE 1R124 19 09 2006 Loaded
If not then click on the "Check for updates now" link in the lower
right part of the window and get the latest update. Then do a
complete scan.

And while AdAware is a pretty good product (I use it myself and
recommend it often) it is not by itself sufficient protection. In
fact there is no single product that provides a reasonably complete
and effective spyware protection. You need at least two products
operating in a "tag team" approach. Spybot Search and Destroy is
another good product that is often used in tandem with AdAware. Get
it from http://www.safer-networking.org/

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[WTC]

I'm using Adware, but in my experience, that should still allow me to
change it in the browser with no problem.

If you are using a Norton product,

I Cannot Change My Internet Home Page
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPOR...05092908520406&nsf=nav.nsf&view=docid&seg=hho

If you have Zone Alarm 6.5 installed then users are reporting they cannot
change their home page.
http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/search?type=message&q=cannot+change+home+page&page_size=10