Internet Explorer could not open the search page

[Timbo]

I had a problem with internet explorer about 4 days ago.
I'm running Windows XP Home edition. Anyways, I would
open internet explorer 6.0 and when I typed in a web
address, all I would get is an error called shdoclc.dll.
I managed to work my way around that, but now when I type
in a website into the address bar, it drastically flips
through web pages in a way such as this:

I type in www.microsoft.com
it checks it, then check www.microsoft.org .net .gov .edu

After this madness, it pops-up with a window that says
Internet Explorer could not open the search page. I hope
I was descriptive enough, any help is appreciated, thank
you in advance.

Timbo

 

[H Leboeuf]

There's a good possibility that this is being caused by a third-party
program (adware, spyware, parasite).
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

If you find this one get the removal tool.
CoolWebSearch - CWS http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/cws/
More: Where a removal program is available.
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html
Direct Download: If the site is not available.
http://216.180.252.218/~spywareinfo.com/downloads/tools/cwshredder.zip


If unable to search with all search engines, then check this out.
Qhosts virus/trojan, ALERT!.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_100719.htm
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/trojqhosts1.html

Removal tools that have been used with success.
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/CIS/Software_Services/virus/index.html
http://software.brown.edu/dist/w-cleanqhosts.html

Be sure that you install hotfix 828750 which fixes the exploit that this
virus uses:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/828750/default.asp

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

I type in www.microsoft.com

it checks it, then check www.microsoft.org .net .gov .edu

Are you sure it it wasn't checking
www.www.microsoft.com.com
www.www.microsoft.com.org
etc.?

If so the explanation would be that there is something wrong with
your DNS and Autosearch and lookups were being done based on
the domain name patterns under this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\UrlTemplate

Until you fix both things which are failing you could avoid your symptom
by prefixing each "website" you enter with a proper protocol identifier
(e.g. http://). That wouldn't do anything about the first lookup problem
(though perhaps IE would try harder for you then <g>) but it would avoid
the Autosearch and subsequent AutoScan (which is what that sequence
of trial lookups used to be called.)


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle