Browser goes to unwanted page when invalid web address is entered.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kevin
  • Start date Start date
K

Kevin

Hello:

Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?

Kevin
 
Hi Kevin - Sounds like this might be a variant of some malware called
CoolWebSearch (if not, then see AdAware, SpyBot, and HijackThis, below). Do
the following:

Download, UPDATE before running, and run:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe to remove the parasite.
Be sure to close all instances of IE and OE. You may also get it here if
that link is blocked: http://www.zerosrealm.com/downloads/CWShredder.zip

You will need to disable System Restore and then reboot your system
in order to clear the CWS garbage from the backups. After rebooting, then
re-enable System Restore.

The following link gives instructions on how to disable it:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPOR...sf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=



Then download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/iegentabs.reg to restore your
tabs and remove any restrictions that the parasite has put in place.

Be sure that you also download and install hotfix Q816093, here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093#appliesto

which blocks the exploit upon which this parasite family depends.

Now download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/RestoreSearch2.REG to restore
your search functions.


However, this also indicates that you may have acquired some other malware
along the way. If you go to this page at Jim Eshelman's site, here:
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm and wait a little bit (be patient), an analysis
of a number of possible parasites on your machine will be made to help you
identify and remove them. NOTE: You will need to disable Ad Blocking in Zone
Alarm 3.x, if present or any other Ad Blocking software which interferes
with Java Scripting for this scan to work. You should get a message between
the two lines of **** giving the results of the scan.

Get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. UPDATE and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. If it has to fix
things, be sure to re-boot and rerun AdAware again and repeat this cycle
until you get a clean scan. The reason is that it may have to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After UPDATING and fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be
sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a
clean "no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm



If they don't fix it then start here:

Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (Always download a new
fresh copy of HijackThis [and CWShredder also] - It's UPDATED frequently.)
You may also get it here if that link is blocked:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=3155&file=3&evp=3304750663b552982a8baee6434cfc13

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click the
Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log which
will create Startuplist.txt

Then go to one of the following forums:

Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://216.180.233.162/~swicom/forums/

or Net-Integration here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-...86d536d57b5f65b6e40c55365e;act=ST;f=27;t=6949

or Tom Coyote here: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?act=idx

Sign in, then copy and paste both files into a message asking for
assistance, Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal
of your parasite(s).




Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it UPDATED) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit-links for a variety
of parasites.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Keep it UPDATED. Both Very Highly Recommended


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 
Actually seems you have been put through alot of pain
when you could have used system restore to restore
your system to a point before the crap got on your
computer.
Thats what i did. took a few minutes
At least it worked on the tool bar that infected
my computer.
-----Original Message-----
Hi Kevin - Sounds like this might be a variant of some malware called
CoolWebSearch (if not, then see AdAware, SpyBot, and HijackThis, below). Do
the following:

Download, UPDATE before running, and run:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe to remove the parasite.
Be sure to close all instances of IE and OE. You may also get it here if
that link is blocked: http://www.zerosrealm.com/downloads/CWShredder.zip

You will need to disable System Restore and then reboot your system
in order to clear the CWS garbage from the backups. After rebooting, then
re-enable System Restore.

The following link gives instructions on how to disable it:
2001111912274039?
Open&src=sec_doc_nam&docid=2001012513122239&nsf=tsgeninfo.
nsf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=



Then download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/iegentabs.reg to restore your
tabs and remove any restrictions that the parasite has put in place.

Be sure that you also download and install hotfix Q816093, here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093#appliesto

which blocks the exploit upon which this parasite family depends.

Now download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-
Click to expand...
xp.com/regs_edits/RestoreSearch2.REG to restore
your search functions.


However, this also indicates that you may have acquired some other malware
along the way. If you go to this page at Jim Eshelman's site, here:
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm and wait a little bit (be patient), an analysis
of a number of possible parasites on your machine will be made to help you
identify and remove them. NOTE: You will need to disable Ad Blocking in Zone
Alarm 3.x, if present or any other Ad Blocking software which interferes
with Java Scripting for this scan to work. You should get a message between
the two lines of **** giving the results of the scan.

Get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. UPDATE and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. If it has to fix
things, be sure to re-boot and rerun AdAware again and repeat this cycle
until you get a clean scan. The reason is that it may have to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-
Click to expand...
bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After UPDATING and fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be
sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a
clean "no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm



If they don't fix it then start here:

Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (Always download a new
fresh copy of HijackThis [and CWShredder also] - It's UPDATED frequently.)
You may also get it here if that link is blocked:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php? id=3155&file=3&evp=3304750663b552982a8baee6434cfc13

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click the
Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log which
will create Startuplist.txt

Then go to one of the following forums:

Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://216.180.233.162/~swicom/forums/

or Net-Integration here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi- bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?
s=d3c2c886d536d57b5f65b6e40c55365e;act=ST;f=27;t=6949

or Tom Coyote here: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?act=idx

Sign in, then copy and paste both files into a message asking for
assistance, Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal
of your parasite(s).




Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it UPDATED) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit- links for a variety
of parasites.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Keep it UPDATED. Both Very Highly Recommended


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Kevin said:
Hello:

Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?

Kevin
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
Kevin said:
Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?
Click to expand...

Secure your system and keep it protected/updated by following these tips:

Popups and Home Page Hijacks come in several flavors.. However, if
you use most of the items in the list I am about to give you, you will
lessen your popups, security holes and spam all with one list. Your
problem may be Messenger Popups (you should follow the firewall
advice and do a Google search on 'disable messenger service in
windows xp' to fix this) or web page popups (you should follow the
Google Toolbar advice section for these.) You may have
spyware/adware infesting your machine, follow the appropriate
section for that, making sure you use at least THREE of the tools
I list to scan and clean your machine AFTER updating them.
Cleaning up spyware/adware/malware usually solves home page
hijackers as well.

Please Notice that if you use AOL, you should at least upgrade to 9.0 or
greater before doing any of the fixes. I know you can get AOL 9.0 at almost
any convenience store, gas station, super market or other retail outlet in
the world, so this should not be a problem.


Turn on that firewall...
http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/home/using/howto/homenet/icf.asp
(It has been reported that it now works with AOL 9.0+)


Make sure you have all the updates (critical) installed from:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
(Scan for updates, Review and Install)


Get rid of the spy/ad/mal-ware..
(Yes - using MORE than one of these..
I recommend at least the first three. Also..
UPDATE the definitions for them before using.)

Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.net/

Lavasoft AdAware
http://www.lavasoft.de

CWSShredder
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html

Hijack This!
http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/

I also like "The Cleaner" and "SpywareBlaster" and "SpywareGuard".
- http://www.moosoft.com/
- http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/

The first is a PAY product, but useable for 30 days - it has found and
eliminated problems in the past the others did not. The latter two are
prevention mechanisms. I like SpywareGuard for those with enough processor
to have something running like antivirus software - and it prevents browser
hijacking quite well.

And Assortment of Others:
http://www.merijn.org/downloads.html


After you cleanup your PC somewhat of spy/ad/mal-ware, verify your antivirus
software is updated and run a full scan of your computer. If you have no
antivirus software - get one NOW! Grisoft AntiVirus:
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php


Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to about
80 to 120MB (seems to be an optimal size for the normal user)

- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section,
do the following:
- Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
- Click on "Settings" and change the
"Amount of disk space to use:" to something between 80MB
and 120MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right now.)
- Click OK.
- Click on "Delete Files" and select to
"Delete all offline contents" (the checkbox) and click
OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10 minutes or
more.)
- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer
- Re-open Internet Explorer.


Uninstall any software you do not use often/ever. (If you have something
installed but never use it, uninstall it.) If you go through Control
Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and see things you seldom if ever use, it is to
your advantage to remove it.


Also, if you are tired of Web Page Pop-Ups/Unders.. You could try the
Google Toolbar.
http://toolbar.google.com/


Stop loading applications at logon.. run MSCONFIG and look under the startup
tab for things you DON'T want to startup! Search the Internet with Google
to discover what things are safe to remove and what things may even be
malware infecting your computer.


Better control your email and lessen the amount of time you spend dealing
with SPAM:
SpamBayes
http://spambayes.sourceforge.net
or
Spamihilator.
http://www.spamihilator.com
 
Comet said:
Actually seems you have been put through alot of pain
when you could have used system restore to restore
your system to a point before the crap got on your
computer.
Thats what i did. took a few minutes
At least it worked on the tool bar that infected
my computer.
Click to expand...

Did you then install applications to prevent it from happening in the
future? Or do you just want to wait until it is noticable again (sometimes
takes weeks/months) then try the system restore again - when it won't go
back far enough to help you? heh
 
Jim:

When I go to the page with the microsoft hotfix, it
refers me to the Microsoft Update page, which looks for
updates that I do not have. It does not detect that I do
not have hotfix Q816093. I checked to see if I already
have it, and I do not. Is there anywhere else I can ge
the fix?

Kevin
-----Original Message-----
Hi Kevin - Sounds like this might be a variant of some malware called
CoolWebSearch (if not, then see AdAware, SpyBot, and HijackThis, below). Do
the following:

Download, UPDATE before running, and run:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe to remove the parasite.
Be sure to close all instances of IE and OE. You may also get it here if
that link is blocked: http://www.zerosrealm.com/downloads/CWShredder.zip

You will need to disable System Restore and then reboot your system
in order to clear the CWS garbage from the backups. After rebooting, then
re-enable System Restore.

The following link gives instructions on how to disable it:
2001111912274039?
Open&src=sec_doc_nam&docid=2001012513122239&nsf=tsgeninfo.
nsf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=



Then download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/iegentabs.reg to restore your
tabs and remove any restrictions that the parasite has put in place.

Be sure that you also download and install hotfix Q816093, here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093#appliesto

which blocks the exploit upon which this parasite family depends.

Now download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-
Click to expand...
xp.com/regs_edits/RestoreSearch2.REG to restore
your search functions.


However, this also indicates that you may have acquired some other malware
along the way. If you go to this page at Jim Eshelman's site, here:
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm and wait a little bit (be patient), an analysis
of a number of possible parasites on your machine will be made to help you
identify and remove them. NOTE: You will need to disable Ad Blocking in Zone
Alarm 3.x, if present or any other Ad Blocking software which interferes
with Java Scripting for this scan to work. You should get a message between
the two lines of **** giving the results of the scan.

Get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. UPDATE and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. If it has to fix
things, be sure to re-boot and rerun AdAware again and repeat this cycle
until you get a clean scan. The reason is that it may have to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-
Click to expand...
bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After UPDATING and fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be
sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a
clean "no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm



If they don't fix it then start here:

Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (Always download a new
fresh copy of HijackThis [and CWShredder also] - It's UPDATED frequently.)
You may also get it here if that link is blocked:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php? id=3155&file=3&evp=3304750663b552982a8baee6434cfc13

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click the
Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log which
will create Startuplist.txt

Then go to one of the following forums:

Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://216.180.233.162/~swicom/forums/

or Net-Integration here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi- bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?
s=d3c2c886d536d57b5f65b6e40c55365e;act=ST;f=27;t=6949

or Tom Coyote here: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?act=idx

Sign in, then copy and paste both files into a message asking for
assistance, Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal
of your parasite(s).




Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it UPDATED) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit- links for a variety
of parasites.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Keep it UPDATED. Both Very Highly Recommended


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Kevin said:
Hello:

Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?

Kevin
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Kevin - You can get it by using the Catalog function at Windows Update
appropriate to your particular OS per the following:

HOW TO: Download Windows updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=323166

From 816093:

"Network administrators can download this update from the Windows Update
Catalog to deploy to multiple computers that already have the Microsoft VM
installed:
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog

If you have to obtain this update to install later on one or more than one
computer, search for this article ID number by using the Advanced Search
Options in the Windows Update Catalog. For additional information about how
to download updates from the Windows Update Catalog, click the following
article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
323166 HOW TO: Download Windows updates and drivers from the Windows Update
Catalog"



--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Jim:

When I go to the page with the microsoft hotfix, it
refers me to the Microsoft Update page, which looks for
updates that I do not have. It does not detect that I do
not have hotfix Q816093. I checked to see if I already
have it, and I do not. Is there anywhere else I can ge
the fix?

Kevin
-----Original Message-----
Hi Kevin - Sounds like this might be a variant of some malware called
CoolWebSearch (if not, then see AdAware, SpyBot, and HijackThis, below). Do
the following:

Download, UPDATE before running, and run:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe to remove the parasite.
Be sure to close all instances of IE and OE. You may also get it here if
that link is blocked: http://www.zerosrealm.com/downloads/CWShredder.zip

You will need to disable System Restore and then reboot your system
in order to clear the CWS garbage from the backups. After rebooting, then
re-enable System Restore.

The following link gives instructions on how to disable it:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/ 2001111912274039?
Open&src=sec_doc_nam&docid=2001012513122239&nsf=tsgeninfo.
nsf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=



Then download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/iegentabs.reg to restore your
tabs and remove any restrictions that the parasite has put in place.

Be sure that you also download and install hotfix Q816093, here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093#appliesto

which blocks the exploit upon which this parasite family depends.

Now download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner- xp.com/regs_edits/RestoreSearch2.REG to restore
your search functions.


However, this also indicates that you may have acquired some other malware
along the way. If you go to this page at Jim Eshelman's site, here:
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm and wait a little bit (be patient), an analysis
of a number of possible parasites on your machine will be made to help you
identify and remove them. NOTE: You will need to disable Ad Blocking in Zone
Alarm 3.x, if present or any other Ad Blocking software which interferes
with Java Scripting for this scan to work. You should get a message between
the two lines of **** giving the results of the scan.

Get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. UPDATE and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. If it has to fix
things, be sure to re-boot and rerun AdAware again and repeat this cycle
until you get a clean scan. The reason is that it may have to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-
Click to expand...
bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After UPDATING and fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be
sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a
clean "no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm



If they don't fix it then start here:

Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (Always download a new
fresh copy of HijackThis [and CWShredder also] - It's UPDATED frequently.)
You may also get it here if that link is blocked:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?
id=3155&file=3&evp=3304750663b552982a8baee6434cfc13

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click the
Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log which
will create Startuplist.txt

Then go to one of the following forums:

Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://216.180.233.162/~swicom/forums/

or Net-Integration here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi- bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?
s=d3c2c886d536d57b5f65b6e40c55365e;act=ST;f=27;t=6949

or Tom Coyote here: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?act=idx

Sign in, then copy and paste both files into a message asking for
assistance, Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal
of your parasite(s).




Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it UPDATED) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit- links for a variety
of parasites.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Keep it UPDATED. Both Very Highly Recommended


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Kevin said:
Hello:

Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?

Kevin
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Jim:

I did as you responded. I managed to download and run
the utility to remove the Cool Web. However, when I go
to the page with the microsoft hotfix, it
refers me to the Microsoft Update page, which looks for
updates that I do not have. It does not detect that I do
not have hotfix Q816093. I checked to see if I already
have it, and I do not. Is there anywhere else I can get
the fix?

Kevin
-----Original Message-----
Hi Kevin - Sounds like this might be a variant of some malware called
CoolWebSearch (if not, then see AdAware, SpyBot, and HijackThis, below). Do
the following:

Download, UPDATE before running, and run:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe to remove the parasite.
Be sure to close all instances of IE and OE. You may also get it here if
that link is blocked: http://www.zerosrealm.com/downloads/CWShredder.zip

You will need to disable System Restore and then reboot your system
in order to clear the CWS garbage from the backups. After rebooting, then
re-enable System Restore.

The following link gives instructions on how to disable it:
2001111912274039?
Open&src=sec_doc_nam&docid=2001012513122239&nsf=tsgeninfo.
nsf&view=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=



Then download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/iegentabs.reg to restore your
tabs and remove any restrictions that the parasite has put in place.

Be sure that you also download and install hotfix Q816093, here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093#appliesto

which blocks the exploit upon which this parasite family depends.

Now download and run:
http://www.kellys-korner-
Click to expand...
xp.com/regs_edits/RestoreSearch2.REG to restore
your search functions.


However, this also indicates that you may have acquired some other malware
along the way. If you go to this page at Jim Eshelman's site, here:
http://aumha.org/a/noads.htm and wait a little bit (be patient), an analysis
of a number of possible parasites on your machine will be made to help you
identify and remove them. NOTE: You will need to disable Ad Blocking in Zone
Alarm 3.x, if present or any other Ad Blocking software which interferes
with Java Scripting for this scan to work. You should get a message between
the two lines of **** giving the results of the scan.

Get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. UPDATE and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. If it has to fix
things, be sure to re-boot and rerun AdAware again and repeat this cycle
until you get a clean scan. The reason is that it may have to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-
Click to expand...
bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After UPDATING and fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be
sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a
clean "no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove
things which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.

Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm



If they don't fix it then start here:

Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (Always download a new
fresh copy of HijackThis [and CWShredder also] - It's UPDATED frequently.)
You may also get it here if that link is blocked:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php? id=3155&file=3&evp=3304750663b552982a8baee6434cfc13

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click the
Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log which
will create Startuplist.txt

Then go to one of the following forums:

Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://216.180.233.162/~swicom/forums/

or Net-Integration here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi- bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?
s=d3c2c886d536d57b5f65b6e40c55365e;act=ST;f=27;t=6949

or Tom Coyote here: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?act=idx

Sign in, then copy and paste both files into a message asking for
assistance, Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal
of your parasite(s).




Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it UPDATED) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit- links for a variety
of parasites.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Keep it UPDATED. Both Very Highly Recommended


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Kevin said:
Hello:

Whenever I put an incorrect web address, the browser
goes to some Web search page that I do not want.
Something called "WebCoolSearch", some pay per click
advertising page. I did a Windows system restore (the
function that takes the computer to a previous date) that
still did not correct the problem. I changed the address
of the homepage. Nothing works. I believe it is because
some type of sypware, but I thought the Windows system
restore would solve the problem. How can I stop the
browser from going to this page?

Kevin
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
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