find-more adware and favourites problems

[Justyn]

Can anyone help, I'm having problems with an annoying
spyware that seems to evade detection. It keeps changing
my homepage and other settings and adding extra adult
links to my favourites on start up. It also keeps trying
and eventually succeeds in changing my home page to find-
more. net. I've run several spyware removal tools (spybot,
anonymiser - bought from zonealarm and not worth it -
adaware and finally microsoft anti spyware. The microsoft
one has stopped the pop ups (for now!) but tells me that
something is attempting to change my home page and then
that it has allowed it to be changed. There must be some
spyware on my computer somewhere but none of the anti-
spyware programs can find it. I have tried the advanced
search in microsoft. It also seems to have fun in sending
me viruses (I use XP have AVG and zonealarm). Any help
gratefully received

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Here are a couple of things to try:

1) go to tools, advanced tools, browser hijack restore settings, and make
sure that your choice of home page URL is set into the two locations there
for home page settings. If you have a non-default search setting, do that
one, too.

2) restart your system in safe mode by pressing F8 before the first Windows
screen appears, and do a full, deep scan with Microsoft Antispyware. This
may be able to remove things that it can't manage in a normal start-up
because they are protected by a running process.

 

[Guest]

Thanks but I tried both of those things and it still
defaults my homapage to a variant of 'find-everything'.
everytime I change it and click apply and close it, it
goes back to find everything. I deleted these using MASW
but it quickly flips back and the adult and other links
still appear in my favourites after the computer has
booted up.

Any other ideas?

 

[Bill Sanderson]

OK - I'd then recommend a generalized method of dealing with an unknown
threat:

http://www.aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm

Follow the protocol at this site. You will probably get to the point of
downloading HijackThis and posting a log in the forum provided fairly
quickly.

That process should get rid of your problem, but it'll take a little time,
and some exchanges of fix information.

If you want to speed it up, look for messages from Ron Kinner in these
groups, and download HijackThis--read the instructions for use carefully,
and email him with your log directly.

 

[Justyn]

Thanks, couldn't find an email address for Ron Kinner but
put a post on and hope he reads it.