Hi Bryan
You have a nasty hijacker, malware, spyware or parasites on your system
causing this problem. This may be a newer variant of about: blank. Methods
that previously
removed the previous variant may not have any effect on it. Try the
following and follow and instructions very carefully to clean your system
fully.
This variant replicates itself, thus, you must fully clean it from your
system. This coolwebsearch infection uses a hidden dll to reinfect, thus it
replicates itself over and over if not removed properly. Some can even
mutate, and change to a new name, thus, making it even harder to detect and
clean.
<<<<BE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY>>>>
CAUTION!!!!!
Before you try to remove spyware using any of the programs below, download a
copy of LSPFIX from any of the following sites:
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html (if your OS is Win2k or
XP) The process of removing certain malware may kill your internet
connection. If this should occur, this program, LSPFIX, will enable you to
regain your connection.
Also, get a copy of WINSOCKFIX available at:
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
IMPORTANT!!
RUN ALL PROGRAMS OFF LINE IN SAFE MODE AND SHOW HIDDEN
FILES. THEN REBOOT AND RUN THEM AGAIN TO BE SURE ALL FILES
ARE ACCESSED, DELETING ALL ITEMS DISPLAYED IN RED IN SPYBOT
HOW TO Restart in Safe Mode
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406
HOW TO Enable Hidden Files
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2002092715262339
About Buster (this has proven to be an excellent removal too for the hard to
clean variants)
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4289.html
CWShredder
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4086.html
SpyBot Search & Destroy: Free
http://download.com.com/3000-8022-10289035.html?tag=lst-0-2
AdAware: Free
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
HOW TO: Reconfigure Ad-aware for a Full Scan
http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=5877
HiJackThis:
Unzip the Download file in a NEW FOLDER that you can create before you start
the download.
DO NOT install in your Desktop folder.
DO NOT use any of the TEMP folders that are presently in your computer.
Double-click "HijackThis.exe" and Press "Scan".
Go to:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html
and download HiJackThis to the new folder. Unzip to a folder other than your
Desktop or the Temp folder, doubleclick HiJackThis.exe, and hit "Scan".
When the scan is finished, the "Scan" button will change into a "Save Log"
button. Press that, save the log some place you remember where it is.
Most of what it lists will be harmless or even required, so DO NOT fix
anything yet.
Open the copy of your log in NotePad and make a copy. Then you can go to one
of the following to post your log:
<<PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR LOG FILE TO THIS NEWSGROUP>>
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
You will need to register to open a new thread to post you log. It is free,
and no one will Spam you, it is one of many that provides this service. Once
registered, go to the HiJackThis section on the forum list and click to
open. Then start a new post and post your log. The experts there will
analyze the log and report back the results. Please allow at least a few
hours or a days time for a response, depending on when you post the log
Remember, you must return to the HJT site to get your answer. It is a good
idea to click the "Notify" box so that you will get an electronic
notification by e-mail to let you know when a response has been posted.
But, you must still return to the site of your answer
Finally, go to Windows Update and ensure that ALL Critical updates are
installed.
Also.........
A newer approach for the harder to clean variants:
Like any disinfection procedure, it's a bit risky - it deletes an important
registry key and subsequently restores a revised version. If something goes
wrong, your PC may no longer work normally.
YOU USE THIS PROCEDURE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Download Registrar Lite 2.0, install it and run it.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download469.html
http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/12/5/12-5-21.shtml
Navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
(note...should be all on one line)
and look at the AppInit_Dlls value.
Write down the name of the DLL file that's displayed!
(If you see several values separated by commas or spaces, which is unlikely,
use Windows Explorer to search for each one in the Windows\System32 or
Winnt\System32 directory. The one you can't find is the one to remember!)
Exit Registrar Lite.
Download and run this script. It will delete the CWS AppInit_Dlls value and
reboot Windows. After the reboot, the shield-DLL file is still on the hard
disk, but it's no longer a threat to your PC.
http://www.silentrunners.org/CWS Shield Dropper.vbs
Download Silent Runners here:
http://www.silentrunners.org/Silent Runners.vbs
Run it and look at the list of Browser Helper Objects. One of them will have
a strange name. Write down the the file name (including the full path)!
(If you're not sure which BHO was installed by CWS, reboot into Safe Mode
and follow steps 8-10 here. Commercial programs, such as PestPatrol, are
also available to identify and delete BHO pests.)
Download and run this script to delete the CWS shield-DLL and the BHO files.
No reboot will be required.
http://www.silentrunners.org/CWS File Cleaner.vbs
Reset your Internet Explorer home page. Your PC should now run normally.
If these steps do not resolve your problem, please post back to this thread
with the details and any error messages.
Hope this helps
Jan
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