I-Lookup.com bar

[cormac]

How do I stop this toolbar showing itself, also my
homepage constantly changes to this site . What can I do?

 

[Altrus]

Hi,

You would be best served by downloading utilities to remove this programs.
With the programs gone, you should be able to use your computer as normal.

AdAware is a good place to start, it will automatically detect and remove
all the spyware programs it detects, and is user friendly. You can download
AdAware from:

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Once you download and install the program, *_ensure that you have updated it
with the latest definition_*. This will ensure that you will be protected
against the latest versions of such programs.

To ensure removal of other maladies that AdAware may have missed, download
CWShredder. You can think of this as a companion to AdAware, and it should catch
some varients that AdAware missed. Download CWShredder here:

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/cwshredder.zip

The bar is, more than likely, a third party browser extention that you
may have downloaded. Below, I will describe how to disable the bar, as well as
the necessary steps to disable it. I'll also direct you to a neat program which
can be used to rid yourself of similiar programs (called Adware / Spyware).

To disable the bar:

Open Internet Explorer. Click on 'Tools', 'Internet Options'. Click on the
Advanced Tab. Under the heading of 'Browsing', uncheck the box titled, 'Enable
third-party browser extension's. Click on OK. You may have to restart your
browser and/or computer.

After you have disabled the bar, you may opt to remove it using a program
called 'BHOCop'. This is a free program available from:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,270,00.asp

Unzip the program, and install it. Once installed, run it, and you will be
presented with a list of all objects found. You should then be able to remove
the object as desired.

After removing all such programs, you may wish to re-enable BHO's for
functionality. Some programs, such as google bar, require BHO's enabled. In the
event you wish to enable such plug-ins, simply check the box for third-party
extentions (in the same manner as you disabled them).

The fact that you have encountered such a program may indicate that you
have other such programs on your computer, thus the reason for downloading
AdAware and CWShredder. Together, once installed and updated, they are capable
of detecting and removing junk programs.

More information on I-lookup is available at:

http://doxdesk.com/parasite/ILookup.html

To learn more about Spyware, how to deal with these situations, and how to
better prevent them, you may be interested in the following article:

http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Together, these resources should help you,

Altrus


| How do I stop this toolbar showing itself, also my
| homepage constantly changes to this site . What can I do?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

How do I stop this toolbar showing itself, also my
homepage constantly changes to this site . What can I do?

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

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/
-

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://spywareinfo.com/


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://sourceforge.net/projects/spambayes/
or
Spamihilator.
http://www.spamihilator.com