Search Desktop

[howard]

My wife's computer got real slow. She says it happened the same time as
Windows XP told her to add a Search Desktop feature. Is this a real
Windows program? If so, what is the best way to remove it and everything
it has indexed?

 

[Richard Urban [MVP]]

Windows does not have a search desktop feature. And any desktop search
utilities I am aware of require you to actively seek them out to install
them. I am afraid that your wife has been scammed. If you were to give us
the NAME of the desktop search program, we may be able to assist you.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

 

[howard]

Windows does not have a search desktop feature. And any desktop search
utilities I am aware of require you to actively seek them out to install
them. I am afraid that your wife has been scammed. If you were to give us
the NAME of the desktop search program, we may be able to assist you.

That's what I thought when I checked for an obvious candidate to uninstall.
She has run Spybot since then and it didn't see anything. Maybe I can
find another tool that can tell me the name of the program.

 

[Rock]

My wife's computer got real slow. She says it happened the same time as
Windows XP told her to add a Search Desktop feature. Is this a real
Windows program? If so, what is the best way to remove it and everything
it has indexed?

It would help if you gave the name of the program. No, XP doesn't have
anything like that and it wouldn't have been Windows XP that told her to
add it. Check in Add/Remove programs for an entry for it and remove it.
Also do a thorough scan for malware in safe mode using a variety of
programs.

THE PARASITE FIGHT
Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

Richard Harper’s Guide to Cleaning Pests
http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm

http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

 

[pcbutts1]

Download, install, update and run all of the following.

Ad-Aware
http://www.pcbutts1.com/downloads/aawsepersonal.exe

Spybot search and destroy
http://www.pcbutts1.com/downloads/spybotsd14.exe

Ewido Security Suite Trial version
http://www.pcbutts1.com/downloads/ewidosetup.exe

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta1)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A2-6A57-4C57-A8BD-DBF62EDA9671&displaylang=en

If none of the above fixes the issue then download Hijack this, run it, save
a copy of the log file and cut and paste it back here to this group so that
I can analyze it. Ignore anyone especially the troll Leythos, who will tag
along a nonsense post to this message, who tells you to post it elsewhere. I
need to see it not them.


HijackThis
http://www.pcbutts1.com/downloads/HijackThis.zip


The authors of the above programs, with the exception of Microsoft has given
the owner of pcbutts1.com express written permission to redistribute their
software.

--


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[Rock]

That's what I thought when I checked for an obvious candidate to uninstall.
She has run Spybot since then and it didn't see anything. Maybe I can
find another tool that can tell me the name of the program.

Howard please don't post HijackThis logs here. There are specialty
forums for that where the experts can look at your log.

Forums to Interpret HijackThis Logs:

http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/

 

[howard]

agreed.

Well, Microsoft's Beta anti-spyware didn't eliminate it. Whomever created
this did a real professional job, as I never would have suspected it was
spyware. The Search Desktop on the task bar has the Microsoft logo and
when I right click it it pulls up a window. It's only screw up is that it
is not at all obvious how to use it when we get try using it (maybe we don't
need to use it for it to use us).

 

[Nightowl]

Well, Microsoft's Beta anti-spyware didn't eliminate it. Whomever created
this did a real professional job, as I never would have suspected it was
spyware. The Search Desktop on the task bar has the Microsoft logo and
when I right click it it pulls up a window. It's only screw up is that it
is not at all obvious how to use it when we get try using it (maybe we don't
need to use it for it to use us).

Howard, I'm just wondering: it's not this,is it?
http://desktop.msn.com/tour_desktop/pc.aspx