This is the most infuriatingly obnoxious crap ever.

It started a while ago, quite simply: IE's homepage would be set to "zestyfind.com". I ran Spybot: S&D, but to no avail. We'd still load up IE and get zestyfind.com, despite setting the homepage to about:blank.

Recently, it's getting even worse. It installs shortcuts to casino websites and the like on my desktop (said shortcuts normally go straight to the recycle bin).

And then there's the pop-ups: I occasionally get one titled "System Performance" and it tells me about something that supposedly speeds up my computer (and probably takes over my computer with adware).

What can I do? Spybot and Ad-aware don't seem to be helping, and Norton just sits and scans harmless files occasionally. Help!

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"This next song is called- Where the **** is Jeordie White?" ~Maynard James Keenan

Save your stuff and reformat!

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When bread becomes toast, it can never go back to being bread again.

It might not be that technical an answer, but you could back up all your important data - and reformat your hard drive - that'll get rid of the lot!

Mine needs a fresh start soon - getting chock full of crap I can do without...

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If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.

Yeah, a simple reformat seems to be the only 100% way of getting rod of spyware/adware. I too am still suffering from spyware (I still can't seem to stop those ocassionally popups every now and then). I ran ad-aware 6.0 multiple times yet it still keeps coming back. I would reformat my hard drive myself but I got WAY too much stuff on my system for me to backup on CDs (plus I'm lazy - burnings CDs can be a tedious task and very costly since I have a tendency to botch up my CDs). I decided for now just to deal with it for the time being.

-- SavageX

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"...and if you don't like that, then you need to be slugged in the face repeatedly, until my hands are soaked in blood. Have a nice day!"
http://www.savagex.net

Reformat. Apparently theres a brash of new adware out that noone can identify....

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The future is here, and all bets are off.

You do know that you can do a FULL Ad-ware scan? I did the normal ad-ware scan and it found a few things. I setup the FULL in depth scan as recommended on their site, and it found 240 objects...and you might want to update the datavase

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In Tribute to Adam Sliger. Rest in Peace

10/7/85 - 12/9/03

You got a browser hijacker. It's a tactic used by s***bag webmasters to increase traffic to their site, which tends to be useless, ad-cluttered portals. I personally would love to see these people dead, but we seldom get what we want.


You pick these things up by surfing porn or warez sites (what have you been up to, hmmmmm? ) but you can get it accidentally on other sites, too. they are usually installed without warning by IE's activeX capabilities. B/c of this, I generally recommend turning ActiveX off in IE.


download and Run HijackThis! to find the file that is causing the problem and stop using Microsoft Internet Exploiter. I think Firefox is immume to hijackers. It hasn't happened since i switched.

(for more info on hijackthis and browser hijackers, check spywareinfo.com.)

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Most people regard me as the dark and immoral side of Massassi. At least I'm getting what I want out of life.


[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited March 06, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited March 06, 2004).]

here's some detailed info about hijackers in general.

http://cexx.org/hphijack.htm

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Most people regard me as the dark and immoral side of Massassi. At least I'm getting what I want out of life.

Hint: stop downloading and installing unnecessary software. Stop using internet explorer. Stop using Outlook/Outlook Express. The reason you get this stuff is because of the inherent insecurity of your operationg system. Without switching, you can follow the hints above to drastically cut down the risks.

Make sure to update your viris definitions and run a FULL scan of all your drives. AutoProtect and the like are generally worthless.

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EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log

Hijackers/spyware/other malware are not technially viruses b/c they are full non-replicating programs instead of mere fragments of self-replicating code. Since they do not satisfy the criteria to be a virus, most antivirus software does not detect them.

I believe that viruses are soon going to be replaced by more things like this in the future. They're more destructive and are harder to eliminate. The problem behind adware is marketing. Advertisers are beginning to cross new lines to try and sell their worthless s*** to us. It has to stop.



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Most people regard me as the dark and immoral side of Massassi. At least I'm getting what I want out of life.

[This message has been edited by Pagewizard_YKS (edited March 06, 2004).]

Brian is right. Whatever Spyware I find, is in my sisters profile because she uses IE. She also got about 4 trojan horses from a hole im MS's VM :/

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In Tribute to Adam Sliger. Rest in Peace

10/7/85 - 12/9/03

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html

Download and run that.

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To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of reality, to see those who dwell behind. I was once a fool.

I've found that opera has a really good pop-up blocker, and i've heard the same about firefox, though i've never used it. as for the hyjacker, i don't know what you can do, but that's already been adressed above.

P.S. please don't take this as some sort of plug for opera or firefox. i'm just offering a solution that works.

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"No good can ever come from staying with normal people"
-Outlaw Star
"Some people play tennis. I erode the human soul"
-Tycho, Penny Arcade
"I'm a Cannabal-Vegitarian. I will BBQ an employee if there is no veggie option"
-DX:IW

Get a really strong magnet and put it near/on your hard drive. Problem solved... sort of.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

You're right - I'm only aware of this problem because my parents use IE, while I use Firebird.

I can handle not using IE of course, but OE? What other alternative is there?

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"This next song is called- Where the **** is Jeordie White?" ~Maynard James Keenan

Thunderbird.

Haven't used it, but it's an alternative.

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"Church, women are like Voltron, the more you can hook up, the better it gets!"
-Tucker
Red vs Blue

Ph34r t3h Cute Ones

It's a great alternative

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I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

Opera's got a fairly swish in-built email handling program (I think it's called M2) that I get on fine with. I'm getting to the point where I surf with Firefox, but still go to Opera for my email.

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If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.