!@#$%^&* (off topic)

jaybee · June 23, 2004, 10:25:42 PM

There, I feel much better.

Apparently I don't need to go looking for a trouble, it looks for me.

Issue 1: Something has hijacked my internet browser (IE6.0) and changed my home page. Spybot Search & Destroy can't find anything, but something is changing my home page to "about:blank" each time the browser starts. No amount of resetting the home page or restarting the PC prevents it.

Issue 2: Just finished filling a deep hole in my front lawn. The water works showed up out of the blue and stuck their key in my water shutoff, known as a "stop box". The 50-year-old valve was frozen so they just twisted harder, breaking off the extension that attaches to the valve. Then a certified letter appeared, telling me that the shutoff is mine and if it wasn't fixed they'd hire a plumber and bill me. Apparently when the guys who turn people's water on and off don't have anything else to do the water works dispatches them randomly about the city to "inspect" stop boxes to see if they're in working order. Only lived here 16 years and there's never been any need to mess with it. Could have been worse, at least the valve freed up with a 24hr soak in penetrant and a new $47 extension. Also could have been worse as the guy across the street was only in his last house 1yr when the water works randomly showed up and "inspected" his stop box.

Hey, that does feel better! Thanks for listening and hopefully will see a bunch of you again in a couple of weeks at Goodguys Des Moines.

berkelusa · June 23, 2004, 11:37:37 PM

"Something has hijacked my internet browser (IE6.0) and changed my home page. Spybot Search & Destroy can't find anything, but something is changing my home page to "about:blank" each time the browser starts. No amount of resetting the home page or restarting the PC prevents it."

Get Pest Patrol
http://pestpatrol.com/

My kids go to these stupid game-cheat sites and when I return same thing, That's a homepage-hijacker changing your address.., I wish MSN would do something about those BUGS, It's not a virus, more of a worm (like we dont have enough problems already)

Been into puters for YEARS and thats the best one I have found..

Message me after you get the BASIC one on how it went

Rob

34ford · June 23, 2004, 11:39:28 PM

Jaybee,

Go to this site http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html and download the Hijack this. Run the program and it will show up the start up menu of your computer. In the list there will be the "about blank" page line listed that has hijacked your browser. Check to fix that one and it will delete it. Be careful about what you delete from that page if you are not sure of what your are doing. If you know what the stuff is listed on there you can delete the ones you don't want running on start up. I had a "about blank" somehow get into mine and that was the only way I could get rid of it. Sypbot and AdWare didn't work to get rid of it. This is a free program by the way.

bob

purplepickup · June 23, 2004, 11:55:14 PM

Here's a discussion about that taking over their homepage and these people used a program called CW Shredder.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=3&threadID=152851&messageID=1608489

58 Yeoman · June 24, 2004, 06:29:23 AM

My problem is just the opposite. I set my homepage to about:blank, and MSN keeps hijacking it. I had a program set to keep it from doing that, but it didn't work, so I got rid of it. I guess they don't realize that they just pi$$ everyone off when they screw with your puter. :evil:

SKR8PN · June 24, 2004, 06:34:33 AM

Try CW Shredder.............it's free and IT WORKS!!!

berkelusa · June 24, 2004, 08:36:45 AM

Quote from: "58 Yeoman"My problem is just the opposite. I set my homepage to about:blank, and MSN keeps hijacking it. I had a program set to keep it from doing that, but it didn't work, so I got rid of it. I guess they don't realize that they just pi$$ everyone off when they screw with your puter. :evil:

MSN dont give 2 squats about what your homepage is on, Your visiting sites that have worms that change it on you.., The only time MSN is set to your homepage is when you re-install IE..

Another thing people often confuse is a poor connection with a page hijacker, (my sister in law is a moron), She was getting a blank page.. and kept saying MSN stole her website?!?!? too funny.., It's more like she was on AOL and too slow so IE would time out and go to the BLANK page hahahaa

Oh the PestPatrol thing also has the "scan your computer now for FREE"

On the top right corner of this page click the FREE SCAN thing..

http://www.pestpatrol.com/Products/

NO I dont work for them.. Just passing on what really WORKS in the last oh 40 bug-fixes I have ever used in the 15 years...

Rob

jaybee · July 05, 2004, 10:10:21 PM

Thanks for all the advice. Finally got it right today. This thing was really aggressive. The more I tried to smack it down the more adware it downloaded and the slower my system became. It even figured out how to turn off a home page hijack blocker I got from PCWorld.com.

Finally resorted to a Windows System Restore. Everything seems fine now.