How can I configure my Internet Explorer browser settings after I have
removed malicious software from my computer?:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895339
If still no joy, you've got another hijackware infection on your hands.
See...
Cleaning a Compromised System
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc700813.aspx
Back-up any personal data (none of which should be considered 100%
trustworthy at this point) then format the HDD & do another clean install of
Windows. Please note that a Repair Install (AKA in-place upgrade) will NOT
fix this!
HOW TO do a clean install of WinXP: See
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html#steps and/or Method 1 in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978307
After the clean install, you will have the equivalent of a "new computer" so
take care of everything on the following page before otherwise connecting
the machine to the internet or a local network (i.e., other computers) and
before using a flash drive or SDCard that isn't brand-new or hasn't been
freshly formatted:
4 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online
http://www.microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspx
TIP: Next time, install the more reliable Microsoft Security Essentials
instead of AVG Free:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/default.aspx
Other helpful references include:
HOW TO get a computer running WinXP Gold (no Service Packs) fully patched
(after a clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsupdate/msg/3f5afa8ed33e121c
HOW TO get a computer running WinXP SP1(a) or SP2 fully patched (after a
clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/a066ae41add7dd2b
Tip: After getting the computer fully-patched, download/install KB971029
manually:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029
NB: Any Norton or McAfee free-trial that came preinstalled on the computer
when you bought it will be reinstalled (but invalid) when Windows is
reinstalled. You MUST uninstall the free-trial AND download/run the
appropriate removal tool BEFORE installing any updates, Windows Service
Packs or IE upgrades AND BEFORE installing your new anti-virus application
(which will require WinXP SP3 to be installed).
Norton Removal Tool
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe
McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool
http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe
Also see:
Risks & Benefits of P2P file sharing
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/data/downloadfileshare/filesharing.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/mmpc/archive/2008/10/06/the-cost-of-free-software.aspx
Steps To Help Prevent Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/security/spyware/prevent.aspx
Steps to Help Prevent Computer Worms
http://www.microsoft.com/security/worms/prevent.aspx
Avoid Rogue Security Software!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx
If you need additional assistance, please begin a new thread in this forum:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/xprepair/threads
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
CapCity wrote:
>>> ...this happened to the same computer a few months back, and
>>> after clearing out the trojan IE was doing the same thing it is now...
>>> ...I ended up formatting the hard
>>> drive and reinstalling Windows...
>>
>> What anti-virus application or security suite was installed before you
>> did
>> the clean install and was your subscription current?
>
> This time it was AVG and Ad-Aware. The previous time it was Trend and
> Ad-Aware. All subscriptions current.
>
>> What anti-virus application or security suite is installed now and is
>> your
>> subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than
>> Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?
>
> AVG and Ad-Aware. The instructions I found for removign this mess had me
> use
> Dr. Web as it has a random name for the executable which the trojan can
> not
> detect and block. It worked, allowing Ad-Aware to run the scan and finish
> the job. All current.
>
> Firewall is the one that came with Windows.
>
>> Did a Norton or McAfee free-trial come preinstalled on the computer when
>> you bought it (and which would have been reinstalled, but invalid, when
>> you reinstalled Windows)?
>
> No. And the reinstall did not put one there.
>
>> CapCity wrote:
>>> PC is running XP Pro, SP3. For a few reasons, it has to run XP so
>>> upgrading
>>> to Windows 7 is not an option right now.
>>>
>>> It recently got hit with that fake Windows Security Alert trojan, where
>>> every time you go to open IE you get all these warnings instead fo the
>>> requested page, and every time you go to launch a Malware or Anti-Virus
>>> scan
>>> it blocks the executable.
>>>
>>> I got that cleaned out fairly easily, but Internet Explorer (version 6,
>>> SP3)
>>> won't load any pages. It always gives a "server not found/DNS error." If
>>> I
>>> go to the command line and ping a site, say www.google.com, it works
>>> fine.
>>> Only have problems when I try to use the browser. Outlook downloads
>>> email
>>> with no problem.
>>>
>>> I read somewhere about an IE with no plug-ins in the start menu (system
>>> tools) but I do not have that. I tried disabling all the add-ins
>>> manually
>>> in
>>> IE but get the same error. The security level is medium.
>>>
>>> The thing is, this happened to the same computer a few months back, and
>>> after clearing out the trojan IE was doing the same thing it is now. I
>>> tried
>>> some things then, but no luck. I even tried reinstalling IE, and then
>>> updating IE to a newer version with no luck. I ended up formatting the
>>> hard
>>> drive and reinstalling Windows since the computer was overdue for that,
>>> running slow because of glut and all. I do not want to do that again, so
>>> I'm
>>> hoping to just find out what is wrong with IE.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.