Tech-ish question
Jan. 27th, 2004 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vvvexationSomething screwy has started happening lately: whenever I get an error trying to load a page, instead of the standard IE "page not found" message, I get routed to a page on www.internet-optimizer.com, to all appearances a fairly run-of-the-mill web portal. This is very aggravating because it means I can't hit Reload to see the page I was trying to view; I have to manually extract the URL from amidst the junk that it's been surrounded by in the address bar, or track down the link I got there from. Does anyone know how this sort of thing comes about (I know I've seen it happen before) and how to fix it?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
If you're using IE
Date: 2004-01-28 02:02 am (UTC)Re: If you're using IE
Date: 2004-01-28 02:07 am (UTC)*clicks button, crosses fingers*
Re: If you're using IE
Date: 2004-01-28 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 03:08 am (UTC)Here is a web site that can help.
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/
Also, check your Internet Properties, Advanced tap and make sure that Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer) and Enstall On Demand (Other) are not checked.
The default is that they are checked, but thats how spywhere gets put on your computer with out you knowing about it.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 03:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 03:59 am (UTC)At least they tell you how to remove it.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 05:54 am (UTC)I use Ad Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/), though. Either will work.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-28 08:51 am (UTC)I had to deal with this a couple months ago
Date: 2004-01-28 07:10 am (UTC)*Install and run "Hijack this" at http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/ -- Despite the odd name, it does something extremely useful: it outputs a log so that you can analyze exactly what parts of your browser are affected. This page http://hjt.wizardsofwebsites.com/ has some useful info on how to interpret and fix whatever the log shows.
*Install Adaware, as Emmett suggested and let it scan and clean your system.
*Install another spyware program like SpyGuard and let it scan and clean your system. Different programs have different adware libraries, so multiple scans by different programs frequently turn up things the first ones missed.
*Then install a program like Spyware Blaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html , which prevents new spyware from being installed and warns you when you go to a page that tries.
Like viruses, adware is constantly "improved", so make sure to keep your scanning software up to date and scan periodically.
It took me 6 hours of research and a lot of trial and error to FINALLY get the "smarter" search bar off my browser. My work IT dept was entirely useless as far as helping me -- in the end, I showed them what I'd learned so they could pass it along within their team. Feh!
Good luck!
Re: thanks for a lot of useful info
Date: 2004-01-28 06:20 pm (UTC)Thanks for posting a lot of useful info; when I get home, I'm going to revisit this entry and follow your advice,which makes for like only the third time ever thatLJ has served a useful purpose in my life....
It took me 6 hours of research and a lot of trial and error to FINALLY get the "smarter" search bar off my browser. My work IT dept was entirely useless as far as helping me -- in the end, I showed them what I'd learned so they could pass it along within their team. Feh!
For some reason, I find myself moved to defend the IT guys; years ago, I was one of them (and thank Whoever I'm not anymore). When a user calls in with a problem like this--annoying adware that only affects IE and web browsing, and thus has almost no impact on almost any user's productivity (since most people web-browse as a distraction from work rather than for actual job-related reasons), it immediately, in my past experience, gets moved to the bottom of the priority pile. Since most IT teams are understaffed and underpaid (since executives with MBA's think they're an expense, rather than an asset), they have to prioritize ruthlessly. Thus, they can't help with problems which aren't affecting productivity, even if they want to. Usually, if they know a problem isn't mission-critical, especially if it takes a long time to handle, they'll play dumb until the user stops asking.
Why am I bothering to post this? It'll just sound like I'm preaching at you and telling you to stop whining. I'm not; I just feel like IT guys are usually beleaguered and underappreciated, and want people to understand their perspectives so as to spread understanding. I find dealing with IT guys really annoying, since I know many of their tricks. =)
You're welcome
Date: 2004-01-28 07:03 pm (UTC)Regarding IT, our company is tech-oriented and most of us actually use (at least parts of) the web for work. :-) The IT folks were quite responsive, but they had no clue what I was talking about when I began babbling about spyware and asking if we had corporate licenses for monitoring against it. The tech that I worked with ended up printing web pages for the sites I used along with my "Hijack This" log as an example.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-29 01:05 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-01-30 02:20 am (UTC)