i'm running Windows XP. i have acquired a virus that sets my Internet Explorer homepage to C:\searchpage.html and i cannot permanently change it. i can temporarily set the correct homepage (
www.yahoo.com) on the Tools/Internet Options menu and the setting will hold until i close IE. The next time i open IE, the home page has reverted to C:\searchpage.html.
Also, i cannot simply type a website's name into IE and go there. i have to type the whole URL, e.g.
http://www.google.com. If i just type the website's name, e.g., google.com, i am taken to C:\searchpage.html.
Thirdly, thinking you might ask what version IE i'm using, i tried to find out. The version number of IE does not show up when clicking on Help/About ... i don't know if this is related to the virus or not. i believe it to be IE v6.0 sp1.
This in itself does not sound too serious, but someone else with this same virus said it destroyed their hard drive in 24 hours. THAT MAKES IT SERIOUS!
i have tried the following without success:
1) Deleting the file from the C:\ root directory, then resetting the IE default home page.
The next time i open IE or Windows Explorer, the default home page is set to C:\searchpage.html.
2) Ran the latest version of Symantec with the latest live update. No viruses found.
3) Deleted all temporary files C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temp) and
(C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files).
Went to Start/Run/Regedit, clicked 'find' and typed in C:\searchpage.html.
A large number of files were found in many folders, for example, in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/SOFTWARE
/MICROSOFT
/INTERNET EXPLORER/
files found were Name: Search Type: reg_sz Data: C:\searchpage.html
etc.....
Deleted all entries found except for Name:(Default), Type: reg_sz, Data: (value not set).
When i tried to delete this one, i got message "Unable to delete all specified values."
Where Name:Default_search_url was found, changed data from C:\searchpage.html to
http://www.yahoo.com i have not personally tried the following, so i can't vouch for their efficacy or lack thereof, but others have and related that they had no success:
A) ad-aware
B) spybot
C) macafee aintivirus
D) AVG
Any help greatly appreciated.
--elizabeth baker
