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IE5 Home page changed unwillingly when computer boots up

Hello - my home page on Internet Explorer Ver. 5 is changed to a site not of my choosing whenever my computer is started. I've changed the home page using the Tools/Options menu in Internet Explorer, and as long as I haven't shut down or restarted windows, I can reopen Internet Explorer many times without the home page changing again. I've also deleted a registry setting at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search URL, but the registry is changed again when the Windows is restarted. How can I find out and prevent what is changing my home page?

Thanks,
Brian

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

stevenlewis

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LeeTutor

Unfortunately, there are a number of possible methods for hijacking your home page. I think we need to know what your home page is being set to in order to research how to solve the problem. In the meantime, see these two very informative sites:

http://www.cexx.org/hphijack.htm

http://www.spywareinfo.com/hijacked.html

bartsmit

Try this: Start, run, type 'msconfig' (without the quotes) and look on the startup tab. Untick all items and reboot.

Change the homepage and reboot again.

If the change sticks, re-enable each of the items you disabled in msconfig until the rogue homepage comes back. The last one you re-enabled is the culprit.

bv31723

ASKER

Thank you, I will try all suggestions later tonight. I believe the site my homepage is redirected to is http://sm.sexhound.com

bv31723

ASKER

To StevenLewis, LeeTutor, and bartsmit - thank you for your suggestions. A combination of all three suggestions have fixed my problem. The following statement in the startup tab of msconfing was executing a .tmp file that contained instructions to change 12 settings in the registry.

c:\windows\regedit.exe /s C:\windows\system\radBCF1F.tmp

Deleting the .tmp file has solved the problem. I've sent a question to Community Support to inquire how to split the points equally between all of you. Thanks again for you help.

Brian

LeeTutor

Well, glad to hear we could help you, Brian. I was considering going to the sexhound page to see if I could discover something about it, but I chickened out, fearing that maybe the same thing would happen to me... Did you follow any of the advice on the spywareinfo page I mentioned above, for making your home page unhijackable?

stevenlewis

Glad we could help

bv31723

ASKER

LeeTutor - I will look into making my homepage unhijackable. It was late last night when I got everything fixed and didn't have time to do anything else.

Thanks again,

Moondancer

Hi, Brian.

I have provided you the detail in your Community Support question on the splitting of points.

I have changed this question value to 100 points, refunding the rest to you so that you can award one expert in this question, then for each of the others here, please post a new question in this topic area and entitle it:

Points for __expertname__
in Comments just cut/paste this URL (link)

Then each of the experts will either comment in their respective questions or Propose an Answer so that you can accept them to grade and close their shares of this point split award.

If questions, let me know.

Thanks,
Moondancer
EE Moderator

bv31723

ASKER

bartsmit - please go to the URL below and add a comment so I can award you points and a grade.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/jsp/qManageQuestion.jsp?ta=win98&qid=20274626

LeeTutor - please go to the URL below and add a comment so I can award you points and a grade.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/jsp/qManageQuestion.jsp?ta=win98&qid=20274625

stevenlewis

bv31723 I'm glad we were able to help
Steve