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Run msconfig.exe and look at the startup tab; uncheck any unknown programs.  If you're not sure what something is, there's a great list here: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm

Also, run a virus scan with up to date virus definitions. Or go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ 

Finally, if you don't have it, get Ad Aware from www.lavasoftusa.com, and run that too.

List the start up program you have in msconfig

start button\run\type in "msconfig"\hit enter on keyboard\clcik startup tab

most likely you have an ad program that is re-directing you homepage call to the one you actually get..go to:

http://www.majorgeek.com/index2.html

and download ad-aware (it's free) and install and run it. It will detect known spyware programs, un-install them, reverse any damage done and you can configure it to run at every boot. It also has updates.

sp.dll is an example of a spyware program that does just what you are describing. I am sure there are at least a million (sic) more of them...

If you have ANYTHING in the startup tab of msconfig that has a command that starts like this:  sp regedit -s then you have a program starting up with the specific command to modify the registry without user intervention or notification : translation: spyware or virus:most likley spyware.

Lemme know whats hapening soon, gotta go home at 2:30-its 1:30 now, and I only access EE from work....

Cheers,

Jatcan

These are the entries that sp.dll makes in the registry without your permission or knowledge:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer]
"SearchURL"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Default_Search_URL"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
"Search Page"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
"Search Bar"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
"SearchURL"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search]
"SearchAssistant"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search]
"SearchAssistant"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer]
"SearchURL"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Search Page"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
"Default_Search_URL"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
"Search Bar"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"
[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search]
"SearchAssistant"="http://www.topsearcher.com/ie/"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Window_Placement"=hex:2c,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,b8,0b,00,00,b8,0b,00,00,fc,ff,ff,ff,fc,ff,ff,ff,51,00,
00,00,51,00,00,00,a9,02,00,00,e5,01,00,00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Micrsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser]
"ITBarLayout"=hex:11,00,00,00,4c,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,10,00,00,00,1f,00,00,00,7c,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,a0,02,00,
00,2b,01,00,00,05,00,00,00,62,00,00,00,26,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,a1,02,00,00,c8,00,00,00,04,00,00,00,a1,00,00,00,
c7,01,00,00,03,00,00,00,a1,02,00,00,cf,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,24,d0,30,81,6a,d0,11,82,74,00,c0,4f,d5,ae,38,00,00,
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00


As you can see from the first set of strings, your homepage.search pages and any other default web pages are all pointing to a particular website. SP.dll is not proprietory so any fool( I say fool because a smart programmer wouldn't waste valuable time on this BS) programmer who gets his hands on it can alter the web page being delivered.

I see that someone beat me to it cause I was typing so much info...oh well, heres the url where I found most of my info, the rest is from experience, same thing happened to more than one of my users.

http://www.spywareinfo.com/

OH YEAH,one more thing, some of these programs MAY replace your winsock32.dll with a copy of it's own, therefore if you uncheck the entry in msconfig and you do not repair the damage done(IE-delete the offending winsock32.dll and extract a fresh one from the cabs/cdrom) you will have no browsing capability at all, but email and ftp and dos network troubleshooting will all report your online and working fine.

Cheers

Hi there.

I've come across this problem several times before.

Try loading your computer in Safe Mode, change the Home Page and then boot again - did it help?

If not, do you use Babylon Trnaslator - I've seen before that after removig it, it solved the problem.

You can also try to delete the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer - it'll reset IE settings to the default.

Hey  asyscokid ,

Are you in Ottawa by any chance?

Nope, New England.

check msconfig for any file that has regedit.exe in it, find that file and delete it


asyscokid where in NE (I grew up in RI)

Steven, MA just north of Boston.

- Start->Run MsConfig
- Go to tab Startup tab
- Look for the any line with the command having
    regedit.exe inside.
  e.g Regedit.exe /s C:\aaa.tmp
- Start->Run Regedit
- In the menu > Edit->Find
- Type in the File Name (in this case it is C:\aaa.tmp)
- Delete all entries containing that File Name
- Open Windows Explorer
- Delete the File
- Open Internet Options
- Change the startup address
- Reboot

Hope it helps,
Regards

Hi, I see you have had lots of replys and you should be
sorted out by now but to PREVENT your homepage being changed again in the future...there is a terrific free little programme"StartPageGuard" which you can get from this URL:
http://www.pjwalczak.com/spguard/index.php 
So just load your normal homepage, after downloading this programme, it just runs in the background and arrests any interference and changes to your HOMEPAGE.

BAH! Thats nothing compared to this:

Here is the old link with a message:

http://www.flaaten.dk/prox/


here is the new link, which , states that the new link will be working soon:

http://proxomitron.cjb.net/

I downloaded this proggie whiole the old link was working and most of these programs work on the blockad list principal, they have a file that containds a list of known adservers and IF an adserver is NOT on the list then it does not get blocked, same with homepage and what not, this thing strips ANY offending code right from the header of the request AND I don;'t mean the header (tag) in the html code, I mean it takes the IP/Browser Header request(GET, Conditional GET, etc, etc) and strips it clean, it does not report the browser version or what OS it's coming from, it blocks any java/jscripts that may be malicious, such as popup windows etc,etc, and it has because of the way it acts, stripping headers, the jscripts that plant these programs to change your homepage in the registry are not functioanl and neither is any other type of code...

Cheers.

OH...and Lion Heart..this is NOT an answer it is only a comment and added information.It is considered rude to do what you have done on this board....posting a comment is proper etiquette on this forum and then the person who asks the question will choose which proposed solution is the best for him and accept that solution as an answer.

Cheers.

Here is an overview from the Proximatron Web-Page:

This is just a taste of what the many included filtering rules can do, but best of all, you have the freedom to create new, equally powerful, rules of your own!

The secret life of a web browser revealed!

Not everyone is aware that there's a hidden conversation going on between your web browser and the sites you visit. Known as HTTP header messages they can contain all sorts of information - some of which you might rather keep to yourself. The Proxomitron not only lets you view all messages, but also lets you alter, add, or delete them. If security is important to you, make it your business to know what your browser is telling the world and have it say only what you want!

Choose your proxy.

If you already use web proxies to speed your internet viewing, the Proxomitron can help here too. It can maintain a list of different proxy servers and allow you to easily switch between them. You can even test proxy servers for accessability and see what, if any, HTTP headers they may add.

What's it cost?

Nothing - It's Free...
This isn't demo-ware! It's fully functional with no nag screens or time limits - use it as often as you like for as long as you like. Released as ShonenWare, you can support the program's future development by purchasing any album by the female, Japanese power-trio Shonen Knife! They are an amazing band who's music I dearly love. By supporting them you not only make me happier, but can perhaps help make the entire world a happier place!

Origins...

Some time ago I began to notice that many of the wonderful new features added to web browsers, far from making pages better, were instead making the web a more and more hostile place! Cramped frames, pop-up windows, music you can't shut off, stroboscopic animations, and and ever increasing deluge of slow loading advertising content were making web viewing something akin to trying to read a novel in the middle of Times Square on New Years Eve!

I decided to try and create a general purpose solution - one that could not only stop the aggravations of today, but also any demonic HTML tags lurking in the future. Thus the Proxomitron was born!

At it's heart is a powerful text matching engine. Similar to wildcards and regular expressions, but specially designed for HTML, it can re-write web pages on the fly. Think of it like a very powerful "Search and Replace" for the web. Troublesome HTML can be altered or removed and new content can be added - even your own JavaScripts!

By simply selecting some of the many included filters, you can say goodbye to common nuisances like animated GIFs, pop-up windows, advertising banners, dynamic HTML and more. Best of all, these rules are not hard-coded. More than simply flexible - You can completely change them, make them more powerful, and of course, add rules of your own! If it can be written in HTML, it can probably be controlled by the Proxomitron.

The final power is yours!

Not only can the filters stop general aggravations, but web pages you visit often can be completely customized to suit your own taste. Don't like someone else's choice of colors, fonts, or backgrounds? Use your own instead. Delete useless frames or even change their JavaScripts to work the way you want. There's really no limit!

And use this URL to get to the download page:

http://www.internetmall.net/prox/download.html

Liontheheart   ! Welcome to E-E! Its common courtesy to provide comments unless you know your answer is the only answer and is 300% correct and is what the questioner is looking for and will fix their problem. Please don’t take this personally, (others could let you know before I and not so diplomatically) I made the same mistake when I first arrived and someone was nice enough to point it out to me (It hurt my feelings, but I soon realized its teamwork that’s used here). This accomplishes a couple of things: First: it doesn't lock the question allowing more exposure to other experts allowing a faster fix (many problems require an interactive dialogue to troubleshoot them properly), Secondly: it gives the questioner the option to make an award based on the best comment that helped the most in fixing their problem and it is also is common courtesy to other experts.  Again welcome and look forward to working with you in the future, a lot of teamwork is used at this forum, as you will see! :>)  Quote shamelessly stolen from Dave, Thanks again Dave

Your answer may be correct, and I hope it is, after all the main goal here is to help the questioner, but when you propose an answer it removes the "accept comment as answer" button thereby robbing the questioner of the choice to choose which expert helped the most. If your comment is chosen by the questioner, you will be awarded the points.
Thank you  
Steve  

For reasons stated above and below, the propose answer is rejected.

Computer101
E-E Moderator


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Answers
An answer is a specific solution to a question and should be submitted if it will solve the questioner's problem and doesn't duplicate a previous comment.

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If you are unsure of your solution, post it as a comment. Members can accept comments as solutions and award you Expert Points for them.

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Thanks so much. I tried many of the solutions advised.... thank you everyone that tried to help me. Problem now solved. regards Don

You say you tried many of the solutions provided and problem is now solved. Good. That is the main goal here. BUT, you chose the first proposed solution as the answer and awarded then points to the first person who answered which contradicts your statement of " I tried many of the solutions...". Why would you have to try many of the solutions if the first one solved it? And, if the first one didn't solve it why would you award the points to that perosn.

I really don't care about the points myself, its a piddly hundred points, my fun here is in learning and just ehlping people but, the "customers" should be fair about this. If I bought a car battery from Canadian Tire but went to my local garage to pay for it, Canadian tire would be a little upset, wouldn't they?

So, can you tell us which solution solved the situation so we know(a lot of us keep DB's)...?

A point of information, jatcan.  The accepted answer ALWAYS shows up first in the thread.  If you check the dates, though, it was proposed three days after the question was posted.  Mine was the first comment in the thread.

asyscokid, i am sorry to say this, but i think that your answer was still a bit to brief. that's why i tried to help more by adding the details. moreover, i wouldn't consider regedit.exe as "unknown program".

if this 200 expertpoint become problem, i don't mind if it is to be taken from me( just tell me how to). anyway, if it is not to me, the point should go to stevenlewis. (for his comment just before mine).

sorry if my language here is not very polite. i just try to make my point.

regards

alfanhendro, asyscokid was talking to jatcan, explaining that when the questioner accepted your answer, it moved it to the top of the que, so the accepted answer shows up first

Right, Steven.  I have no problem with the accepted answer here.

ups... sorry. bad reading.
thanks