Help!!!! Been HIt By about:blankFollow

hey everyone,

i really need help...iv just been hit by some sort of adware and cant get rid of it...my home page is constantly changed to about:blank and everytime i change it it jus changes back afta restarting the browser...how how how!!?!? need help despretly...i just reformatted my comp and iv been hit by this prob b4...i reformated then and i dun wanna reformat again i jus installed ffxi please help despretly needed

have em both and neither have picked it up

Spybot has a feature that lets you lock the homepage. Use it.

Huh...I used to have about:blank as my homepage on purpose since I didn't want to bother loading a page when I first started IE (this was about 4 years ago while still on dial-up).
Actually, it was aobut:blank since I mis-typed it the first time, but the error message was good enough so I left it.

I had the same problem. I updated and ran Ad-aware and Spy-bot in Windows Safe Mode. I think that managed to pick it up.

Also when you are done that run AVG and then return your homepage to its original.

Stolen from the Window XP manual.

To start the computer in safe mode
You should print these instructions before continuing. They will not be available after you shut your computer down in step

2. Click Start, click Shut Down, and then, in the drop-down list, click Shut down.

3.In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.

4.When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.

5.Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate safe mode option, and then press ENTER.

5.If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.
Notes

In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers (mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system services, and no network connections). You can choose the Safe Mode with Networking option, which loads all of the above files and drivers and the essential services and drivers to start networking, or you can choose the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option, which is exactly the same as safe mode except that a command prompt is started instead of the graphical user interface. You can also choose Last Known Good Configuration, which starts your computer using the registry information that was saved at the last shutdown.
Safe mode helps you diagnose problems. If a symptom does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device or reverse the change.
There are circumstances where safe mode will not be able to help you, such as when Windows system files that are required to start the system are corrupted or damaged. In this case, the Recovery Console may help you.
NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.
Related Topics


So the basic jist of it is to restart your comp and hold F8 when the windows when it starts. Then choose Safe mode from the options that pop up.

Goodluck.

Thx Meerkat jus a tad late though ahhaha i onli read it afta i formated...anyway im using ME

I had exactly the same problem, i reformatted mt OC justto get rid of it in the first place but it still came back...

But do you know why? My problem was MSN Messenger Plus! If you have downloaded this patch, when you install it into your computer, it comes up with the normal disclaimer 'I agree/disagree' blah blah blah...yep i agree. NO! This is where you agree to sponsored companies being allowed access to your internet files and changing and using them! This is where the damn thing tricks you, so i just uninstalled it, downloaded Ad-Aware SC or whatever, deleted all the files found, and re-installed it, and clicked 'Disagree', as you can still install it! :P

This might be the same for other patches that you may have come across and downloaded. So people, sometimes it is worth taking interest in what the Disclaimer says! ^^ Hope this helps

(Or you could just stop using AOL, theres a good lad!)

Edited, Tue Oct 5 06:41:55 2004 by Jaffaboy

Well, as I mentioned before, with my diaup I didn't want to load a page when connecting, so I set it to about:blank which should be just a local resource and not launch popups - spyware is doing that.