Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I just reformatted the hard drive - so my laptop is ultra-clean.


BUT - now when I start up my PC, after my wireless network connection
is established, my internet explorer starts up and tries to connect to
this website (with no luck I might add):


http://www.freewebs.com/jodaaa­/happy.html


There is nothing in Startup to cause this (all that is in my startup is
Norton Internet Security, Antivirus, and Wireless Network Utility).


Can anyone guess what may be happening here? It's not affecting
anything on my PC, so I am not too worried. It's just pissing me off!


Thanks!
Paula

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On 25 May 2005 20:16:21 -0700, pokee@shaw.ca wrote:

>http://www.freewebs.com/jodaaa­/happy.html
>
>
>There is nothing in Startup to cause this (all that is in my startup is
>Norton Internet Security, Antivirus, and Wireless Network Utility).
>
>
>Can anyone guess what may be happening here? It's not affecting
>anything on my PC, so I am not too worried. It's just pissing me off!


U gotta provide more info than this if anybody is going to help u.

For one, nobody is going to click on that website, that's how lots of
spammer get spyware into our machines.

Is that the ONLY site u have problem with?

Can u temporarily disable the Norton Internet security thingy and see
what happends?

Help those who help themselves.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I am running a DELL Inspiron 8200 Notebook, Windows XP, Pentium 4. My
PC, and Windows Installation disk, are 2 years old, so all I have is
Service Pack 1 (need to download patches once anti-virus software is
installed).

I have run Adaware, Spybot and Anti-virus software to try to get rid of
this problem - no luck. Tried disabling Norton internet security - no
change. Really perplexing.

Others have suggested it's malware. It doesn't appear to be too
intrusive (the website doesn't even connect/re-direct properly and it
doesn't appear to be loading any other malware....so far).

Give me a good ole virus anyday - I can usually google it and get rid
of it that way. This one is a bit of a mystery - esp. since it's
slipping through all of my scans.

Any other ideas (other than re-formatting, which I almost always end up
doing when I can't find a solution to a viral-type problem on my PC.
Dell tells me the life of my hard drive will be reduced by so many
re-formats....)?

Thanks!
Paula

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

You need to do a clean install of Service Pack 2 BEFORE the computer is
ever connected to the internet for the very first time. Also install
the Microsoft anti-spyware product and your AV product, again, before
connecting to the internet. When you first enable the internet
connection, the first things you should do are to download and install
all Microsoft updates (Windows Update) and update the Microsoft
anti-spyware product. Then update your AV package.



pokee@shaw.ca wrote:
> I am running a DELL Inspiron 8200 Notebook, Windows XP, Pentium 4. My
> PC, and Windows Installation disk, are 2 years old, so all I have is
> Service Pack 1 (need to download patches once anti-virus software is
> installed).
>
> I have run Adaware, Spybot and Anti-virus software to try to get rid of
> this problem - no luck. Tried disabling Norton internet security - no
> change. Really perplexing.
>
> Others have suggested it's malware. It doesn't appear to be too
> intrusive (the website doesn't even connect/re-direct properly and it
> doesn't appear to be loading any other malware....so far).
>
> Give me a good ole virus anyday - I can usually google it and get rid
> of it that way. This one is a bit of a mystery - esp. since it's
> slipping through all of my scans.
>
> Any other ideas (other than re-formatting, which I almost always end up
> doing when I can't find a solution to a viral-type problem on my PC.
> Dell tells me the life of my hard drive will be reduced by so many
> re-formats....)?
>
> Thanks!
> Paula
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Barry Watzman wrote:

> You need to do a clean install of Service Pack 2 BEFORE the computer is
> ever connected to the internet for the very first time. Also install
> the Microsoft anti-spyware product and your AV product, again, before
> connecting to the internet. When you first enable the internet
> connection, the first things you should do are to download and install
> all Microsoft updates (Windows Update) and update the Microsoft
> anti-spyware product. Then update your AV package.
>
>
>
> pokee@shaw.ca wrote:
>
>> I am running a DELL Inspiron 8200 Notebook, Windows XP, Pentium 4. My
>> PC, and Windows Installation disk, are 2 years old, so all I have is
>> Service Pack 1 (need to download patches once anti-virus software is
>> installed).
>>
>> I have run Adaware, Spybot and Anti-virus software to try to get rid of
>> this problem - no luck. Tried disabling Norton internet security - no
>> change. Really perplexing.
>>
>> Others have suggested it's malware. It doesn't appear to be too
>> intrusive (the website doesn't even connect/re-direct properly and it
>> doesn't appear to be loading any other malware....so far).
>>
>> Give me a good ole virus anyday - I can usually google it and get rid
>> of it that way. This one is a bit of a mystery - esp. since it's
>> slipping through all of my scans.
>>
>> Any other ideas (other than re-formatting, which I almost always end up
>> doing when I can't find a solution to a viral-type problem on my PC.
>> Dell tells me the life of my hard drive will be reduced by so many
>> re-formats....)?
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Paula
>>
May be it is me, but it looks like nobody answers the question: why does
explorer automatically launches, and then to that specific page (which
does not exists actually).

I would close Explorer, reopen it and see to which homepage it defaults.
Change in Tools, Internet Options, I would set the home page to my liking.

Then, I would reboot and do what usually causes the problem, see what
happens. If it persists, one idea would be to open Regedit and search
for the URL of the offending page. And the post again here for more advice.

Installing SP2, a firewall and an AV are good advice but only the
install of SP2 might have an impact on the way IE behaves in this case.

Regards

--
John Doue

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

pokee@shaw.ca wrote:
>BUT - now when I start up my PC, after my wireless network connection
>is established, my internet explorer starts up and tries to connect to
>this website (with no luck I might add):

MicroSoft Anti Spyware will allow you to set things back to the proper
defaults.