Please read carefully as it may or may not apply to your situation - ask
questions first - you may not get answers *right away* someone will =
help.=20
If you suspect that "something" has Hijacked your Browser and it causing =
it to behave erratically, please read on.=20
Spyware Removal Tool, your choice, novice users, Lavasoft's Ad-aware,
Direct download -=20
http://ftp.pcworld.com/pub/new/privacy___security/aaw6181.exe
Lavasoft/Ad-aware home: http://www.lavasoftusa.com=20
Mirror site: http://www.lavasoft.de/=20
You may post queries regarding Ad-aware at Lavasoft Support,
http://www.lavasoftsupport.com =20
Advanced users, SpyBot Search & Destroy,
Direct download - =20
http://spybot.eon.net.au/files/spybotsd_mainapp.exe
(It is a large file, if you are on dial-up, you should reserve some time =
to download the entire application without interruption).
SpyBot home: http://security.kolla.de/
SpyBot How-To: http://www.tomcoyote.org/SPYBOT/
More detailed help: http://tomcoyote.org/~mosaic1/spybot/
Support Forum, http://net-integration.net/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi
Navigate to the SpyBot S&D section.=20
Install *both*, reboot, read FAQ and overview, use online update
feature to obtain the latest reference files, scan for Spyware
much like you would with your pre-installed anti-virus scanner.
Run Ad-aware and SpyBot on a regular basis, again like you would you A-V =
scanner.
Rid your machine of unwanted Spyware pests.
For normal Browser popups, install a regular popup stopper, Panicware =
has a freeware version available and works as well as any: =
http://www.panicware.com/product_psfree.html
Install a HOSTS file, a simple Browser tweak that disables ads and =
prevent many malicious sites from loading in your Browser at all: =
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Adding sites\servers to the IE Restricted Zone: =
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/restricted.htm
__Recommended Minimal Security Settings__
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/restricted.htm#Setting
For the even more adventuresome, there's JavaCool's spywareblaster,
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
HTH
--=20
siljaline
"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game
because they almost always turn out to be -- or to be indistinguishable =
from
-- self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free =
time."
- Neil Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_