Everyone with IE Search Engine Problems

  • Thread starter Thread starter Attila Laczko
  • Start date Start date
A

Attila Laczko

okay, i had the same issue with none of the search engines working and this
is how i fixed it...
1. cleared all my spyware - Did not fix it
2. checked for viruses - Did not fix it
3. checked for host files - changed the name of host file in Windows\Help -
Fixed it
So give that a try...Good luck, this certainly was annoying.
 
I'm another one with the same problem. Could you please
provide a bit more infomation? How and where do you change
the name of the host file? Change to what? Do you know
what may have caused the problem?
 
okay, i had the same issue with none of the search engines working and
this is how i fixed it...
1. cleared all my spyware - Did not fix it 2. checked for viruses - Did
not fix it 3. checked for host files - changed the name of host file in
Windows\Help - Fixed it
So give that a try...Good luck, this certainly was annoying.
Click to expand...

**** you have a virus!!!!
It is the Qhosts virus. Get rid of it or you will have many problems.
Changing the name of the file didn't fix anything, it just covered it up.
 
Hi Blue - You've apparently gotten infected with the QHosts trojan. Read
here for information:

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=100719
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=37191


Try the following:

1. Be sure that you install hotfix 828750 which fixes the exploit that this
virus uses:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/828750/default.asp

2. Update and run a complete Anti-Virus software check of your system. Most
of the major AV companies have updated their latest signatures to detect
this virus (for Network Associates (McAfee), be sure to get the EXTRADAT.exe
update from the above page as well as your regular update).

3a. If running your AV doesn't clean it up, go to this page, read the
directions CAREFULLY (particularly about the Restore option) and download
and run the removal tool:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.removal.tool.html

3b. An alternative that by report works much better than the Symantec tool
is the Brown University Removal Tool, here:

http://software.brown.edu/dist/w-cleanqhosts.html THIS WOULD BE MY PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATION

If that still doesn't clean it up (and a number of people are reporting that
it did not with the Symantec tool), then follow the Manual Removal
instructions at the link in 3a. The following is courtesy of Mike Burgess:

"Does a HOSTS file still exist in Windows\Help?
Trojan Qhosts hijacks the HOSTS file, however unlike normal redirectors,
this one hides the HOSTS file in the "Windows\Help" folder. It then
creates entries that redirects all major search engines to a website.
Note: this website has now been removed, thus the DNS errors.
[more info]
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm (bottom of page)
Run the beta version of HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/beta/hijackthis.zip)
_______________________________________
Mike Burgess http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Spyware, Adware, Parasites, Hijackers, Trojans, with a HOSTS file
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm [updated 9-30-03]
Please post replies to this Newsgroup, email address is invalid"


Just to follow up on this - there may be multiple different HOSTS files on
your machine with the trojan's settings some of which cannot not be removed
by the Removal Tools, and you'll need to do a search to find and just delete
them all, or clean them per the manual directions at the Symantec site.

4. You probably will then need to restore your HOSTS file if you plan to use
it for DNS speedup and/or ad blocking. Download the Hosts File Reader:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/HostsFileReader.exe

To create a new Default version of HOSTS, run the program, click the "Read
Hosts File" button, click the button labeled "Reset Defaults" and click
"Save Changes." Note that this is NOT a recreation of your original HOSTS
file, but a brand new "initialized" one. Now go to normal HOSTS file
location (Windows XP\2000 Location: - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC or
Windows 98\ME Location: - C:\WINDOWS) and rename the "hosts" file that it
created to "HOSTS" (no quotes, all caps, no extension). If you've been using
your HOSTS file for ad blocking (see
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm Blocking Unwanted Ads with a Hosts
File), then you'll need to reset the new default you've created up for that
purpose. (Recommended, BTW - it also blocks a lot of "malware" as well as
offensive advertising.)


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 
okay, first off...i checked for qhost and it came up negative, kids. can't
remember who posted the original info about the host files, but just do a
windows search (from the start menu) and search for all files containing
"hosts". you may have several host files, the problematic one for me was in
C:\windows\help. I just right clicked it and renamed it "oldhosts" and my
problem was solved.
No idea what caused it but that sure fixed it.
 
but yeah, follow all the other good advice first...since i dont really
"know" what im doing..
 
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