New options in Tools menubar

  • Thread starter Thread starter cdb
  • Start date Start date
C

cdb

My brother-in-law has recently been using my home PC and
since then I have noticed some new options in the Tools
menubar (the drop-down menu between Favourites and Help).
He says he has no idea where they came from and I don't
want them on my PC.
Is there anyway I can delete these (right clicking doesn't
do anything!).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
A bit more information would be helpful. What kind of options?

More than likely you have spyware/malware but more
information about what specifically has been added would be
nice.
 
There are 3 new options listed.
The first is IQ Test. The Second is Related Links and teh
3rd is Erotic.

It is mainly the last one which is the reason I want to
get rid of them! I am unaware of where they come from.
 
Welcome to the world of spyware/malware. You should get
copies of Ad Aware and Spybot (both free) and make sure
once they are installed that you update them to get the
latest versions. After you have run them you can do the
following. This is information for getting rid of a
hijacked home page but the process is the same for removing
all spyware/malware.

Disconnect your compter from the net if you have a
high-speed connection such as cable or dsl.

1) Go to Add/Remove Programs and look for programs that
shouldn't be there. Things such as Hotbar Toolbar, Gator,
etc. These programs should stand out in your mind as ones
that you did not install.

Write down the names of these programs then go ahead and
use Add/Remove to remove them. This WILL NOT completely
remove the program but begins the process.

2) Go onto your hard drive and look for folders which have
the same or similar names to the programs you just wrote
down. Look under C:\Program Files for these folders.

Delete these folders. In some cases you may not be able to
remove the entire folder or parts of their contents. That
is ok. Just be sure that what you are removing is what you
want to remove. If in doubt, leave it in.

3) Go to Start | Run and type in 'regedit' (no quotes).
When your registry comes up do Ctrl-F (Find) and type in
part of the name of one of the programs you are looking
for. For instance, if you have the Hotbar Toolbar you
could simply type in 'hotbar' (no quotes). Click Find Next
and the search begins. When it stops on an entry look at
it closely. Does it have the name of one of the programs
you are looking for? If so, delete that key. Hit F3 to
continue the search.

When you get the message that you are at the end of the
registry do Ctrl-F and repeat the process for the next
piece of spyware/malware. Repeat as necessary.

4) Reboot your machine. Check to see if those options are
still there. If so you need to go back into the registry
and search for whatever those options are Again, just part
of the name is fine. Also recheck your C: to see if there
are any leftover folders which you can remove. If so
remove them and reboot again.
 
Many Thanks.

Will give this a try tonight
-----Original Message-----
Welcome to the world of spyware/malware. You should get
copies of Ad Aware and Spybot (both free) and make sure
once they are installed that you update them to get the
latest versions. After you have run them you can do the
following. This is information for getting rid of a
hijacked home page but the process is the same for removing
all spyware/malware.

Disconnect your compter from the net if you have a
high-speed connection such as cable or dsl.

1) Go to Add/Remove Programs and look for programs that
shouldn't be there. Things such as Hotbar Toolbar, Gator,
etc. These programs should stand out in your mind as ones
that you did not install.

Write down the names of these programs then go ahead and
use Add/Remove to remove them. This WILL NOT completely
remove the program but begins the process.

2) Go onto your hard drive and look for folders which have
the same or similar names to the programs you just wrote
down. Look under C:\Program Files for these folders.

Delete these folders. In some cases you may not be able to
remove the entire folder or parts of their contents. That
is ok. Just be sure that what you are removing is what you
want to remove. If in doubt, leave it in.

3) Go to Start | Run and type in 'regedit' (no quotes).
When your registry comes up do Ctrl-F (Find) and type in
part of the name of one of the programs you are looking
for. For instance, if you have the Hotbar Toolbar you
could simply type in 'hotbar' (no quotes). Click Find Next
and the search begins. When it stops on an entry look at
it closely. Does it have the name of one of the programs
you are looking for? If so, delete that key. Hit F3 to
continue the search.

When you get the message that you are at the end of the
registry do Ctrl-F and repeat the process for the next
piece of spyware/malware. Repeat as necessary.

4) Reboot your machine. Check to see if those options are
still there. If so you need to go back into the registry
and search for whatever those options are Again, just part
of the name is fine. Also recheck your C: to see if there
are any leftover folders which you can remove. If so
remove them and reboot again.


.
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