search engine

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deb
  • Start date Start date
D

Deb

Ok, I now know what the search engine problem is all
about, but will someone PLEASE tell me as simply as
possible how to correct the problem?
 
I know that norton offers a free program that cleans up
the trojan.qhosts problem, if I find out where it is I'll
post it up here, if that doesn't work, look at a few of
the other topics round here to get an idea of what to
do.
 
deb said:
i ran adaware, and I ran Synantec qhost trojan removal,
with no results. What now?
Click to expand...

I can't promise it will work for you, but I fixed it by going to this site
and following the instructions:
http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/answers4.htm#search_engine

Basically, you have to find any "hosts" files - this is above and beyond
hosts.sam and lmhosts. Open them with notepad. If they have a long list of
search engines, delete them - these are the culprit files.

This is the only thing that worked for me. My antivirus program and Spybot
did not detect any trojans or fix the problem. It is possible that there is
more than one cause for this, so your individual solution will obviously
depend on that.

m
 
You can go to symantec.com to find help with the
trojan.qhosts problem but it didn't work for me and I
don't know why. Maybe you will have better luck. Very
frustrating.
 
I solved the problem by doing a search for hosts. I
found the bad hosts file in windows/help. I know the
hosts file is bad because it has a list of websites
including google and altavista. I renamed it and can get
to the search engines again.
 
Deb,
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)

Microsoft has released a cumulative patch for this vulnerability:
Simply go to Windows Update
[more info]
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-040.asp

If your AV did not detect or you simply don't have an AV (bad idea)
Free Removal Tool:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.removal.tool.html

AVG AntiVirus 6.0 [freeware] http://www.grisoft.com/
_______________________________________
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]
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