Strange Links

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ben Stevenson
  • Start date Start date
B

Ben Stevenson

On some links that I click in web pages, I get a low key piano sound with a
brown clenched fist showing up next to the link. What is this supposed to
mean? Often, this link will not work, but occassionally it does.
TIA
 
Ben Stevenson said:
On some links that I click in web pages, I get a low key piano sound
with a brown clenched fist showing up next to the link. What is this
supposed to mean? Often, this link will not work, but occassionally
it does.
TIA
Click to expand...

I have never heard of that before and don't know whether or not this will
fix it.
First eliminate any spyware.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

CAUTION!!!!! Removing some spyware can damage the Winsock stact. Before
you try to remove spyware using any of these programs , download a copy of
LSP-Fix - a free program to repair damaged Winsock 2 stacks (all Windows
versions)
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
Winsockfix for W95, W98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
http://www.tacktech.com/pub/winsockfix/WinsockFix.zip
Directions here: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=257
WinXP:
Get WinSockxpFix
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357
In WinXP SP2: You can fix Winsock by going to Start | Run and typing
CMD
In the command window type
netsh winsock reset

See
Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Note that AdAware and SpyBot S & D will each catch some things the other
won't. Also, each needs to be updated with the program's update function
before every use, even when just downloaded. There's also a lot more to do
than just those two programs. CWShredder is also available here:
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder
**Post your HijackThis log to
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/ or the Spyware forum at
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**
Alternative download pages for Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis and CWShredder
may be found on this page:
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.

See this link for information about malware:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars

If nothing there helps, please post back to this thread.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
Thanks for your response. I have always been careful about spyware. I have
always had Ad-aware, Spybot, CW Shredder and SpyBlaster and I use them
regularly. Recently I also installed the Microsoft AntiSpyware. Anyway, I
ran them again and nothing much found. Just the regular one or two small
bits. About this strange brown hand. On all computers, when we point to a
link the pointer turns to a white open hand. But on my computer on certain
links, this hand clinches into a brown fist. This started happening about a
month ago. I went to Norton and did their free anti-virus scan, and no virus
found. Did the same on my free AVG, also no virus found. AVG too is
difficult to download updates these days. Often they just won't download.
Thanks
 
Sorry for the delay.

I didn't properly understand what you mean that I haven't applied Windows
Themes. Pls enlighten me. Thanks.

Regarding the problem that I have, perhaps you could look into something I
have a feeling about. Maybe I don't have the appropriate software/plug-ins
or whatever to be able to watch those links. Today I had the same problem on
this link:
http://www.stukastudios.se/b52.htm
Pls click on "Videos". I could not watch both the 'The Crash" or the
"Take-off".
Thanks
 
Ben Stevenson said:
Sorry for the delay.

I didn't properly understand what you mean that I haven't applied
Windows Themes. Pls enlighten me. Thanks.

Regarding the problem that I have, perhaps you could look into
something I have a feeling about. Maybe I don't have the appropriate
software/plug-ins or whatever to be able to watch those links. Today
I had the same problem on this link:
http://www.stukastudios.se/b52.htm
Pls click on "Videos". I could not watch both the 'The Crash" or the
"Take-off".
Thanks
Click to expand...

Themes: Right click a blank spot on the desktop and choose Properties.
Look at the Themes tab.

http://www.stukastudios.se/b52.htm looked normal to me. I didn't watch the
whole crash video. No brown fist. Did you post a HijackThis log to one of
the proper sites?

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
Ben Stevenson said:
Sorry for the delay.

I didn't properly understand what you mean that I haven't applied Windows
Themes. Pls enlighten me. Thanks.

Regarding the problem that I have, perhaps you could look into something I
have a feeling about. Maybe I don't have the appropriate software/plug-ins
or whatever to be able to watch those links. Today I had the same problem on
this link:
http://www.stukastudios.se/b52.htm
Pls click on "Videos". I could not watch both the 'The Crash" or the
"Take-off".
Click to expand...

The second one reduces to this URL. Do you *trust* it?

http://www.teambanana.co.uk/b52crash2.wmv

Maybe you should try it from here instead?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robert.ashley/teambananaracing/


BTW it is unclear what this has to do with your original symptom.


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
---
 
Ben, I am having same problem, I even had to use another browser just to post
this, I confirm that on certain links, I also receive an upside down fist.
 
Did you post a HijackThis log to one of the proper sites?
No I didn't, and I would like to know how. Pls guide me and give me the site
link, how to I get the log, and where do I send it to.
Thanks.
 
Great!! I have company :-).

I'm sure the gurus here will realise that it is a real problem, though it
seems to be new that they have not encountered before. Stay with this
thread. I'm confident that someone will offer a solution. I get the brown
fist on some links only. Do you get it on all? Since you had to use another
browser? If so, your problem is worse than mine.
 
It only happens on some links, usually if there is some kind of popup
involved. And it is not all popups.

I have installed Microsoft's Anti Spyware - have you? it's not spyware
causing this problem, like you I've run Ad-aware, SpyBot, and MS's spyware.
 
Nope, its not MS Anti-spyware. Have you recently installed Roxio's Media
Creator, Photo Story for Windows, IsoBuster?

these are my most recent installations

Rob
 
Are you using any kind of popup blocker or cookie blocker that might have
started using the brown fist or the sound? Especially after an update to the
software?
 
Ben Stevenson said:
No I didn't, and I would like to know how. Pls guide me and give me
the site link, how to I get the log, and where do I send it to.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I told you that in my first reply. Repeated below my signature.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

First eliminate any spyware.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

CAUTION!!!!! Removing some spyware can damage the Winsock stact. Before
you try to remove spyware using any of these programs , download a copy of
LSP-Fix - a free program to repair damaged Winsock 2 stacks (all Windows
versions)
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
Winsockfix for W95, W98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
http://www.tacktech.com/pub/winsockfix/WinsockFix.zip
Directions here: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=257
WinXP:
Get WinSockxpFix
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357
In WinXP SP2: You can fix Winsock by going to Start | Run and typing
CMD
In the command window type
netsh winsock reset

See
Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Note that AdAware and SpyBot S & D will each catch some things the other
won't. Also, each needs to be updated with the program's update function
before every use, even when just downloaded. There's also a lot more to do
than just those two programs. CWShredder is also available here:
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder
**Post your HijackThis log to
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/ or the Spyware forum at
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**
Alternative download pages for Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis and CWShredder
may be found on this page:
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.

See this link for information about malware:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars

If nothing there helps, please post back to this thread.
 
Do you have Norton Internet Security installed? I noticed that when I select
show logs under Statistics, I get a Windows error message
 
I think I did have it. It came preinstalled together NAV and with XP Home.
But I had quickly uninstalled it, as I don't like Norton products. They are
very difficult to completely uninstall, and they are not really compatible
with Windows, causing quite a few disturbances.
 
Back
Top