Spyware is not totally gone -- Please Help!!!!!

[Rosee]

I have a PC with Windows XP pro. It got messed up about 2 to 3 weeks ago. It started with the spyware called 'hotbar', see

http://www.howard.edu/technology/hotbar.

I have read a lot of threads in this forum and tried many programs. At this point, the computer is running fine. But the stuff is not totally gone. Please help.

This was what happened: when the PC is connected to the Internet(used ping and verified the connection):
* it could not see any web page, get message "page could not be displayed".
* if type IP address on IE address place, the number gets changed. Example: IP address '66.65.122.10' could be changed to '??20%66.65.122.10'; then the message "page could not be displayed".

This is what I have tried:
* AD-aware
* HijackThis
* Spy Sweeper
* Spybot
* RegClearner

This is the situation now: it can go many main web sites, but it still has following problems:
* the graphics on some of the web sites would show at all
* when click a button on some main web page, get the massage "page could not be displayed".
those are good web sites, I can get them if I use a different computer.

I have been working on this problem last couple weeks, searching, trying, .. searching again, and trying again ... I am very tired of it.

If you have any ideas about this, please help me.

Millions of thanks.

 

[dyarwood]

There was another thread about a hotbar

thread742-850040

Does that help in anyway?

 

[diogenes10]

One possibility on redirects is creation or modification of a hosts file.

You could search and see if you have a hosts file-just plain hosts, no extension. If you do, then you could try renaming it and then access your page and see if the behavior changes. If it does, then review and editing of the hosts file is in order, if it doesnt then you're back to trying something else.



-------------------------------------
It's 10 O'Clock ( somewhere! ).
Are your registry and data backed up?

 

[Rosee]

Woops.

"the graphics on some of the web sites would show at all" should be "the graphics on some of the web sites would NOT show at all". My mistake.

Hi, diogenes10. I would like to try your idea. Before I try, I have some questions:

* How can I tell if the file is a hosts file?
* Is it OK to rename a host file with any name?
* Can you please tell me more details on how this can be done?

Thanks a lot.

 

[jrbarnett]

Rosee

The hosts file on a Windows XP system will by default be in:

C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\etc

It is a file called "Hosts" with no extension, and is in a plain text format, so you can load it into notepad for viewing and editing the content. Just remember to put quote marks around the name when saving to ensure Notepad doesn't add a .txt extension to the name.

The only entry that should be in there should be

127.0.0.1 localhost

apart from any that you have added yourself for machines on your local network.

John

 

[Rosee]

Thanks you all. I have tried host file rename and didn't work.

I still can not get

http://gwweb.bloomu.edu/

to show.

Any other ideas? Please help!!!!!

 

[blutekhnd]

Have you tried the groupwise support?

http://www.gwtools.com

 

[Rosee]

I will try the support later. Thanks for help.