AAAArgh! The curse of the immovable......

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stevewilliams

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Keep gettting the dialogue box asking me whether I want to work offline as there is no connection currently available. This occurs around every 10 seconds and I'm not trying to connect but just using the word-processor etc. I don't know if it's connected but I've also noticed an address in the homepage internet options setting that's a) an unknown and b) also immovable by deleting and changing the default.

This problem has defeated the greatest minds in the East Anglian swamplands IT community so probably needs some urban technowizard sophisticate.
 
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Have you run Adaware and reset Internet Home Page to "about blank"?



p.s. East Anglia? When I moved from Norwich I worked in Russell Road Ipswich for some years, with forays to Bury St Edmunds, Rayleigh and Wherstead Park.
 
Forgot to mention this is Windows 98 SE. and not currently connected to the net.

Sorry don't know what Adaware is but have tried resetting to 'about blank' (whatever that is?) without success.

I'm out in the sticks of rural North Norfolk but with past connections to Norwich and Bungay
 
Has it ever been on the net? Have you got an anti-virus prog on it?

AdAware is an application that scans for and can delete programs and stuff that gets loaded onto your PC e.g. to spy on you or to download adverts from the net in order to annoy you.

Undesirables can also come from software loads and humorous or games files, from friends or free software with magazines.

Possibly one of your applications is trying to connect to look for an update.

If you look at Task Manager, what do you see running?

What is the address that your Home Page gets set to? Is it SexyNatasha.co.ru or something?

Edited: If you go to http://www.lavasoft.de/ and find the free download of AdAware Personal, you can download it, copy the download to a disk and intsall it on your other PC. It may find and splat the little blighter.
 
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Thanks for all your advice, JohnD. Did as you said and copied the adware program. I got fairly excited as it seemed to blitz several invaders including the Homepage hijacker - although this took several scans. It has certainly made a difference and the homepage has returned to default on the last couple of reboots. I still have the prompt occuring at start up and shut down but so far leaving me alone for the rest of the time. The scan did flag up that there was some data that it couldn't remove and I'm wondering whether this is causing my residual problem? Also rather ominously the hijacker after being deleted did actually reappear in a subsequent scan.
(Yes it has been on the net and it doesn't really have any decent antivirus protection.)
Will look at your other suggestions.
 
Yes it has been on the net and it doesn't really have any decent antivirus protection
Click to expand...

Not really a good idea, I'd also download buy some antivirus, AVG free is fairly decent and there are others. And as mentioned, grab hijack this and post your log.
 
Have done as you said and installed the AVG software - it has detected the virus VBS/Redlof. It wants me to 'restart using an operating system from a virus free system diskette or CDRom then use Rescue Disk and heal'.

What in practice does this mean? (I've created the rescue disks as instructed when I first installed AVG)

In fact, everything seems to be working OK since AVG has deleted what it could but of course this virus lurking in the background and the red window at start up from AVG needs to be addressed.

Sorry folks but I'm pretty much a novice and the 'hijack this' installing guides kept warning me that I needed to be an advanced user. When I looked at the tutorial I lost the will to live.

Thanks for the advice so far ..... things are improving
 
Have done as you said and installed the AVG software - it has detected the virus VBS/Redlof. It wants me to 'restart using an operating system from a virus free system diskette or CDRom then use Rescue Disk and heal'.

What in practice does this mean? (I've created the rescue disks as instructed when I first installed AVG)
Click to expand...

I thought (from memory) the ACG recovery disk was bootable, did you try booting from it? If its not, your 98 cd will do just fine, put cd in, reboot pc with cd in and it should boot from cd - if not post back and I'll advise on how to change boot sequence. Once booted from cd you will get a menu with 3 items, you want to start computer either with or without cdrom support - doesnt matter in this case.
IF booted from avg floppy, type AVG and press and follow the instructions, if booted from a 98cd, pop in your avg floppy, type A: and press enter then type avg and press enter as above.
I dont think this visus will have affected your avg floppy.

Sorry folks but I'm pretty much a novice and the 'hijack this' installing guides kept warning me that I needed to be an advanced user. When I looked at the tutorial I lost the will to live.
Click to expand...

ok Hijack this is easy enough for you to run and get a log file, simply double click the downloaded file, if you get a message box, click ok. Then on the main Hijack-this screen, click the first big button - "do a scan and save log file", it will have a think for a bit then come up with a list of all sorts of stuff, it will also open notepad, copy the textf from notepad and post here, you can save it if you like also. Close notepad and close hijack this.

If you get stuck, post back.
 
Yes tried to boot with the 'bootable' first rescue disk but got message - invalid system disk also tried the same with the CDRom but get the same AVG bootup scanner message telling me to reboot very time. Presumably as a novice rebooter I'm not rebooting in the correct rebooting manner?

Will go and try the Hijack this .......

Many thanks for advice so far.
 
ok, try this. On boot, tap the DEL key (may be F2 other depending on your system but on the initial boot screen where it checks memory etc it will say hit "whatever" to enter setup) navigate to advanced setup and find boot sequence, change it so cdrom is first, save and exit then try your 98 cd again.
 
Couldn't get in before the AVG scanner - tried delete and F2 but couldn't see any memory check before the scanner leapt in with its message about rebooting.

Have downloaded Hijack This log but have no floppy drive on this computer and no CD writer on the one in question (or scanner - looks like I'll have to type in the 2 pages!
 
Hi, sounds like you are doing it too late, its much before then, when your pc does the memory count,checkes drives etc - the black screen when you first turn it on. something like this :

DDR400BOOT.jpg

img4.jpg


on the second one it says press DEL to enter setup.

I would try and fix the virus issue first.
Anyway I've found a possible removal tool, makes you put emial details etc in so I havnt looked at it but might be worth a try http://www.pandasoftware.com/download/utilities/
 
First thing I get on the black screen is 'initialise bootup scanner' from the AVG program so I never see the memory check. Tried pressing delete before this in the nanosecond after powering up but no success!

I appreciate all your help and will go and try out your removal tool.

Cheers
 
Sorted!

The Panda removal tool chewed up my virus and spat it out. Dead. Strangely enough it didn't detect while the AVG was enabled and only worked when AVG was switched off.

Many many thanks Eggplant, JohnD and others. This site should use the 'thanks' rating system used on moneysavingexpert.com and experts such as yourselves could parade their well-deserved expert reputations.


Cheers, it's been an education. :D
 
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