Member Avatar for smanette

Hi there,

I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how to get rid of a spyware program that is redirecting my homepage. Every time I open internet explorer, it redirects to the following link:

http ://

I'd really appreciate any input on how to remove this program.

Thank you!
Smanette

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by dlh6213

Dani AI

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Useful additions to the suggestions from and . The symptom — Internet Explorer immediately redirecting to http://296f8.ilxt.info/index.php?aid=543 — usually means a browser hook or a startup modification rather than a simple homepage setting. Frequent causes are: a modified IE shortcut target, a Browser Helper Object (BHO) or injected DLL, a proxy/hosts change, or a persistent Run/Service/scheduled task that relaunches the redirect.

Containment and quick checks: disconnect the PC from the network (stop re-downloads), then boot into Safe Mode (use Safe Mode with Networking only when updates or downloads are required). Check the IE shortcut Properties -> Target (it should end in iexplore.exe with nothing appended). In IE check Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings for an unknown proxy. Keep “Use third-party extensions” disabled as suggested.

Deeper inspection and safe edits: examine the hosts file and msconfig, and create a HiJackThis log for diagnosis. To open the hosts file quickly:

notepad %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Look for unexpected entries. Run msconfig and note unfamiliar Startup and Services entries. Save and share a HiJackThis log for community analysis; look in the log for O2 (BHO), O4 (Run) and O23 (services) lines or any references to “ilxt” or “296f8”. Back up the registry (Regedit -> File -> Export) before removing keys.

Removal and recovery: run updated anti-spyware and antivirus scanners (the thread already mentions common tools), prefer scanning in Safe Mode for stubborn items, and use a clean machine to download removal utilities if needed. If manual registry/file removal is uncertain, restore to a clean restore point, recreate the browser profile, or reinstall the browser/OS as a last resort. After cleanup, verify no autorun entries remain and change important passwords.

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Member Avatar for ZWheel

OK, first thing, don't use Internet Explorer. IE has one valid use, that is to check how any web site you are working on will appear to those who do not know any better and are still using it. To that end click on tools-> internet options-> advanced. There is a large list of checkbox items in here. One of these is "use 3rd party extentions". Usually this is somewhere around the bottom of what you see before you scroll the list down any. Un-check it. This doesn't remove any adware/spyware from your computer but it does prevent a lot of it from effecting IE. You should also try scanning your computer with and SpyBot. Those are a couple of pretty good ad/spyware removers. Hope this all helps, and remember: IE is only for testing. For all casual browsing use something else. It's your choice but I am partial to FireFox.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

Hi Smanette and welcome to DaniWeb! If you haven't done so already, you should review the Sticky thread at the top of this forum called Helping yourself:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html

If you still have problems after that, use HiJackThis as instructed there.

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