Member Avatar for Oneskibunny

For some reason my explorer home page is locked meaning I do not have access to changing it. I have since upgraded my norton, run spybot and searched for the problem without success. Any ideas as to what is causing this and how to fix it?

  • 4 Contributors
  • 5 Replies
  • 136 Views
  • 18 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by crunchie

Dani AI

Generated

This usually means either a policy/registry entry is enforcing the page or a background component (toolbar/BHO or hijacker) is resetting it. is correct that it often looks like a browser hijack, and rightly points out some tools can deliberately "lock" the page. The next step is to narrow whether the lock is user-specific or machine-wide before editing anything.

  • Check whether the Home page field in Internet Options is greyed out. If it is, it's probably enforced.
  • Create a new local Windows user and log in. If the new user can change the home page, the problem lives in the original user hive (HKCU); if not, it's system-wide.
  • Inspect HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page to see the configured value (export that key first). Then check the Policies branches at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer for entries that reference a start/home page.
  • Look for unwanted toolbars/Add-ons (IE "Manage Add-ons" or your browser's extensions) and recent installs in Programs and Features. Check the Hosts file and startup entries for suspicious items.

If you find a policy value you didn't create, export the key, then remove that specific value and reboot. If add-ons are restoring the page, disable/uninstall them and then reset IE settings or create a fresh profile. Always export registry keys and make a System Restore point before changes. If the lock persists after these checks, run updated second-opinion malware scanners and consider restoring to a known-good restore point or creating a clean user profile. When posting findings here, include OS and Internet Explorer version and the exact registry keys or add-on names you discover.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for mikeandike22

download hijack this 1.98.2 unzip it to a folder on your hd close all browser windows scan with hijackthis hit save log save it as a txt file open it and copy all of the content to the SECURITY FORUM.

Member Avatar for Oneskibunny

download hijack this 1.98.2 unzip it to a folder on your hd close all browser windows scan with hijackthis hit save log save it as a txt file open it and copy all of the content to the SECURITY FORUM.

THanks but before I proceed, where is the security forum?

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Just post the log back in this topic if you wish. I'm moving this topic to the Security section where it belongs anyway. This is definitely a browser hijack issue.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Maybe you have locked it using one of Spybot S&D's features. It has the ability to lock the home page.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.