Member Avatar for maxluv

Dear Pals,

I am new to the forum and the reason iam here is because ive the same problem in one of my home PC. It was working fine and has Win XP Sp2. Now for past 2 days iam nto able to open yahoo, google and ESET.com. Ive ESET NOD32 on the system and also have tries all malware bytes and few more spy detect s/w but all end up with 0 threats. The problem is there and eating time.

I ve seen a response for the registry but i want some one to guide me how we can do this...it would be great favor. Looking forward to some quick response.

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RESPONSE found in forum but need help: anyway, i think i found the problem. google.com, search.yahoo.com and search.msn.com all were redirected to the localhost (127.0.0.1) in the registry...
(and it only took me 3 days to figure that out and 2 hours of digging in the registry. lol)
Thanks for all the help and pointing me in the right directions!
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Regards,

Max

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by craigers

Dani AI

Generated

Summary and targeted next steps to try before risky registry edits.

Symptom recap: reports an XP SP2 machine that can no longer reach major search sites after a suspected infection. Scans so far showed nothing, and a previous poster found redirections to the local host in the registry. Before making registry changes, try a prioritized list of lower-risk network and host-level fixes that frequently restore browser access.

Hosts and network quick sequence (execute in this order)

  • The hosts file should be inspected at C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Any lines mapping search sites to localhost (for example 127.0.0.1 www.google.com) should be removed or the file renamed as a safe backup.
  • Flush DNS and reset the network stack, then reboot:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
  • Verify browser proxy settings (Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings) and disable any unexpected proxy.
  • Use name-resolution tests to distinguish DNS problems from host-level blocks:
nslookup www.google.com
ping www.google.com
  • Boot into Safe Mode with Networking and run thorough on-disk and offline/rootkit scans; consider rescue media if rootkit persistence is suspected.

If registry changes become necessary, export affected keys and create a restore point or full registry backup first. Posting scanner logs (Malwarebytes log and a startup/hijack-style log, as requested) will make targeted diagnosis safer. Heed ’s caution: registry edits are a last resort and recovery media/backups should be ready.

Short checklist: hosts → flush DNS → winsock reset → disable proxy → nslookup/ping → safe-mode full scan → registry edits only if proven necessary. Back up personal data before deeper repair or reinstall.

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Member Avatar for craigers

run 'spybot search and destroy'. (it can be found at download.com) if that don't work i'll give you the registry keys to delete if, in fact, it is the same thing I had.

Member Avatar for jholland1964

We need to see the Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware log and a HiJackThis log.
Leave the registry ALONE.

Member Avatar for craigers

Leave the registry ALONE.

agreed! i hesitate to give info on registry editing unless absolutely needed and last resort and are prepared to reinstall windows if something goes wrong.

something i just thought of, try running microsoft malicious software removal tool by clicking:
in xp if updates have been applied regularly, start -> run -> type 'mrt' without the quotes, and press enter.
in vista, click the windows icon and just type mrt and press enter.

do a full scan.

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