Member Avatar for punkrockmetal

hey, i have internet explorer 6 and when i go to click on a link or type in an address, the internet will freeze for like ten seconds b4 doin ne thing (u can still move the mouse and do stuff non internet realated), at times after the 10 seconds it will redirect to a site called or sumptin then guickly redirect to a blank page that is or sumptin, if u need the reall numbers just say so and ill try to get the asap.

now one of the aminastrators said its probably that i have been hijacked with a virus and that i should try the security section if theres ne thing i can do to wipe the virus.

addisitonal info: i have a hp pentium celeron, 40 gigs, 128 mb, and is running on windows 98.

please help

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by crunchie

Dani AI

Generated

This looks like a classic browser-hijack/adware symptom: long pauses on any navigation and intermittent redirects to ad servers (the freemegaplex/numeric pages). As noted, that behavior usually means something has altered IE startup/settings or installed a small helper that intercepts clicks (proxy/hosts change, modified IE shortcut, BHO/toolbars, or an LSP). ’s advice to get tools and a HijackThis log is the right next move — below are extra, focused checks to do now that won’t repeat the scanner installs already suggested.

Quick safe checks (do these first)

  • Right-click the Internet Explorer shortcut, open Properties and inspect the Target field. Remove any URL or extra text after iexplore.exe.
  • In IE: Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections (or LAN Settings) — make sure no proxy is set. Many hijackers add a proxy to redirect traffic.
  • Open C:\Windows\hosts with Notepad. The file should be tiny; remove or rename it (hosts.old) if you see lots of unfamiliar entries mapping common sites to IPs.
  • Look in Start -> Programs -> Startup and Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs for recent/unknown installs and remove suspicious items. Reboot after changes.

What to do with the HijackThis log
Run HijackThis as suggested but do not 'fix' entries yourself. Post the complete log. Flag these entries for reviewers: O2 (BHOs), O4 (Run keys), O1 (hosts/URL redirs), O8/O9 (search/homepage changes), O23 (services) and any file paths that look odd (random names or temp folders). Saying which exact URL or numeric host you saw (copy/paste the full address) helps identify the ad server.

If the above checks and the scans run in Safe Mode do not fully stop the redirects, back up important data and consider offline rescue tools or a reinstall. Note Windows 98 is unsupported and hard to secure; a reinstall or moving to a supported OS is the safest long-term fix.

Member Avatar for crunchie

Download & instal Adaware from
& update it before scanning.
In settings under 'scanning,' have it set to
'scan within archives,'
'scan active processes,'
'scan registry,'
'deepscan registry'
'scan my IE Favourites for banned URL's,'
'scan my host's file.'
In 'tweaks' under 'scanning engine' set it to 'unload recognised processes during scanning.'
Also in 'tweaks' under 'cleaning engine' set it to 'Automatically try to unregister objects prior to deletion' & 'let Windows remove files in use at next reboot.'
Select 'activate in-depth scan' before starting scan.
When the scan is finished select 'next.'
Remove what it finds by placing a check in the box to the left of the object. Reboot

Download & instal Spybot S&D from Update it before scanning.
After the scan is complete, have spybot fix everything marked RED.
On the page that first opens when you start Spybot there is an option to immunise, you should do this. In the immunise section there is also a link to download Spywareblaster. This program will prevent the install of bad activex controls that it has knowledge of. Download that & you can keep it updated by selecting the same link that you use to download it. Reboot

Download HijackThis from & unzip it into it's own, permanent folder, (Not a temporary folder or the desktop (in a folder on the desktop is fine) & not directly on your hard drive).
If you have anything disabled in MsConfig, please re-enable it/them.
Start HJT & with all browser windows closed, press the scan button. When the scan is finished the scan button will change to save. Save the log to a text file, copy the entire contents of the text file & paste it into the body of your post. DO NOT FIX ANYTHING YET. Most of what is there is necessary for the running of your system.

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