Member Avatar for bstenmans
bstenmans 0 Newbie Poster

hi all,
i've been visiting a website that has installed much spyware on my computer. lavasoft adaware could remove most of it. but if i simply enter 'yahoo.com', ie does not find the website yahoo.com but show the address: can i do to have the removed, that is put at the beginning of every address?

Thanks, Bernd

  • 1 Contributor
  • 0 Replies
  • 296 Views

Dani AI

Generated

— The symptom described is classic URL‑handling hijack: something on the PC is intercepting typed addresses and rewriting them before Internet Explorer resolves them. Typical causes are a malicious proxy or toolbar/BHO, a changed SearchAssistant/SearchURL entry, hosts file redirects, or a corrupted Winsock/LSP left by malware. The following checklist gives a safe, ordered way to diagnose and remove the rewrite without guessing at a single cause.

Quick checks (do these first)

  • In Internet Explorer: Internet Options → Connections → LAN Settings — ensure no unexpected proxy is set.
  • Tools → Manage Add‑ons — disable unknown toolbars, helpers and search providers.
  • Try entering the full URL form (for example http://www.example.com) to see whether the problem only affects bare hostnames.
  • Look for unusual entries in Start → Run that call external programs at boot (autoruns/HijackThis will show these).

Deeper fixes to run (requires admin rights)

  • Inspect and edit the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts with Notepad run as Administrator; remove any lines mapping common hosts to local or strange IPs.
  • Flush DNS and reset network stacks:
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

Reboot after running those commands.

Notes, tools and cautions

  • Produce a system log with a reputable tool (HijackThis/Autoruns) for inspection before removing entries. Back up the registry and create a restore point before any manual registry edits (common keys abused include ProxyServer/ProxyEnable and SearchAssistant/SearchURL under Internet Explorer keys).
  • Run a full scan with up‑to‑date anti‑malware and consider an offline rescue scan if the infection resists removal.
  • If multiple core components are altered or if stability is poor after cleanup, a full OS restore or reinstall is the most reliable way to guarantee removal.
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.