Has Google Been Hacked or Is It Us?

[Jeff]

BTW AVG also has a version with a firewall now for free, so you can ditch zonealarm if you like. (I tried using zonealarm before and hated it.)

[Si Hunt]

Thanks for all your help Jeff, I really appreciate it.

Malware is still going, but it's found an infected object. Fingers crossed.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Malware found fifteen infected objects. It fixed them. I rebooted.

Guess what.... google still doesn't work.

Si.

[Wayne]

Poor Si!
Bring back Windows '98 i say. 'Scan Reg/Restore' would've sorted it out in the old days.

[Phillip Culley]

Malware found fifteen infected objects. It fixed them. I rebooted.

Guess what.... google still doesn't work.

Si.

Might be worth scanning again - sometimes the little buggers get deep in the registry and things, so although you might think you've deleted them, when you reboot the PC they just reinstall themselves.

[Jeff]

I think your best bet is the Smitfraudfix program. Smitfraudfix is made specifically to fix your kind of problem (hijackers). I found it in a help forum given as the answer to someone who had the same problem you do.

I've read that Spysweeper is good for this problem too, but it is no longer free.

[Dirk Gently]

I've tried to get AVG but every site I try wants credit card info & I'm not gviving that out!

[Lissa]

Have you tried AVG's website?

[Dirk Gently]

Embarrassingly not. Thanks Lissa, that seems to be downloading fine.

[Si Hunt]

This is important - is anyone else having problem with that AVG URL?

www.free.avg.com

I try and go there, even by typing it into the task bar, and it redirects to google. If I didn't know better, I'd say this blooming bit of spyware is preventing me from accessing sites that might help me remove it!

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

Try Lissa's link, Si. It worked for me.

But that link you've posted doesn't work.

[Wayne]

Lissa's link works fine, but yours takes me to no page.
I'm using AVG 7.5, rather than 8, which just seemed to use too much resources. I keeping getting the updates for 7.5(.524 currently) & it works fine. 8 just seemed to slow up my PC too much.
Si, seeing as how i'm posting you some stuff tomorrow, i can send AVG v7 & v8 on a CD Rom if neccesary? But if you use v7 it will tell you it's out of date, but if you follow the update prompts it'll be fine. Or you can use v8.

[Lissa]

It isn't anything sinister. Si's link doesn't work because the address is avg.com with free. as the subdomain rather than www.

free.avg.com works and www.avg.com works but www.free.avg.com won't.

[Si Hunt]

Thanks Wayne, that'd be great.

I can't even start Windows in Safe Mode to run Smitfraudfix. I select Safe Mode after holding down F8 but the screen fills with messages about various files and then it restarts again. What the hell's wrong with me?!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Ok this is bad. Since trying to start in safemode, the computer won't even start up! I'm posting this from my laptop.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Christ, nothing! I try and start it up and if I Start Windows Normally it just flashes a blue screen quickly then re-starts. If I try and start in Safe Mode the screen fills with multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\Windows\System 32\Drivers... messages then the computer re-starts again. It won't boot at all!

Help!

Si.

[Jeff]

Does it go blue when it tries to boot windows, or before then (i.e. can you get into the BIOS?)

[Si Hunt]

This is what happens.

When you start the computer, you get a screen saying the last startup failed and giving me a choice to Start Windows Normally, Safe Mode, Safe Mode With Networking or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Or Last Known Correct Configuration.

If I try any of the safe modes, the screen fills with those messages, then it freezes and re-starts.

If I try and start normally or from Last Known Good Configuration, the Windows XP logo appears for about 30 seconds, then the screen goes blank. There is eventually a blue screen flashes up very very quickly. I can't even read what it says. As soon as it appears, the screen blanks again and the PC restarts.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Is there any other F key I can try clicking during startup to get somewhere else?

Si.

[Jeff]

This is what happens.

When you start the computer, you get a screen saying the last startup failed and giving me a choice to Start Windows Normally, Safe Mode, Safe Mode With Networking or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Or Last Known Correct Configuration.

If I try any of the safe modes, the screen fills with those messages, then it freezes and re-starts.

If I try and start normally or from Last Known Good Configuration, the Windows XP logo appears for about 30 seconds, then the screen goes blank. There is eventually a blue screen flashes up very very quickly. I can't even read what it says. As soon as it appears, the screen blanks again and the PC restarts.

Si.

It could be worse. If it had corrupted your BIOS... well, you'd be out of a computer mostly.

OK, do you have a Windows XP cd? If so you are going to need to put that in your disc drive and then restart the computer so that it boots from the CD. DON'T CHOOSE ANY OPTION THAT SAYS REFORMAT.

There will be an option to repair an existing version of windows XP. Find that and run it.

[Si Hunt]

I'm about 20 seconds ahead of you there. I have a purple CD "Operating System, Reinstallation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition". But nothing happens when I restart with it in the CD drive. Is this the right one? I just get the "we apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start successfully..." screen again.

Si.

[Jeff]

Go into your BIOS and check your boot setting to make sure it is trying to boot from the CD before it tries to boot from hard drive.

[Si Hunt]

How do I go into my BIOS Jeff?

I'm struggling because unless I know to press something specific, it's giving me zero options at the moment. Is there an F key I can hold down to access the BIOS?

Si.

[Jeff]

What kind of computer is it? Usually you tap delete when it is first turned on... at least on my bios... yours may be a different button.

[Si Hunt]

I'm in! I just held down everything. Now how to ensure it boots from the CD drive?

Si.