Reply #12: Is your selected homepage coming up?

[LTR]

Or is it some strange search engine?

If it's a strange search engine, it may be a browser hijack.

AdAware gets rid of these. Be sure to update it (look for icon on upper right of the box when you open the program).

You can also try these two programs:

Hijack This:

http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/10/17/10-17-150.shtml

Direct download link:

http://www.spychecker.com/download/download_hijackthis.html

CWShredder:

http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/10/17/10-17-150.shtml

Direct download link:

http://download.softpedia.com:8080/ANTIVIRUS/CWShredder.exe

When your HOSTS file is fixed, put in a dummy one that will block the little nasties. This site shows you how:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Also, make sure your firewall/antivirus software is up to date.

It worked well for me. No spyware in months!