startup alteration

[sofedup]

Hi- I have an HP Pavilion computer that has Windows XP. I use IE and have McAfee virus and spyware protection. I know very little about computers.

Here's the problem: when I go to run> msconfig> startup there are two alien entries at the bottom of the list. In the the "Startup Item" and "Command" columns they don't have names- just five squares. In the "Location" column they both say HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Curren... (CurrentVersion?). When I start the computer I now get four error messages that file box box box box box cannot be found. I tried unchecking the two entries but got an error message that I had altered the startup and needed to go back to all boxes being checked (can't remember the text of that message exactly). So now I have to run everything listed under startup (the computer is a a hand-me-down and there are some programs I prefer not to run). The computer seems to run just the same in spite of this.

Also recently I noticed that the box marked "Enable third party browser extensions" under the Advanced tab in Internet Options had been checked, so I unchecked it. I had been getting quite a few IE error messages (needs to close, sorry) that have stopped since I did this but the timing could be coincidental. I don't know if this is related to the startup problem.

I think I caused this problem. Sometimes when I went to my homepage, Google, I'd get a blank page and the address would be "about:blank" so I downloaded something to scan for "about:blank".

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would like to know what was altered in my computer and how I can fix it. Would a registry cleaner help?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

1. I am suspicious of ANYTHING that refuses to identify itself

Download and run Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
Download and run Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Download and run CWShredder http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

...making sure you download and install the weekly updates for both spyware removers first.

Update and run your antivirus program. Everybody here will recommend their favorite- mine happens to be McAfee, but even it's not perfect. Make sure the on-access scanner is active, and perform a thorough disk scan.

Obtain and run Registry Mechanic (registry cleaner- it has an online update function built in).

Do all your online Microsoft updates.

That's a start, anyway. There may be further registry issues once all the spyware is cleared off, but that's best handled by someone who knows what they're doing. If the above steps don't clear it up, consider shelling out the bucks to have your machine professionally laundered by one such as I. :evilgrin:

[sofedup]

3. good...

...I was hoping someone would recommend a registry cleaner. I downloaded it and cleaned the registry (there were about 1,300 things to fix). I'll try the other downloads later. I actually have Ad-aware already. Thanks for the tips- I do think I'll eventually get a pro to fix what got messed up but, like I said, the computer is actually functioning fine. Thanks again!:-)

[charlie]

2. You don't need to scan for about:blank

about: is a browser protocol like http:, file:, view-source:, ftp:, etc.

about:blank is the URL IE will load if you choose to have a blank homepage. Check your homepage settings and see if it hasn't been reset from Google.

[sofedup]

4. geez...

...what I don't know about computers is just embarrassing sometimes. Thanks for wising me up!:D

[charlie]

6. Better listen to hobbit709's warning

What I wrote above is true, but I was unaware of a hijacker of the same name. Nor did I imagine a piece of malware would use replacing a homepage with about:blank as its signature action, since it's pointless. Hijackers usually steal homepages for a reason, not merely to annoy you. Sorry for the bad advice. Here's a Google search if you need a start:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22about:blank%22%20hijack

[sofedup]

8. hey charlie

I was hoping that my about blank was just some sort of glitch related to what you posted about since my computer does not appear to be in the throes (dang, cheney has ruined a perfectly good phrase!) of a hijacking. :-(

[hobbit709]

5. You've been hijacked

about blank is a major hijacker trojan that's loads of fun to clean up since it hides in several places and reloads itself on every bootup. It usually takes about 4 tries to completely remove it- I usually just say F*** it and reformat and reinstall Windows-it's usually faster and easier that way.

[sofedup]

7. when I noticed the the blank windows

had the address "about:blank" I googled it and learned enough to be concerned. But my old computer was hijacked (don't remember the program but it was going around at the time)about four years ago and that was a dramatic experience- the computer froze and then a new homepage and numerous icons appeared, the computer barely functioned. That isn't happening now- the machine is working well. But I do have something, no doubt about that. Sounds as if I need to save my pennies to have a pro look at the machine. Thanks for the response.