Technology Spyware problem...

Started by minoes
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minoes

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Hi guys,


I dont know how it got into my computer system but I have a very annoying toolbar called "iSearch". I have tried everyting to remove this stupid spyware but so far no succes. Its getting on my nerves by now...

Anyone had the same problem Im coping with right now and know how to get rid of it???
 
You could also change browsers to Mozilla, which is much more resistant to adware/spyware than IE.
 
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umass rower said:
You could also change browsers to Mozilla, which is much more resistant to adware/spyware than IE.
Click to expand...


Yay for Firefox! 👍
 
I know of several voodoo rituals that will exercise the bad mojo of "Spyware" but you will have to offer a sacrifice, such as RAM or maybe a mouse, but the better the hardware you sacrifice, the better it works...
 
A very simple man said:
A very simple Google search gets a page that says AdAware will remove it.

The internet really is powerful. Also consider Spybot S&D (Search and Destroy).
Click to expand...
i had the isearch bug, and no, i wasnt able to get rid of it w/spybot, adaware, or any other purging program. you should probably reformat and try to stay away from dangerous sites (i get like 99% of all my viruses from porno sites 😎 )
 
Thanks for your input. I did searched at google and tried some of those ad remove programs, non of them worked.

I guess there is nothing left, than reformat.

thanks again...
 
uclacrewdude said:
i had the isearch bug, and no, i wasnt able to get rid of it w/spybot, adaware, or any other purging program. you should probably reformat and try to stay away from dangerous sites (i get like 99% of all my viruses from porno sites 😎 )
Click to expand...

Between MacAfee firewall, Norton Antivirus, Spybot, and Ad-Aware, I hit all the porn at will and my computer's clean as a whistle.

Worst-case scenario short of a reformat is to hack your own registry. Technical and involved, but it can be done.
 
tkim6599 said:
You could try the Microsoft version of spyware remover:

HERE

It's still in beta, but it seems to do okay.
Click to expand...

Dare I ask, which computer has Spyware on it? I am thinking of making the jump to Mac BUT am still not quite ready. Is the problem on a Windows machine or a Mac? 😕
 
brainmd said:
Dare I ask, which computer has Spyware on it? I am thinking of making the jump to Mac BUT am still not quite ready. Is the problem on a Windows machine or a Mac? 😕
Click to expand...
I don't think it even needs to be stated that it's Windows. There's no known spyware of this type on the Mac platform.
 
I have explorer and Windows XP. A couple weeks ago I downloaded the 2Pack but got nothing but trouble. So I had to get rid of that program.

I have Hitpro, Norton antivirus and Alarm Labs, but still, somehow the iSeach toolbar got into my system.

by the way...I did NOT visit porn sites! (I'm a decent girl)
 
SDN9876 said:
lol, what is fdisk, you dont mean format disk?! 😱
Click to expand...
fdisk = Partitioning Software. fdisk changes all the 1s & 0s on your HD back to just 0s. If formatting was compared to the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs, then fdisk would be equiv. to a supernova.
 
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just a suggestion.
if you know roughly around the time you were stuck with that spyware, do a widows system restore (if you are using XP)-it's under system tools in accessories

i have gotten stuck with that same spyware a few times, and system restore usu works.
(the last time however, i got some spyware that ruined my system restore and ended up reformatting the entire hard drive....oh well
 
applicant2002 said:
...(the last time however, i got some spyware that ruined my system restore and ended up reformatting the entire hard drive....oh well)
Click to expand...
I would love to know where the people live that make this spyware crap and go all uni-bomber on them.
 
minoes said:
Thanks for your input. I did searched at google and tried some of those ad remove programs, non of them worked.

I guess there is nothing left, than reformat.

thanks again...
Click to expand...


search for something called IE debrander.

Or, get a decent browser.
 
One of you wrote about using something different than "Microsoft Internet Explorer". So I checked the "Opera and Mozilla" out, but my computer doesnt want to download it. It had nothing to do with the security of my computer or with the type of system. I used to have Netscape but you need a homepage and I have to pay a whole bunch more just to go online with Netscape. So...that is out of the question.
Yesterday I screened my computer and no spyware was found, but the stupid toolbar "iSearch"is still visable.

I really appriciate all of your advices. Thanks a bunch.
Im going to try to restore...
 
Sounds like it's hosed for good. I suspect you're going to have to completely wipe and reinstall the operating system.
 
Sessamoid: Sounds like it's hosed for good. I suspect you're going to have to completely wipe and reinstall the operating system.

Yep, I also asked my father but said to refomat the whole thing is too much. We are trying to find an other solotion for the problem.
I have tried so many anti spyware right now, screened my computer a million times, restarted it over and over again...still on one very mysterieus reason, the Spyware "ISearch" is back on my computer. My computer is getting very slow and does not want to open sites some times, including this one.

Im searching the internet through google for sulutions, but somehow a bit afraid I klick on a site that has Spyware as well.

===

Well, thanks a lot everyone for your response. 👍
 
minoes said:
Yep, I also asked my father but said to refomat the whole thing is too much.
Click to expand...
Too much for what? It sounds like you've already spent several days on this and achieved nothing. If you had backed up your stuff, wiped the disk and reinstalled, you'd have been done by now.
 
minoes said:
One of you wrote about using something different than "Microsoft Internet Explorer". So I checked the "Opera and Mozilla" out, but my computer doesnt want to download it. It had nothing to do with the security of my computer or with the type of system. I used to have Netscape but you need a homepage and I have to pay a whole bunch more just to go online with Netscape. So...that is out of the question.
Yesterday I screened my computer and no spyware was found, but the stupid toolbar "iSearch"is still visable.

I really appriciate all of your advices. Thanks a bunch.
Im going to try to restore...
Click to expand...


I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Netscape (the browser) is free. You can set your homepage to whatever you want (same as with Mozilla).

Have you done the very simple: In IE, click on View and Toolbar, and see if this toolbar is visible - then unclick it?

Have you tried the debrander?

If you have done all that and can't download (say) Mozilla (www.mozilla.org) but you can download other applications from other websites, you probably have a serious virus.
 
minoes said:
Sessamoid: Sounds like it's hosed for good. I suspect you're going to have to completely wipe and reinstall the operating system.

Yep, I also asked my father but said to refomat the whole thing is too much. We are trying to find an other solotion for the problem.
I have tried so many anti spyware right now, screened my computer a million times, restarted it over and over again...still on one very mysterieus reason, the Spyware "ISearch" is back on my computer. My computer is getting very slow and does not want to open sites some times, including this one.

Im searching the internet through google for sulutions, but somehow a bit afraid I klick on a site that has Spyware as well.

===

Well, thanks a lot everyone for your response. 👍
Click to expand...


I've become so jaded...I wonder how someone can cut and paste and format so neatly (instead of the 1-step "hit the reply button"), yet cannot, for the life of them, figure out, apparently, much of anything on their computer.
 
I've had iSearch a couple times, or maybe it was MySearch. Either way, I run a full Symantec (same as Norton) virus scan every week (latest definitions), AdAware weekly (latest), and Spybot S&D weekly (latest). All I use is the WinXP SP2 firewall.

I got rid of the toolbar by either using AdAware, Spybot, or simply going to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Simple as that. Not worth reformatting at all and losing dozens-hundreds of hours of downtime. If it isn't listed in the Currently Installed Programs list and AdAware/Spybot don't work, take a peek at your C:\Program Files folder and see if it's there.
 
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