I'm Ready To Smash My Computer

Interesting Ian said:

Firefox? Do you mean firebird?
Click to expand...
What Pyrrho said, Ian. Really, it's exactly the same product, but it has a very nice install process and a cuter icon too.

Recommended replacement for IE. Really.
 
Zep said:
What Pyrrho said, Ian. Really, it's exactly the same product, but it has a very nice install process and a cuter icon too.

Recommended replacement for IE. Really.
Click to expand...

But you don't get fancy effects like on this page :cry:
 
LukeT,

This happened to me recently - it took me nearly a whole day to kill the da** thing.

What did it in the end was a little program called "killbox", which fixed it in like three seconds (typical - easy if you know how)

I'm going to try attaching the file. If that doesn't work, PM me your email and I'll send it to you (I've lost the address I d/l it from, sorry)

Graham

Edited to add - no joy, PM me if you want it
 
A couple of observations regarding a possible cause of the problem:

(1)
After all, I've spent a lot of time on Stormfront fighting with white nationalists! I am sure they would be amused to know of my discomfort.
Click to expand...
--posted by Luke T. [regarding some unrelated discomfort]


(2)
Don Black, for instance, is very good with computers. He learned his skills courtesy of American taxpayers, when he was in jail for a planned invasion of Dominica by white supremacists. Then he got out of prison and became a computer consultant in addition to running his Stormfront Web page. He's trying to teach computer skills to the movement.
Click to expand...
Source:
http://www.salon.com/news/1998/10/16newsa.html

Okay, I don't actually know anything, but I do suspect something.
 
But it may not by spyware, it could have been a simple hijack from an Active X link on a page you visited.
 
Peskanov said:
I am going to second that; buy Mac, your quality of life will improve. ;)
Click to expand...

One of the things I like about the JREF forums is getting to see all the angst other JREFers cause themselves by using Windows boxes.

When they get to the point of smashing the damned things, as Luke has, they are approaching Enlightenment. :)

Get a Mac.
 
Kevin_Lowe said:


Get a Mac.
Click to expand...
No need to do that, just use a different browser. I don't think Firefox is hijackable, give it a whirl. The problem isn't hardware dependent, it's the software.
 
I don't think at this point that it's the pages that Luke is visiting that is causing the problem.

Since I got attacked 2-3 times last week, I've taken to just going to big name sites only: randi, pvponline, dilbert, yahoo, google, get fuzzy. My box is Win2K btw.

Saturday, at 4:06 PM CT, I fired up Diablo2 and was playing online with my friends.

I alt-tabbed out of the game, and went to check diabloii.net. I fired up IE and found: my home page hijacked yet again!

I did a search on any new/recent files in the last 24 hours. So what do a find? -> ghtml.dll (or something like it), sitting in my \winnt\system32 folder. With a timedate of - you guessed it - 4:06 PM CT.

After using 'HijackThis' and renaming it to ghtml.bak was I finally able to kill it.

After Saturday, I had turned off JS and activeX and bunch of other stuff. I was entering randi, dilbert, etc into the Trusted Site section of IE to allow activeX and JS. However, I was trying to get my taxes done, and needed full access to schwab.com. I COULD NOT get the page to display properly, until I re-enabled JS and activex. A minute later, my page was hi-jacked; WHILE I was on schwab.com! Grrr.

SOMETHING is on my and Luke's computers, and it's d/ling these stupid things into our system32 folders even when we're not using IE. If I don't d/l Firefox, I'm going to wipe the bloody harddrive and reinstall Windows etc all over again. I can not STAND having unauthorized code d/ling crap into my system32 folder without my permission. (You suck, Uncle Bill.)
 
Hey, bignickel and LukeT.

I had a similar hijack not to long ago, after my sister go into my files. :(


Anywho, you might want to use AdAware's newest update.

Just load Adaware Version 6

and click

check for updates now


There was a new updatethat was released not to long ago.

It fixed my problem.

I hope it works with yours.

Good luck. :)
 
bignickel said:
I don't think at this point that it's the pages that Luke is visiting that is causing the problem.

Since I got attacked 2-3 times last week, I've taken to just going to big name sites only: randi, pvponline, dilbert, yahoo, google, get fuzzy. My box is Win2K btw.

Saturday, at 4:06 PM CT, I fired up Diablo2 and was playing online with my friends.

I alt-tabbed out of the game, and went to check diabloii.net. I fired up IE and found: my home page hijacked yet again!

I did a search on any new/recent files in the last 24 hours. So what do a find? -> ghtml.dll (or something like it), sitting in my \winnt\system32 folder. With a timedate of - you guessed it - 4:06 PM CT.

After using 'HijackThis' and renaming it to ghtml.bak was I finally able to kill it.

After Saturday, I had turned off JS and activeX and bunch of other stuff. I was entering randi, dilbert, etc into the Trusted Site section of IE to allow activeX and JS. However, I was trying to get my taxes done, and needed full access to schwab.com. I COULD NOT get the page to display properly, until I re-enabled JS and activex. A minute later, my page was hi-jacked; WHILE I was on schwab.com! Grrr.

SOMETHING is on my and Luke's computers, and it's d/ling these stupid things into our system32 folders even when we're not using IE. If I don't d/l Firefox, I'm going to wipe the bloody harddrive and reinstall Windows etc all over again. I can not STAND having unauthorized code d/ling crap into my system32 folder without my permission. (You suck, Uncle Bill.)
Click to expand...
Somebody knows your IP address and is downloading to your PC - IE not needed. Firewall time! Try a free one - Kerio, from the same people who made Tiny firewall. I use it at home and it's pretty good! You can get better ones, of course, but you will have to pay and I'm a cheapskate! :)
 
Zep said:
Somebody knows your IP address and is downloading to your PC - IE not needed. Firewall time! Try a free one - Kerio, from the same people who made Tiny firewall. I use it at home and it's pretty good! You can get better ones, of course, but you will have to pay and I'm a cheapskate! :)
Click to expand...

Not to beat a dead horse... but just because someone knows my IP address, that doesn't mean they can put stuff in my Winnt\system32 folder, IF (and that's a mighty IF) I have the MS patch for that. Which I do.

I was attacked last December that way (I almost switched to Linux, I was so pi$$ed off). Anyways, read my post again: as soon as I started up Diablo2, the file appeared in my system32 folder. So, something is awakened by in/out packets, and it's that something that is going out and getting this stuff.

But anyways, I will try the suggested software, and see if I can find the dang thing. I really don't feel like blowing part of my weekend installing software.
 
Something

There's definately something going around. My wife left her machine on overnight and the next morning there were 8 different Spyware programs installed. I'm talking toolbars search engines.. it was crazy. Ad-Aware removed them all, and I turned off the ActiveX controls, so she would have to ok them.

My computer, I browse MANY more questionable sites, and no problems... go figure. But I do have a firewall up. But it's only recorded 1 mal/spy ware program in the last few months.

I love my PC. I love being able to take it apart and put any damn thin in it I want. I'll consider Mac when they go back to being able to buy parts at any hardware store, and not just the official Mac stores.

SSR

Oh, and when ALL the games I want to play are released at the same time as the PC games :)
 
Re: Something

Stainless_Steel_Rat said:
I love my PC. I love being able to take it apart and put any damn thin in it I want. I'll consider Mac when they go back to being able to buy parts at any hardware store, and not just the official Mac stores.

SSR
Click to expand...

Home Depot and Lowe's now have PC parts departments? Are they next to the plumbing section, or the gardening section?

Seriously, I've had no problems expanding my Mac--larger hard drive, Firewire PCI cards, more memory, better video card--none of which I got from an Apple store. And yes, it may not be as fast as some PC counterparts, but in the 2-plus years I've been running OSX, I've only frozen twice (both times playing Doom for OSX), never had a virus (even though I leave it on and plugged into the cable router for weeks at a time while I run SETI), and couldn't imagine giving it up (even with the occassional pangs of game envy I get when I see a new game released for the PC and not Mac).

And I agree with garys_2k, this sounds more like a software than hardware problem. Please keep us posted.

Michael
 
Another tip that might be of use to you Luke - try Googling for the name of the specific company that has hijacked your homepage (e.g. "Zestyfind" who I intend to bill for eight hours of my time at Insurance Institute approved rates for a trained professional, btw, plus costs).

You'll usually find someone who's had a similar problem.

Graham
 
Came home, booted up the system, and got hijacked while reading this very thread.

D/led Ad_aware, and flushed that damn malware down the toilet. Also found a dataminer called Alexa while it was at it.

You guys rule. Luke, follow their tips quick.

As for Theodore Kurita: you are finally aces in my book. Good call.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom