[thelist] (OT) something keeps changing my homepage in IE 6

Ken Schaefer ken at adOpenStatic.com
Wed Oct 22 21:10:43 CDT 2003


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: "Adrian Simmons" <adrinux at ntlworld.com>
Subject: Re: [thelist] (OT) something keeps changing my homepage in IE 6


: Bird wrote:
: > Is there something on my machine?
: Sounds like one of those handy bits of software that windows
: IE allows web sites to install without your knowledge, spyware,
: addware and the like.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IE allows you to? Hardly. If IE didn't have bugs in it, then you'll always
be prompted to install something, and you should always click "no".
Otherwise, spyware/adware/malware is embedded in all sorts of, say we say,
"not so legitimate" software out there on the 'net.

To the Original Poster:

www.lavasoftusa.com has a well-known program called "AdAware" that picks up
most things. Run that (as well as the Spybot program mentioned earlier)

Make sure you are up-to-date with your IE patches. There is a link called
"Windows Update" on your start menu. Use it.

If you have Windows 2000, or Windows XP (ie, any OS from Microsoft in the
last couple of years other than Windows ME, but let's not go there), there
is an "Automatic Updates" feature. Configure that to get your updates for
you automatically (you can still choose whether to install them or not).

If you still get infected with this type of thing, it's because someone
clicks "yes" when you see once of those prompts. You may wish to rethink the
type of websites, and the types of software, you download off the web, and
off peer-to-peer filesharing programs etc.

You don't get this type of thing from websites that have a reputation to
uphold.

Cheers
Ken



More information about the thelist mailing list